Dental trends to get your teeth into in 2019
If any business shows an example of how technological advancements and shifting economic brackets are affecting the services we pay for, the healthcare industry has to be chief among them and dentistry serves as a perfect example to explore.
Here are some of the latest trends to expect in 2019, what’s causing them and how we can expect them to change the way we experience dental services.
All things digital
Although most customers are used to the digital world playing some kind of role in how they interact with businesses, dental practices have been some of the slowest to get online but that’s all changing now.
A greater reliance on digital marketing, providing service descriptions online, informing patients through content marketing, and social media presence that makes them easier to contact than ever is providing a whole new world of service to online customers.
Other health industries are already providing online consultancies, so it might be that we can see some similar levels of service from dental practices, as well.
Dentists grouping together
It’s not just tech shaping industry trends, but economic realities. Even those who want to start a dental practice may have difficulty doing it alone, which means that more are coming together to start group practices.
This cooperation makes it easier to afford dental practice sales and startup costs, for one. However, for the customer, it may mean a greater range of treatment choices at every individual practice without having to go to the largest and most expensive of them, as well.
The tech shaping your dental care
Tech devices and gadgets are always exciting but in the world of healthcare, they can offer revolutionary new levels of convenience and cost-effectiveness in treatment.
There are always tech innovations in dentistry, but one of the most widespread is the use of 3D printers. Replacing manual, traditional methods of creating implants, orthodontic devices, and more, they take less time, can be more cost-effective and are less prone to error than previous methods.
Not only can this reduce waiting time for the products that dental patients need but will also inevitably make it cheaper as the 3D printing industry and the technology it sells continues to lower in price.
Patient-friendly pricing models
The aforementioned economic realities aren’t just affecting those starting a dental practice, but the customers, as well.
One of the trends that isn’t exactly a revolution but has seen a lot more growth lately is the spread of patient financing. Allowing patients a line of credit that they can pay off as time goes on it making dental treatment a lot more affordable for more people.
The prices may not change, but how able you are to make them is already changing in practices across the country.
Whether you’re a customer intrigued on how you can expect your experiences in dental businesses to change or a dental practice owner looking for an update, hopefully, the trends above give you something to be excited for.
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