Orthotown December 2014 - (Page 4)

wired for // success Orthodontics for Adults by Alan A. Curtis, DDS, MS, Editorial Director, Orthotown Magazine More and more of my practice is adult orthodontics. N ot that I particularly enjoy treating adults. I do not! They are more complicated and often have extensive medical, dental and emotional histories. I do enjoy working hard to produce as much dentistry as possible. I do enjoy being busy and working at my highest capacity. Working at my highest capacity allows me to reach the ﬁnancial and practice goals I've set out to achieve. So what do adults want? Frankly, adult patients want what every other patient wants. Excellent treatment that is aesthetic, quick, inexpensive and convenient. If you want your practice to grow signiﬁcantly in this new modern economy, look at what you can do to deliver on these simple straightforward desires. Y ou don't have to be everything to everyone, just make sure you' re looking out for what your patients seek. Aesthetic R egardless of your opinions on ceramic brackets and clear aligners, they're here to stay. Make sure that you include them as part of your treatment-option discussion. Whether they choose these treatment modalities or not is up to the patient. Discuss and document their limitations and treatment drawbacks. Y ou're not selling appliances or even treatment. Y ou are selling results. Happy patients are those who know that you are listening to their desires and concerns and are willing to come up with a plan that meets their expectations. sage boards: Expecting traditional orthodontics to provide for us may be shortsighted and disastrous. Why we as a profession have not taken over the short-term orthodontics trend is befuddling to me. Who can do it better than an orthodontist? Let's advertise it and own it! Inexpensive Have you ever heard a patient say " I just want retainers." ? When confronted with these patients it's important to get to the bottom of what " just retainers" really means. The two very different messages could be, " I'm not going to pay a lot for this treatment" or " there's no way I'm going back into braces." If the statement reﬂ ects a limited budget, a quick cost analysis will tell you that it's much cheaper for you to place limited ﬁxed appliances rather than monkeying around with a removable appliance. I've been guilty of thinking there's no way I'm letting a patient out of my ofﬁce with braces for less than a certain amount. The reality is that the 4 0 percent to 6 0 percent proﬁt margin we enjoy as orthodontists is not always a realistic expectation for treatments that last less than six months. R ather, when quoting fees for these limited adult treatment plans, you should be thinking what percent of capacity you're currently running. In my opinion it's better to run a full schedule with lower proﬁt margins than have a ghost town of a schedule with higher proﬁt margins. Convenient Quick Adult patients want their orthodontic treatment to be quick. One of my most satisﬁed patients was a woman who had a 3 mm diastema and was getting married in six weeks. She was willing to be seen weekly and was willing to do whatever it took to make sure her teeth looked the way she wanted for her wedding photos. While she could have had veneers done in that time, the proportions of her teeth would have looked less than ideal. Metal, low friction braces together with propel micro perforations allowed the treatment to be done on time and with a wonderful result. While it's important to make sure we get paid appropriately for these short-term orthodontic cases, experience has shown that there is a market for accelerated treatment. I heard it best said by our very own Townie, Flybywire, who shared this on the mes- The types of patients who can afford orthodontic treatment are typically working professionals and thus need to have convenient times to come and get their treatment performed. Appointment times before work, during work, and after work should accommodate even the busiest of working professionals. Make sure that your ofﬁce has the excellent communication that these professionals need. C an they text your ofﬁce? Do you provide these needed hours? What are you doing to cater to this aspect of your community? Do you charge signiﬁcantly more for adult orthodontics? Have you created an environment where adult patients feel comfortable with your practice? The point is, adult orthodontics has the potential to greatly increase your ability to work at capacity. Making accommodations for the needs of adult patients that are convenient to them only boosts your bottom line. ■ Do you prefer to treat adult patients? Comment after this article on Orthotown.com. 4 DECEMBER 2014 // orthotown.com http://www.Orthotown.com http://www.orthotown.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Orthotown December 2014

Orthotown.com Highlights
Wired for Success: Orthodontics for Adults
The Future of Our Profession, a Resident’s View
Intraoral Scanners
Corporate Profile: Burleson Seminars: Cultivating Success with Proven Strategy
Creating the Win-win Incentive Plan
Case Presentation: Interesting Cases with Teeth in the Wrong Places
Does Your Message Resonate with Adult Patients?
New Products
An Arkansas Office Blast from the Past
Ad Index

Orthotown December 2014