Is Your Team Ready For The New Era of Dentistry?
Dentistry, like a lot of things in life, was simpler 40 years ago. Patients came in for mostly routine tooth-based dentistry. Dentists performed a great deal of drill-and-fill, so practices naturally organized around this style of service and it became a default philosophy.
The job functions in a dental office reflected the reality of that time. The office consisted of people to take appointments, assist with care, perform hygiene treatment and process claims and payments. It was a simple system for a simpler time.
But then everything changed.
Dentistry is now much more than patching and pain relief. The technology, techniques, materials and more have advanced in mind-boggling ways. You’re constantly seeing opportunities to help your patients with comprehensive mouth-based care. This has created a new set of expectations about the possibilities for oral health and social well-being.
Today, clinical value has evolved dramatically and it has changed the profession of dentistry in just about every way.
Have you and your team adapted to the current realities of today’s consumer? Have you taken into account the economics, the desires of your patients and your capabilities as a dentist? Or are you trying to perform this advanced new-era dentistry using an old business model with a team philosophy that is a hold-over from the 60s? This philosophy will hold you back from doing more of the dentistry you’re capable of.
A lot of it goes back to those traditional job roles. In fact, I believe that this new era of dentistry deserves an entirely new set of terms and definitions for team performance—terminology that elevates your thinking to reflect the dentistry you’re doing today.
I think effective dental practices today should align their teams around certain specific “value roles.” And over the next several days in this space I’m going to discuss what that means and give you an overview of what each of those roles are.
Stay tuned.
