If you wish to view this growth diary in audio or video format , feel free to go there.
Video: Growth Diary 7
Audio: Growth Diaries Podcast 7
Practice owners have seen a big upsurge in costs. Since the pandemic, energy bills have risen, material and equipment costs are rising and the regulatory and compliance burden continues to rise. There are more regulations to comply with, and more rules to stick to. As though these pressures were not enough, the national insurance and wage bill will go up in April. Somehow practice owners have to keep the service sustainable in these challenging situations.
Income is sustained through the service of providing care for patients. Unfortunately the NHS funding is limited. The NHS pricing is out of the business owners control and the NHS contracts are limited. Anyways there is no space in the diary to delivery more UDAs even if they were available.
The only other way to bring in income is to improve the private element of dentistry.
Yet this does not come without its complexities. Private fees can only be increased to a certain ceiling beyond which they may get unsustainable for the patients. Private treatments cannot be mixed with NHS treatment in certain conditions. Patients misunderstand a move to private as a money-grabbing technique.
So many have resorted to going onto courses that encourage you to sell, to convert or to overcome obstacles. You go to courses that encourage you to provide high end treatments to patients. You attend courses that will increase your practice growth by multiples.
Yet when you return to practice, the complexities remain. The sell and high end conversions only worsen the challenge of patient trust and increase their cynicism.
What you need is a non-conventional way to build the loyal patient base.
Now you may wonder, what does growth have to do with all this? (After all these are the growth diaries).
From a patient perspective, they are no longer coming just for the dentistry. Patients are looking for a dentist who can truly look after them, think in their best interests and make them feel comfortable enough to be themselves. Patients are wary about those who are trying to coax them into treatment. Patients want healthcare. Some may seek cosmetic care but the vast majority of the population want regular, sound healthcare.
If independent dentistry is going to help you overcome your challenging cost environment, then growth is going to empower your team with the information and skills, to create that nurturing environment. Growth will give your teams the abilities and skills
Growth creates a wider and deeper learning for your entire team.
Growth creates learning centred around very specific problems, needs or gaps of your practice.
Here is a 5 step process that you, as a leader, can implement in your practice and facilitate growth for your teams.
1. Find a compelling problem. (Most times the challenges we face on the surface are simply signs and symptoms of the underlying deeper problem). Find this with your team. Discover it. Make it meaningful.
2. Explore the different perspectives of that problem and involve your team.
3. Make them go learn (proper learning) about these facets and perspectives. Deeper learning.
3b. Alternatively use team learning sessions for them to learn together (not limited to but example watching Tubules videos)
4. Bring them back to a team meeting, let them share their lessons and discuss how they can produce a specific solution towards the problem.
5. Implement and review.
As leaders, you are getting them to discover the problem (buy in), getting them involved (immersion) and getting them to implement the solutions (engagement). This is the kind of process that will get them excited, moving and wanting to learn more. This is what will then enable them to want to stay with you as they pick up meaningful things.
This will in turn enable you to create a culture and an environment where your patients want to come visit your practice - again and again and again.
Think hard about how you are approaching leadership. Is it growth led or is it CPD led? Only one will help you negotiate these challenging times.
If you want to understand this better and really grow and thrive, join us at TubulesLive on the 07th May 2025 as we unravel further. It also has a list of the 15 common challenges – how many of these do you face?
Have a look and if the questions resonate, sign up for the TubulesLive at https://www.dentinaltubules.co...
What if you don't have the time to do this? Growth needs time. How do you find that and why is it important? We will cover that in the next installment.
In other updates...
1. Check out the Tubules Thrive calendar dates for 2025. All our events including 3 super restorative courses with Dr. Ed McLaren (in London and Scotland), our Thrive Days and the Thrive summit in Nice.
All the dates and booking links are at https://www.dentinaltubules.co...
2. We are running 3 exciting composite and ceramic preparation courses with Dr. Edward McLaren from the USA. You can book the courses by finding your course link at https://www.dentinaltubules.co...
