What You Need to Know About Dental Equipment

While you will find no shortage of similar articles talking to patients, we want to look at things from a different angle. By focusing on meeting the needs of dentists, hygienists, and practice managers, we want to shine a light on how the industry really works.

Keep reading and we will guide you through the latest advances in dental equipment — as well as some tried and trusted traditional methods — all from a business point of view. Knowing what is on offer and getting insights into the current market awareness of your patients allows you to plan for a more profitable future.

Let’s dive right in and take a look at the bigger picture so we can see what’s really going on.

Patients Think it’s all About Brushing

We’re all told that we need to brush twice a day when we are knee-high, and there’s certainly nothing wrong with this type of advice. The problem is that dental practices that stick steadfastly to this approach at the expense of recommending new types of treatments and at-home equipment are missing out.

One of the most overlooked pieces of dental equipment is the electric toothbrush. While some may see it as a gimmick, the role of a dental expert is to educate their patients on the full range of benefits it provides. Vibration, more thorough brushing, and greater precision all combine to leave the mouth in a far better state from an oral hygiene point of view.

Dental practices that are proactive in recommending and endorsing specific makes and models of electric toothbrushes can generate substantial additional revenue. Not only can they sell the toothbrush itself, but they will also become the go-to destination when patients want to be able to purchase compatible replacement brush heads, irrigators, and other attachments.

Dental Practices can Speed up Treatments

While no one wants to feel like they are being rushed out of the practice chair, everyone wants to spend as little time as possible in it. Practices that appreciate this fact tend to have greater patient retention rates, and higher levels of patient engagement, and become far more lucrative and profitable businesses.

Investing in something as simple as a dedicated dental curing light can greatly speed up the rate at which oral resins are cured and dried. Shining the specific wavelength of light that the curing device generates onto the surface of the teeth acts as a catalyst. The result is an accelerated rate of polymerisation that not only reduces patient waiting times in the chair but also improves patient outcomes. Exactly what every progressive practice manager wants to hear when they’re looking to grow their business the smart way.

Dental Equipment Requires a Specialist Provider

All of this makes sense from both the patient’s and the practice’s points of view, but there is still something that needs to be said. Because dentistry tools and supplies have to follow strict rules for health and safety and the industry as a whole, an expert supplier is needed at every step.

Dental practice managers who want to expand their in-house facilities and have a constant level of stock consumables to sell to patients can be left dealing with a dozen or more suppliers. Fractionated service, slow response times, and repeated duplication of effort are all on the cards when this occurs.

The solution is to speak to a single supplier who works across the UK and has a proven track record of being able to deliver for its customers. Partnering with such a supplier will also allow practices to stay two steps ahead of the latest medical advances and treatment trends. When you consider that people have become increasingly aware of their health and wellness since the pandemic, not to mention the rise in popularity of cosmetic dentistry, this makes sound business sense for every practice in the country.

Conclusion

Dental practices that actively promote the very latest dental equipment and technology to their patients will achieve so much more. Patient outcomes will be improved through a combination of higher levels of consumer awareness, patient education, and in-house resources. Add to this the fact that many of the suggestions outlined above can generate recurring monthly revenue and you see why practices can experience a wide array of benefits.

Now that you have heard everything we have to say, it’s over to you to make the changes that will make all the difference in 2025 and beyond.