How Technology Is Helping Dental Practices

In the UK, most people who need to go to the dentist or want cosmetic work done will only go to the dentist if they absolutely have to. There is a stereotype surrounding dental practices that makes people uneasy at the prospect of attending dental appointments.

One of the key drawbacks of the dental sector is the reluctance many people feel towards attending dental appointments. There are several ways dentists can improve the service they provide by simply making their spaces more appealing to patients through technology. In this post, we’ll look at how the physical space and dentist-patient interaction can help save these practices time and money.

Anxiety Surrounding Dental Treatments

The NHS acknowledges dental anxiety as a common occurrence experienced by anyone who has to visit the dentist for one reason or another. While the NHS suggests many tips and tricks for patients, there is little official medical advice for dentists on how to improve their patient’s experience.

Dentists should be prepared to have conversations with their patients to reduce feelings of stress and anxiety surrounding dental treatments. Once patients understand what certain procedures entail, they can rationalize the treatment mentally, allowing them to develop mechanisms to cope with their discomfort.

The NHS also suggests that patients take an MP3 player into their treatments if at all possible. Some dentists may not allow this if the procedure is especially technical. However, in some instances, this is a possibility. Calming music can often help patients with stress and anxiety surrounding dental treatments.

Although these solutions are actionable by patients to overcome their fears of dental procedures, there are also several steps dental practices can take to make themselves more appealing to patients. By mitigating deterring factors and incorporating technology that improves the space and the overall patient experience, practices can reduce patient fear surrounding dental procedures.

How Dental Practices Can Help To Reduce Patient Anxiety

Introducing new technology into the dental sector effectively influences patients’ perceptions of dental procedures positively. The evolution of digital technology means that dental practices can integrate new products into their practices to put patients at ease and decrease the time procedures take.

Digital technology is highly useful in providing visual aids when briefing patients on their dental procedures. Often, patients experience feelings of discomfort owing to the fact that they don’t fully understand the details of the procedure. A visual aid where the patient can see the procedure plan in a 3D representation helps increase patient satisfaction. These aids are usually displayed on screens and assist dentists in visually explaining the proceedings surrounding dental treatments.

Although technology can help with this, dentists should also be aware of their patient interaction and hone their soft skills to help put their patients at ease. Dentists that offer their patients reassurance before and after dental procedures are more likely to get clients returning and referrals from existing clients.

Not all technology integration has to be to assist dentists in actual procedures. There are also aspects of the interior decor that can be slightly altered to make dental practices more appealing spaces to occupy. Physically making the space more calming assists patients in overcoming their feelings of stress surrounding their procedures and also helps dentists handle stressed patients more effectively. Digital imagery and calming visual pieces are one of the ways in which serenity can be incorporated to promote patient relaxation.

When a patient experiences feelings of calmness at the dentist, it automatically reduces any reservations they may have about attending dental appointments in the first place. Making the physical space more appealing can help dentists increase profits by encouraging more clients to use their services and improving client retention. When a patient has a good experience at the dentist, it is more likely they will return to the same practice.

Improving Children’s Experiences In Paediatric Dentistry

Many children are reluctant to go to dental appointments, even if it is for a general oral health check. Although many dentists specialise in children’s dental procedures, integrating new technology can also help them in the paediatric space.

Children have more pleasant experiences when there is a distraction factor that switches their focus from the reason they are actually at the dentist. Having features such as books or colouring-in stations, or even interactive games can help children feel more at ease in dental practices prior to procedures.

Children are also more likely to remember the fun aspects of their visit to the dentist, which will encourage parents to take them back to the same practices, helping the dental practices establish trust through client retention and referral. If a dental practice has a good reputation for child experience in a local area, it’s likely that more parents will take their children to the same practice.

Digital technology can help to improve children's experience at the dentist. The likes of visual distractions are fascinating to youngsters, so these features will be more appealing while in the dentist’s chair, for example.

Examples Of Technology To Increase Dental Practice’s Profits

Some examples of technology that can improve patient experience include Sky Inside’s digital panels. These panels display serene scenes of nature and therefore have an overall calming effect on those that occupy dental practices. When lying in a dental chair, Sky Inside’s ceiling panels can offer a pleasant distraction from dental procedures, which makes treatments more pleasant to undergo.

When those in need of dental assistance find spaces physically appealing to be in, there is more chance they will return to the same practices and therefore help to increase dentist’s profits.

For more information about Sky Inside’s technology and for queries about installations, get in touch with us today https://skyinsideuk.com/contact-us/