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practice management | Return on investment of dental laser education and technology Dr Imneet Madan, UAE Innovation is key to beating the competition and stay- ing ahead of it. The current trend of Blue Ocean Strategy (creating uncontested market space) becomes applica- ble to dentistry as innovative practices are adopted. La- sers have become a tool of choice in dentistry in the last few years. Many dental professionals have incorporated lasers into their daily practice in order to provide high-end technology-based treatments to their patients. Education on using dental lasers is certainly important in order to offer treatment within ethical considerations. An in-depth education makes a difference in performing the procedures with care and skill. As with the technology, laser education requires a rea- sonable amount of financial resources. There is always an initial phase of doubt when such huge investments are involved, as, at first, the returns are not clear, prom- ising and lined up. Is in-depth knowledge of lasers an absolute necessity? According to the American Academy of Pediatric Den- tistry’s “Oral Health Policies & Recommendations”, 2017 revised edition, the dental professional must receive didactic and experiential education and training on lasers before clinical use of the technology. There is a great deal of information that can be ob- tained through online portals, manufacturers’ pamphlets and brochures, and continuing dental education all over the globe, but the foundation of good dental laser prac- tice is in-depth knowledge of the subject. The dentist can certainly manage with knowledge of the laser as a tool combined with dental knowledge, but what makes the difference and sets a benchmark are the following key factors: (a) the level at which we want to educate our patients; and (b) the level at which we want to perform the procedures with legality in our respec- tive countries. When true knowledge and information are combined, the likelihood of patients accepting laser as a treatment approach seems to increase. These are, in- deed, the criteria that make a significant difference in our practice. Knowing what we are doing and knowing it the best is the way forward. Value proposition of lasers The main question that comes to mind is whether we really want or need the laser in our practice. The answer is not always clear-cut. Some dentists prefer their practice to remain without lasers. They believe in their knowledge of their respective specialties and continue to apply this knowledge for the best care of their patients. Sometimes it is also difficult to figure out whether the practice can accommodate all the procedures that laser technology has to offer. Another factor for consideration is the time-based financial situation of the practice. If the practice is not on the higher plateau of performance, the ability to afford a dental laser may be questionable. Value proposition indicates the reasons why a dentist would introduce lasers into his or her practice. Michael Treacy, co-author of “The Discipline of Market Leaders”, suggests four different types of basic value propositions: 1. Being reasonable and affordable: In order to accom- modate this proposition, the cost variation between laser and normal treatments should not be high. In our private practice in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, we have a 35 per cent difference between the two costs. Since the overall pricing difference in the treat- ment plans is not very high, more than 80 per cent of patients agree to the laser approach. 2. Improving the overall treatment experience for the patient: Use of lasers reduces the need for local anaes- thesia in the practice. This factor raises the standard of comfort of laser treatments to the highest end. In paediatric practice, children are most likely to sustain traumatic lip bites even after the most successful clin- ical procedures. This can then lead to the child having an unpleasant post-procedure experience. With lasers, however, the need for and use of anaesthesia are mi- nimised. The use of anaesthesia in the practice is then limited to minor infiltrations and root canal therapy. The greatest fear of a child coming to the dentist is that 25 1 2018