Is orthodontics right for your pediatric dental practice?

Pediatric dentists must provide quality care across a range of treatment areas to ensure healthy development for their patients. Adding orthodontics to your practice could help you do that more effectively, benefiting your practice and your patients.

If any of these signs ring true for your practice, orthodontic courses for pediatric dentists could be right for you.

1. You’re looking for a new revenue stream.

Providing quality treatment for your patients is just one part of running a practice. You also have the challenge of running a business, and you could find your practice falling behind without any clear cause.

Adding new revenue streams is a great way to improve your practice’s profitability and make it more resilient. Orthodontic treatment options are an untapped revenue stream that your practice has previously been referring to other specialists.

Adding orthodontics to your practice lets you provide more comprehensive treatment for your patients, increasing average revenues on a patient-by-patient basis. Orthodontic treatment options, in general, have high margins that can help your practice thrive.

2. You have gaps in your schedule.

How busy your practice is depends on a wide range of factors. Your location and patient base, how well-established your practice is, and the treatment options you can provide all play an important role.

If you find that you have undesirable gaps in your schedule, you could consider adding additional treatment options. If you’re already taking on every patient that comes your way, expanding the treatments you provide can help fill out your schedule.

Not only will you be able to fill gaps in your schedule, but you’ll also be filling those gaps with lucrative and fulfilling orthodontic casework.

3. You’ve mastered bringing in new patients.

Do you already have a firm hold on bringing in new patients? Marketing is vital for any practice’s success and plays a key role in growth. You should consider whether you’ve already implemented all potential marketing resources, such as:

• Building an effective website
• Maintaining a social media presence
• Creating and using an email list
• Local directory listings
• Conventional print or radio advertising
• Clearly communicating your brand and values
• Highlighting awards and achievements

If you haven’t developed your marketing efforts, it is well worth investing in both time and money to do so. However, marketing can only take you so far.

If you have maximized your marketing efforts and consistently bring in new patients, you can further your efforts by adding orthodontic treatment options. This helps increase the number of new patients who choose your practice and revenue per patient.

4. You frequently refer patients for Class I and II malocclusions.

Orthodontic courses for pediatric dentists can provide you with the knowledge and skills to handle Class I and Class II malocclusions. These cover the majority of orthodontic cases, with other issues being less common.

If you find that you routinely refer patients with Class I and Class II, then this could mean that orthodontic courses for pediatric dentists are right for you. With the right continuing education, you can treat most of these cases in-house.

This lets your patients enjoy better continuity of care while also unlocking a new revenue stream for your practice.

5. Your patients are asking about in-house orthodontics.

Many pediatric dentists have taken advantage of orthodontic courses for pediatric dentists. This has led to much of the general public expecting their dentist to provide some treatment options in-house.

Because of this, you might have noticed some of your patients asking about in-house orthodontics. In general, patients prefer to stick with their dentist rather than go to a specialist whenever possible.

Adding orthodontics to your practice provides more comprehensive care for your patients. They’ll be more comfortable and won’t have to go through the new patient process with a specialist. Adding orthodontic treatment options benefits both your practice and your patients.

Orthodontic Courses for Pediatric Dentists

If any of these signs are present in your practice, you should consider continuing education with Synergy Orthodontic Seminars. During our Comprehensive Pediatric Orthodontics course, Dr. Jay Gerber will guide you through a series of learning modules that will leave you capable of adding orthodontics to your practice.

This comprehensive course provides everything you need to implement orthodontic treatment. You’ll learn how to carry out diagnosis, develop treatment plans, select and apply fixed and removable appliances, and more.

If it’s time for your practice to grow and improve the level of care you offer your patients, Synergy Orthodontics Seminars can help. See our entire course catalog for more orthodontic courses for pediatric dentists.