It’s fall, and this
means two things: the leaves are turning and every dental specialist is
offering some kind of CE program (I think we co-sponsored three yesterday). I attended one where Dr. Sam Strong from Little Rock Arkansas
was the speaker and, as I had expected, I was not disappointed. I have
had the privilege of knowing Dr. Strong for many years and have come to
think of him as a teacher, mentor and friend. One of the things that I
admire most about him is his ability to relate to his audience and make
them comfortable with his subject matter. He practices hometown implant
dentistry and enjoys what he does and the audience can see that in his
lectures.
One of the
points that Dr. Strong brought out was enormous growth that is taking
place in removable Prosthodontics because of our aging population.
According to the statistics he gave removables are now a 9.3 billion dollar per year business.
Every one of those cases is a potential implant case for the GP who has
developed the ability to present implants as an option. Most of these
cases will not be elaborate enough to impress your peers, but they will
be the kind of cases that will accomplish the two most important things
in your practice. They will improve the quality of life for your
patient and should make you a nice profit.
In my experience of
working with dentists in implant related restorations, there are three
things that you must refine to become successful in this market.
- Develop good skills
in Removable Prosthodontics (Just because they can take them out of
their mouth doesn’t mean you don’t practice esthetic dentistry.)
- Develop a pricing
structure that allows you to talk with your patients, at any time,
about the costs and benefits of implants (Nothing damages patient
confidence like a doctor saying I don’t do this very often I’ll have to
check on that.)
- Know how to
treatment plan (Make sure that the surgeon, laboratory, and patient
always know what the desired outcome should be)
Two
implants in the lower arch with Locator Attachments may not be as
glamorous as a full arch all porcelain restoration but sometimes
hometown dentistry can do more to build your practice (and your
confidence) than glamor and glitz.
