CATEGORY AUSTRALASIAN DENTIST 111 Fill the piggy bank and sky rocket your dental practice with Dental Innovations. Scan to book your FREE consultation meeting • Members can save up to 20% on dental products from major suppliers • Member discounts on HICAPS rates and 50+ business services • Network with over 750 like-minded practices across Australia and New Zealand • Member only tools, resources, events and support to help grow your practice COLUMNISTS By Berris Saultry, Director, Dental Innovations The future is here; the question is, will you embrace it? Berris Saultry This quote succinctly captures the critical need for businesses to evolve to stay relevant and competitive in an everevolving market. As we enter 2025, the dental industry is undergoing significant changes. Technology, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), is playing a crucial role in this transformation. This evolution presents a blend of challenges and opportunities for practice owners, who need to adjust their strategies to connect with the emerging generation of clients and staff. Staying relevant is essential, not just optional and embracing these advancements will unlock new pathways to success in your practice. Artificial Intelligence is reshaping dental care by enhancing diagnostics, treatment planning and treatment acceptance. With advanced tools, dentists can analyse patient data with impressive accuracy, allowing for more tailored and comprehensive care. This technology not only assists in clinical diagnosis but also is a powerful tool in clinical and patient education assisting with treatment acceptance. AI is also evolving rapidly in patient communication through AI Chat bots to provide immediate and 24 hr responses to patient enquires. Whilst not replacing the important role of human communications, the AI Chat bots are serving as an effective tool to convert enquires to appointments or follow up conversations with team members. Practice owners should look to embrace these innovations and ensure their teams are equipped to use them effectively to stay ahead of the curve. At Dental Innovations, we recognise that navigating change is vital for practice owners and have developed systems to help our members succeed. We also work with leading industry partners to deliver solutions to our members with pre-negotiated benefits empowering independent practices stay at the forefont of these advances. Cashflow is the lifeblood of a business and securing your practice’s financial future and managing costs is vital. Reevaluating how and where you order from is essential to manage costs, and assessing your ordering systems for dental supplies becomes crucial in preserving your cashflow. Streamlining these processes not only saves money but boosts efficiency and reduces waste. A vital tool for our members is the Online Ordering Portal. This seamless ordering process promotes transparency and accountability, driving improved operational efficiency as well as savings in both time and money. It allows practices to order supplies from multiple suppliers in one place while enjoying exclusive pricing to improve cash flow. As positive as the advancement of technology and AI are it also poses some risks to dental practices. Cyber criminals are becoming increasingly sophisticated in using advances in technology to their advantage with dental practices becoming favoured targets for these criminals. Whilst all practices will have practice insurance, many dentists do not include Cyber insurance in their policies leaving them vulnerable in the case of a cyber event. Dentists need to regularly review their policies of their practices to accommodate changes in their values as well as to address any vulnerabilities. By assessing your insurance regularly, you can secure the coverage needed against evolving risks. At Dental Innovations, our mission is clear: empower independent practice owners to excel. In a landscape that changes quickly, unite with over 750 dentists in our network. Leverage shared expertise to design solutions that yield savings and boost efficiency. As a united community, we can navigate the dental journey towards success with confidence and collaboration. If you’re not yet a DI member, we invite you to reach out and discover how we can assist you in achieving your goals. Embrace the future of dentistry and make 2025 a standout year for your practice! u For more information about Dental Innovations membership, contact headoffice@dentalinnovations.com.au or call (03) 9698 0200 to arrange a free discovery call. You can also keep up to date with Dental Innovations by subscribing to our newsletter ‘The Drill’ www.dentalinnovations.com.au “Businesses that fail to adapt will be left behind.”
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