Australasian Dentist Magazine Sept-Oct 2021

Category 130 Australasian Dentist O wning a dental practice is stressful, lonely, and very overwhelming. When running a dental practice, you need to wear many different hats; a dentist, a businessperson, a marketer, a good communicator – the list goes on. Regardless of all the hats and stress, owning a dental practice can also be extremely rewarding. It can be quite an expensive journey, but it isn’t just the cost you need to consider when starting up a new practice. There are things such as budget, location, hiring, the fit-out, insurance, and expenses that need to be considered when starting a practice from scratch. Dental Innovations can help you minimise your start-up costs and most importantly we can make the process a little easier for you. Starting a dental practice from scratch can be extremely expensive, the average start-up cost in Australia is upwards of $500,000. These start-up costs include your consumables, instruments, handpieces, equipment, electrical goods (i.e., computers, fridges, tv) and practice software. With Dental Innovations we are able to cut the costs of these items with our membership buying power which in turn can save you a lot on your start-up costs. Creating Systems Early: One thing that is essential to running your new practice is ensuring that you have the correct systems to streamline your processes. At DI, our members have access to our Online Ordering Portal and Assets Register, both of these online systems have proven to streamline the processes of many dental practices. Our Online Ordering System allows you to place an order from any of our 10 suppliers all on the one portal. You can save your favourite items in a wish list, re-create your last order, set budgets, and create reports for your spending. The Assets Register is where you can store all the warranty, receipts, and any information needed for your purchases. It allows you to get rid of the filing cabinet and create a paperless system to store all important information. Importantly you can also set reminder notifications for important dates such as servicing, end of warranty or renewals. With these systems in place, you can ensure that your processes are streamlined and efficient, creating an easy workflow for both yourself and your staff. Insurance: Procuring practice insurance should be extremely high on your priority list, it is important to ensure that you and your practice are covered for whatever may come your way – after all there is quite a lot at stake. When you are researching insurance, it is important to go with someone that you trust which is why at Dental Innovations we recommend, Dental Assured. They understand that every practice is different and cater the policy to your needs through all stages of your practice set up and providing advice on the correct level and type of cover. Importantly if something does go wrong they will be there with you through the claim process from beginning until the end. Expenses With the help of Dental Innovations, we can ease that burden with our member purchasing power of over 700 practices. With this purchasing power we can save you between 15 – 20% off market price of dental consumables which makes a large difference in reducing your expenditure. This purchasing power is applied across over 40 different services selected to assist our members in the operation of their dental practices. Marketing In order to present your practice to the public you need to have a solid marketing plan, this includes a website, social media presence, and google reviews. Establishing an online presence early in your start up process will help create awareness and also assist your SEO with Google ranking. You aren’t expected to know it all which is why we can help you in building a website, SEO, and social media content through our partnership with Zen Dental Marketing and our bespoke Social Sharing content library. How Can We Help? With Dental Innovations on your side, we will be able to successfully assist you with many of the services needed in opening a dental practice; it is with these services that you will be able to save considerable time and money. Dental Innovations will also assist to connect you with suppliers and importantly the best person with the correct knowledge within these companies to assist you with your enquiry or purchases. Starting a new practice can be daunting but if you check these little things off your list, you will find that process will (hopefully) be smooth sailing. There are many of ways that the team at Dental Innovations can help you when starting a new practice, it is with our buying power, contacts within the industry, and group of dentists willing to share their experiences is invaluable for new practice owners. u If you are starting a new practice and want to know more about how Dental Innovations can help you contact Nivan on 0401 336 412 or email your queries to nivan@dentalinnovations.com.au Are you looking to set up a new dental practice? By Nivan Celebi columnists