CATEGORY 96 AUSTRALASIAN DENTIST COLUMNISTS The business of dentistry is now changed forever, the time has come to know that hanging up the shingle was all one had to do, is over, gone and buried. To examine it all carefully, we start with a small trip down memory lane: 1972. A young (21) year old student emerges fromAdelaide university, determined to be a dentist. It took me less than a month after moving to Melbourne, and working in high pace dental office that I realised that my skills were sadly missing and not taught at my dental school training. Over the next three years, including two years doing a masters degree in endo and then four years at a variety general practices where I had no mentors. I very quickly learnt that you need a lot more to be successful – not just financially. It’s a totally different dental world now. Consider these points: 1. Corporate dentistry 2. Health funds 3. Specialty fields 4. The advent of social media 5. Advertising rules 6. Public perception 7. The changes in people wanting to be dentists 8. Computer changes 9. Digitalisation. 1. Corporate dentistry. Since the advent of corporations taking over the handling of people s dental health, the financial pressure on the dentist has changed dramatically. Many of my vintage who sold to the corporates left just as quickly. Legal problems still continue, leaving with a bitter taste. After lockdowns, staff shortages and lack of management expertise has seen this model struggle badly. I set up differently. I was determined to be in business, not purely as a dentist, from day one. 2. Health funds. There has been a monumental change in how the health funds operate, from being directly involved to creating rates that do not compensate properly. The model has meant that those of us who took this on have seen our margins wiped out almost completely The era of preferred provider has almost complete gone. The next few years will see a complete overhaul of this area to better allow a more complete program based upon shared IP from people with 35 years of experience to allow the more efficient use of funds. There will need to be a new type of fund, perhaps a visit back to the 1970’s when we used the numbers to allow a spread of risk and then set fund costs. 3. Specialty fields. We now see these fields being used by many dentists, so the gap between specialist and GP has further narrowed. The cost of procedures has narrowed also through competition. By Dr Harry Marget The best of times, the worst of times Dr Harry Marget 4. Social media. Who saw this coming? Certainly not the dental authorities! It has caused a lot of lack lustre advertising, causing the public to become wary of what and who to believe. Some unscrupulous dentists have used fake reviews and have been found out. 5. Advertising rules. There has been a huge shift in this, evident in all media. This is a good thing and allows the public easy access to services via the internet and radio. 6. Public perception Public perception has changed and the public now has power to fill or empty an appointment book by the push of a button. Now instead of coming from health funds and asking what can I get, the public now make a balanced decision on what they have learnt from the interpretation of health funds and modern health care publicity. 7. The changes in people wanting to be dentists In the past those who had straight A’s would automatically go into dentistry. Today it’s more varied, students with an interest in science and a better understanding of biology become dentists. Dentistry should be a science and an evolving science, one that is humanistic and a science involved in new research that solved dental issues. 8 & 9. Computer changes and Digitalisation Computers and digitalization are the final and most exciting frontier and not before time. What I have seen makes me very excited about the future role of these areas in the dental profession. I see a need for young dentist to avail themselves of any great mentor they can find; attend as much post grad education as possible, not just in technical dental care but personal skills, speaking and personal skills such as mediation. A more involved approach to financial matters, tax education and basic money skills would also help, and the emergence of the dental super office with trained GPS who can do it all and where the knowledge and skills are shared. The next five years will be pivotal, with increased competition, the end of the single surgery, the rise of the super office, off shore staff, super staff located in Asia, doing all if not most office work . We could see the rise of the virtual assistant, a huge rise in wages for staff and the arrival of the super GP. And we could witness the advent of the three tiered dentist, simple skills that need a mentor on tap. My own involvement will be more about marketing and training other dentists and staff. u Dr Harry Marget 0412 322 253
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