What happens after you take your orthodontic dental course?
It takes a major commitment to complete an ongoing continuing education course for general dentist orthodontics, but it is even more challenging to figure out your plans following your orthodontics course.
Once you gain the knowledge, skills, and professional support system, what’s next? You need to step back and map out a plan of action to successfully implement orthodontics into your practice smoothly. Without an organized plan, it might be a bit of a bumpy road to gaining traction with getting your orthodontic treatment plans accepted.
Here are a few key ways you can smoothly incorporate orthodontics into your dental practice.
1. Create a plan of action.
Just because you’ve taken your orthodontic course does not mean you need to immediately treat orthodontic patients. Have signage in the office to let patients know that you will soon be offering orthodontics. This gives them a heads-up for their next recall visit. Additionally, have a team meeting so that your clinical and administrative staff can plant the seed and spread the word that your office will soon be offering orthodontics.
When you have an organized plan and know your course of action of how and when you’ll offer orthodontic services, you’ll be in better shape to start these services with success. Remember, you want to have all of your equipment, supplies, and materials in the office so that when you present a treatment plan to your patients, you are ready to start right away. (Imagine a patient is interested in starting their braces, but you don’t have an intraoral scanner or the correct bracket system in place. It looks unprofessional and you’re less likely to get patients to agree to expensive treatment!)
2. Make sure your team is on board.
A dental practice is nothing without its support team. In fact, it is vital that your team can assist you in providing the highest quality of care for your patients. If your auxiliary staff seems to lack the knowledge in orthodontics or cannot explain treatments or post-care, your patients may be understandably wary of signing up for treatment.
That’s why our Orthodontic Assistant Training Course course has been developed specifically to get your clinical team up-to-date with a clear understanding of orthodontics, empowering them to to completely assist you in everyday orthodontic practice. This workshop is for your hygienists and assistants, and will teach them to take diagnostic records, understand bracket placement, Phase I and II treatment, and retention techniques.
It’s also important for your front office team to know how to correctly code orthodontic cases, understand the fees, be able to present orthodontic treatment plans, and file insurance. This is what the one-day Orthodontic Practice Management Training Course is all about, and it runs on the same weekend as the assistant course, so that all of your team can have a great learning weekend. We’ve seen so many teams leave this class not only with the knowledge and skills they need to move forward but with so much enthusiasm and camaraderie!
3. Use your professional support system.
One of the greatest benefits of taking an orthodontics course with Williams GP Orthodontic Seminars is having dedicated instructors and colleagues who have been or are in the same position as you. The courses are taught by general dentists and hygienists who practice orthodontics in their practices and are also experienced at teaching other dentists to learn the fundamentals and incorporate them into their practices.
Whether you take in-person classes or orthodontics courses online, this education will help prepare you to implement orthodontics into your practices. If you come across a clinical or administrative issue, you also have the perk of reaching out to your instructor and/or colleagues. The courses are purposefully designed as a series of classes, building concept-upon-concept, instead of just a single weekend course. This way, if you come across problems mid-treatment, you can always discuss real-life patient cases at your next course session.
4. Spread the news of your new service offering.
So you’ve completed the course and you’re ready to begin your professional orthodontic journey … but how do you get the word out? Consider using a professional marketing company to get you started with Google ads, targeted SEO, and social media content. Dentistry still largely utilizes a word-of-mouth referral basis, but much of marketing in dentistry is now dependent upon a successful online presence.
In order to successfully market your practice, you need to have a mobile-friendly and well-designed website. Add orthodontics as a separate service on your website and send an email blast to your existing patients about all of your new offerings. People enjoy knowing that their dentist is offering modern treatment like braces and taking courses to improve the lives of patients.
5. Continue your professional growth.
Perhaps you took your first orthodontic course and enjoyed it. Don’t stop there! Education is a constantly-evolving part of your career, one you should keep on top of. If you learned a lot from the Basic Straight Wire Course, do your research about intermediate and advanced workshops to get you even further along in your orthodontic career. Speak with other dentists who are in a similar place to see how they have utilized their coursework to become profitable and successful orthodontic general dentists.
Many dentists who don’t take continuing education courses get into a slump because dentistry can become redundant. Taking continuing education courses in orthodontics is an opportunity to revitalize your career and develop a new skill set that is lucrative and fulfilling.
Get started with practicing orthodontics in your office.
When you recognize all the steps you need to do after you complete your orthodontics course, don’t get overwhelmed. Create a plan of action to remain organized and on-track to transform your office into a booming multi-specialty orthodontic practice. It will create a positive change in your patients and staffs’ attitudes, and you will be excited to go to work each day.
Reach out to Williams GP Orthodontic Seminars to find out more about our year-round, flexible course offerings!
