Of dental practices surveyed, the most popular services include preventative, aesthetic, and restorative services. The top four restorative services are routine cleanings, crown and bridge, whitening, and dentures.
But among the top treatments forecast to grow in the next five years are clear aligners.
In fact, the clear aligner market is projected to surpass crowns and bridge work by the end of 2023.
Dentists who don't offer aligner treatment are in danger of getting left behind by peers who have figured out how to make aligners profitable. In fact, many dentists who have been trained to do Invisalign treatment could be making better use of that training and are leaving money on the table.
Why are some doctors avoiding increasing their business in aligner patients?
“It’s Not Worth It”
Other times, a doctor will get a more challenging case. They worry about the high instance in refinements. When they start to look at the numbers, the time and attention to refinements makes the doctor think aligners aren’t worth it. They may think, “I don’t make any money if I have to do a refinement.”
Overburdened Staff
Dentists are often concerned about adding anything else to the workload of your staff. Just setting up a room for a patient visit takes time, and the requests of patients for staff attention can seem endless. You carefully built your staff over time, and you can’t afford to lose them because you are adding more patients into their day. Read our blog, How to Relieve your Stressed Out Dental Staff.
Managing Change
We hear this a lot: “Why do I want to change what I’m doing?”
Change can be risky. Many dentists think what they are doing is working well enough that taking a risk isn’t worth it. But if aligner services grow by 5% in the next 5 years and only about 50% of practices are offering clear aligner treatment, you can see the opportunity for revenue growth. And if you miss the opportunity…you may not get it back.
The truth of the matter is that when it comes to aligner treatment, we are still in the early adopter phase. The training isn’t always thorough, which means dentists need extra support to really feel they are ready to offer that service. As a result, many doctors are only willing to take on 1-2 aligner patients.
Take the Burden Off Staff
One approach that addresses all these concerns is remote treatment. Once installed, aligners do not need much more than a quick, periodic check. Bringing patients into the office for that check takes staff time and money. If you can do that check remotely, your office benefits and patients are happier.
Remote treatment can also make patient support easier if you use a HIPAA-compliant app that lets patients message the office directly. Rather than taking valuable staff time on the phone or scheduling appointments, patients with quick questions can use the app to get the guidance they need.
The Support Dental Practices Need
A benefit of the In Hand Dental app is that you can also get the extra support doctors often need when they’re just starting out doing clear aligners. Maybe you have a mentor, an orthodontist peer in or another dentist who’s experienced in aligners. You can add that third party to the app, giving access to certain patient information so they can consult on a case easily and quickly.
This feature is extremely helpful in giving dentists the confidence to jumpstart their aligner practice; it doesn’t take long at all before you gain the experience to gladly increase your number of aligner patients.
With all the help and guidance you need in the In Hand Dental app, why would you pass up the aligner business that’s coming our way?
Want to learn more about In Hand Dental and how your practice can benefit using aligner treatments? Go to our Contact Page and set up a time to book a free demo today!