By Barry Lee Musikant, DMD

All we keep reading in the news is that the economy is starting to grow again. The positive news is wonderful; however, I am sure that many of you out there still have realistic concerns about when exactly we will all start to breathe easier again.

I am surely not suggesting we resort to eating only canned beans; there are so many things that dentists can implement into their practices to save money without compromising our clinical results. Here is a list of things we have used in our practice that have brought about tremendous savings without compromising what matters most — the results we want for our patients.

• Make smart purchases. This may sound mundane, but in reality it is something we all need to do every day to expand our wallets. When I say make smart purchases, I mean purchase items needed to get the job done correctly. Don’t purchase an inferior, cheaper product and jeopardize the restoration. On the other hand, this may not be the time to buy expensive equipment that does not offer your practice a high return on investment.

• Think about two-in-one materials. Whenever you can, get one material that offers multiple uses. Note: make sure when doing this that the results are just as good, if not better, than what you were using before. A good example of this is New Ti-Core^® Flow+ from Essential Dental Systems. This company took the advice of their dentists who were asking for ways to save money without compromising results. Alas, this new product was created. Ti-Core Flow+ takes the best qualities of leading brands — Ti-Core build-up material and Flexi-Flow post cement — and merges them into one easy-to-use syringe. This saves us money, time, and most of all, ease of mind, because we know the results are going to be clinically superior.

• Invest in continuing education. Learning a new skillset or technique will make you a better dentist, period. Being a better dentist will yield better results for your patients, increasing referrals and patient traffic. The number one source of any dentists’ patient traffic is word of mouth. If you can offer something that your competitors cannot, people will come to you, and more importantly tell their friends and family as well. Getting smarter never looked so profitable. New sites like www.ineedce.com list courses in all dental disciples all over the country for anyone’s taste and budget. Investing in continuing education may also teach you a new skill. In turn, this will keep revenue in your practice instead of referring patients to a specialist. An example of such a course is one of the two-day endodontic hands-on courses offered at www.essentialseminars.org.

Author bio
Dr. Barry Lee Musikant’s lecture schedule has taken him to more than 250 international and domestic locations. His dynamic speaking style and ability to direct dentists to the very heart of stress-free techniques is what sets him apart. He has co-authored more than 350 articles in dentistry in major dental journals, domestic as well as international. Dr. Musikant holds 19 patents for co-inventing revolutionary endodontic obturation, instrumentation, post and composite systems. As a partner in the largest endodontic practice in Manhattan, Dr. Musikant’s 35-plus years of clinical experience have made him into one of the top authorities in endodontics. You may contact Dr. Musikant by email at [email protected].