practice management

Timothy A. Brown specializes in dental practice appraisals, brokerage, consulting, locum placements, associateships and practice financing across Canada. You can reach Timothy at timothy@roicorp.com.

pandemic-proof

Despite 2020 not turning out as we expected, the dental profession has persevered

the past year did not work out as any of us planned. many of us had great expectations for 2020 and then watched as they came to a grinding halt. The world changed, as did the way we do business. and some of these changes will become permanent. as difficult as this pandemic has been, we must believe we will come through this. Because history tells us that we will. Our parents and grandparents persevered when they experienced extremely challenging times—the Depression, two World Wars, other pandemics and tragedies—and then celebrated once these challenges were overcome.

So let’s choose optimism and hope. as canadian dentists, please realize how fortunate you are. Your businesses are open and data shows that you’re financially stable. Your patients trust you and continue to make appointments.

DentaL praCtiCe revenue LanDsCape (past, present + future)

1. June to august, 2020, dental practice revenues recovered quickly and many reported record production levels due to backlog. 2. From September to November, 2020, record production levels continued in many practices nationwide—a pleasant surprise to everyone in the dental industry. Why? canadians have a high dental iQ and they trust and respect

what dentistry has done to make it safe for staff and patients. Well done dental community! 3. December saw appointment schedules booked full as patients typically

“use it or lose it” by the end of the year. 4. in January/February of 2021, in areas where kids hadn’t returned to school, families with open schedules thought:

Why not take them to the dentist? a few hours at the dental office doubled as free time for parents (if a child could be alone with dental staff). The dental appointment inspired a family outing! 5. Now it’s spring of 2021 and forwardlooking schedules are filling up quickly. most patients are still working from home, meaning they have more flexibility and time for personal care. (and some people may need to just get out!) With serious limitations on many other healthcare services (and a loss of confidence in other wellness spheres, such as gyms, spas and massage therapy, aesthetics, etc.), dentistry remains at the top of canadians’ self-care regimen and mind-set.

Looking baCk

Throughout this past year, across all markets, dental practices have stayed connected with patients—educating them with objective and science-based information. most dental practices even improved their technology skills via social media, Zoom and teledentistry. many of us had considered ourselves “too old” to keep up with constantly advancing apps and yet we’ve embraced all things tech to stay in touch. 2020 has taught us that we can’t always be in control and that we must be willing to adapt. most importantly, on the whole, the dental profession exhibited a positive attitude. Yes, we can all agree that we need more positivity, joy and happiness in 2021. But we can also continue to be a beacon of hope and contagious positivity as we all get through the pandemic together.