Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

October 201314 Showcase Tribune United Kingdom Edition Find out how Objet 3D printers from Stratasys can make digital orthodontics a reality for your lab. stratasysdental.com | marketing.emea@stratasys.com | +49 7229 777 2-0 Exclusively designed for smaller labs and clinics, the new Objet30 OrthoDesk is office-friendly, affordable and easy to use. It is the first solution that puts cutting-edge, 3D printing technology on your desktop. Now you can digitally manufacture stone models, orthodontic appliances, delivery and positioning trays, clear aligners and retainers faster than ever. Transition to a digital workflow and do away with bulky physical model storage. Take the leap to digital orthodontics today, and: • Increase your production capacity and accuracy • Accelerate production times • Eliminate traditional stone model storage • Stay ahead of the competition • Eliminate the inconvenience of physical impressions The Future of Orthodontics Fits on Your Desktop Objet30 OrthoDesk The Secret to Dental Lab Survival Go Digital I n the current economic cli- mate, the idea of ‘going pri- vate’ will leave many prin- cipals feeling a little nervous to say the least. After all, the NHS at least provides a relative, or perceived, level of security, so why would you want to put an entirely new funding option in place for your patients? What are my options? Because a full transition to pri- vate practice is such a daunting prospect, it’s really important to look closely at the problems you currently face in your prac- tice and what options are avail- able to you. The good news is that, in this day and age, the transition to private practice is not an ‘all or nothing’ choice and there are plenty of options available. The overwhelming majority of Denplan practices, for example, offer a mixed ser- vice of both NHS and private care and we’re able to guide them through the process one step at a time. And, with so much change on the horizon once again with the NHS, it makes good busi- ness sense to look at the avail- able options and the ways in which you can secure your practice’s success long into the future. What is it specifi- cally that you want to achieve or change as a result of offering private care; which provider will offer you the best support; and do their values and aspira- tions mirror your own? Once you have the answers to these questions you can see whether a full or partial transfer is the best option for you or whether a slower transition to offering private care is the way to go. You can, for example, under- take a principal only transition whereby the NHS contractual obligations are delivered by as- sociates within the practice, and the principal focuses on private patients. As a result, the principal gains freedom from UDA targets and can benefit from the additional time spent with patients. The practice also benefits from increased rev- enue while retaining its NHS contract and offering patients a greater degree of choice. Can a payment plan help? Offering a dental payment plan to patients wishing to benefit from private care can increase the practice’s stable, regular in- come, while providing a way for patients to budget for their den- tal care. It’s not uncommon to assume that patients will be un- willing or unable to afford such a service, but Denplan’s own re- search, undertaken by YouGov, has indicated that 15 per cent of regular attenders without a payment or cash plan, and over 23 per cent of Private Fee Per Item patients would consider buying a payment plan to help them budget for their dental care and treatment. Those who would consider buying a den- tal payment plan also said they would be willing to pay around £14.90 per month for it [ Den- plan / YouGov survey, January 2013 – total sample size was 4116 adults surveyed online. Figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK Going Private Roger Matthews reveals how making the transition to private practice does not have to be an ‘all or nothing’ decision for dental practices and looks at some of the private options which allow you to retain your NHS contract