Whether you’re looking to get your foot in the door at your dream practice or you need to expand your reputation and increase your bottom line, your case acceptance rate is a performance metric you cannot ignore. Sure, it may feel like your rate is up there, but if you segment the data and look at your high-value treatment plan acceptance rates, you may find that a golden opportunity awaits.
So, how do you do it? It’s all about the crowns. Here, we’ll discuss how elevating your crown prep skills directly relates to an increased case acceptance rate (and case value).
Dental crowns are a restorative dental procedure necessary to tackle common dental issues such as tooth decay. In fact, almost 90% of adults between 20 and 26 years of age have had tooth decay, and since many people want to reach their ideal smiles and have good oral health, the need for dental crowns isn’t going anywhere.
The earning potential is there, too, with some single crowns costing over $3,000. But with the lofty price tag comes the expectation for a successful dental procedure from start to finish. A good crown prep can make the difference between a long-lasting result and a dental crown failing mere weeks after the appointment. Even if your crown prep technique is textbook, a lack of efficiency could impact your case acceptance rates (more on that later).
There are some parts of dentistry that you can't speed up, no matter how much you hope. Processes such as etching or waiting for your primer to dry take a set chunk of time to complete. One thing you can do is speed up your crown preps, so you have the time to finish without feeling rushed. However, speed doesn’t always equal efficiency. To get the best of both worlds, you need speed and high-quality results.
Crown prep mastery is when your speed and quality are there. You waste less materials, less time, and make fewer mistakes. This is a win for your clients and your dental career.
Learning efficient and speedy crown preps can increase your case acceptance rates in three ways:
Confident and positive patient communication can boost your case acceptance rate for high-value cases. When you know what you’re doing and how you’ll do it, you’ll exude confidence when speaking with potential patients. You can answer their questions and make them feel good about getting work done by you.
When you take less time to prep a tooth, this means less chair time for your patients. When you complete the prep with proper techniques, the patient won’t have to return for an appointment for you to “fix” mistakes (or go somewhere else for help). This isn’t just good dentistry, this is good business. A happy patient will talk to their friends. This can lead to word-of-mouth recommendations, more referral cases, positive online reviews, and, in the end, more cases for you.
Less time in the chair per patient for crown preps plus less time correcting mistakes translates to less fatigue on your end and increased appointment availability. You’ll have the time (and energy) to accept more — and more complex — cases.
From learning to walk to learning how to do a full mouth rehab, practice and coaching are crucial to success. Crown preps are no different. You need hands-on practice and insider help to confidently perform crown preps with fewer refinements. As your technique becomes automatic, your speed, confidence, and quality increase. When you’ve reached this stage of competence, you’ll find it easier to overcome the challenges and risks associated with crowns.
Having a mentor and taking their online courses to help you refine your skills is the first step. But you also need hands-on practice with your own tools in your own environment. A Sim Kit lets you practice crown preps over and over again until you get it right. You can take pictures and get direct feedback from your mentor dentist using an online platform for an immersive experience.
A Fellowship in Restorative Dentistry includes a crown prep program designed to help you improve your efficiency and speed so you can have the time, confidence, and reputation you need to achieve a higher case acceptance rate.
To take your restorative dentistry to the next level, explore the program.