Virginia-based dentist Dr. John C. Cranham has been in business for more than 20 years, which means he’s seen his share of ups and downs in the economy. Even in this lingering recession, though, Cranham believes in the philosophies he espoused during earlier economic downturns—namely, when the economy is bad, offer more options to your patients
With that in mind, Cranham recently began providing dental implant surgery at his office. While patients are choosing to pass on many cosmetic services because of tighter budgets, they view dental implants as a more necessary and urgent procedure and are wiling to pay for it.
Cranham identifies six key points dentists must adhere to when adding to the services they provide:
1.) Find a mentor who will not only tutor a dentist on the new services he or she is providing but also shorten the learning curve.
2.) Follow a timeline and budget for the implementation of these new services.
3.) Make sure to become an expert in this new discipline.
4.) Embrace the technology of the new discipline, because it will make everything easier, more productive and more profitable for everyone involved.
5.) Find a support team of experts, both locally and nationally, that the dentist can rely upon during the transition process.
6.) Be cautious in scheduling patients to undergo these newer procedures so that dentists may spend as much time and focus as necessary getting things right.