Raise the Bar to Solve the Staffing Shortage

Staffing has been a significant concern in the past year – how to keep engaged and productive employees and mitigate why some leave. The causes of the great resignation are not limited to salary. Recent instability has increased stress levels, impacted mental health, and prompted self-reflection and reassessment of priorities. Demand for workers is still greater than supply. As another year begins, flux and anxiety remain. As the composition of the care team directly impacts practice growth and profitability, clinical leadership, operational management, and human resources teams need to work in tandem to nurture and recruit for success.

Identify any problems or drawbacks

Assess the current situation. Does your team feel they are in a dead-end position with nowhere to grow? Staff burnout permeates interaction with patients, and tension can be palpable throughout the office.

Take an honest look around the operatory. What was once adequate equipment and workflow is no longer acceptable. The standard of care and what it takes to achieve profitability are higher. The bar for better care has not only been raised by patients but also by the talent pool. As an operational team, make the decision to move forward with advanced technology. Digital dentistry can significantly impact the ability to nurture and cultivate existing staff into top producers that stay and attract bright upstarts that help the practice grow.

Think back to when you were first conducting interviews. You probably looked for problem solvers who wanted to have a meaningful impact and improve lives. Empathy is embedded into dental care as practitioners begin by improving oral health and enhancing the benefits of a patient’s overall well-being. Who doesn’t want to be part of a success story from a painful start to a smiling finish?

In-house treatment raises staff engagement

What better way to satisfy your patients and staff than to keep as much care in-house as possible? Let your team be the significant player in the performance instead of referring out restorative cases and using third-party labs. With the technology of same-day dentistry, such as the Planmeca FIT® or FIT® Plus CAD/CAM systems, staff engages with a patient from the painful and annoying issues to treatment for relief and success.

Through the complete restoration process, the care team stays engaged with the patient, highlighting their value in the care team by providing care from start to beautiful finish. Beginning with intraoral scanning with the lightweight Planmeca Emerald® S, staff can ramp up their skills and capabilities by designing crowns, inlays, and onlays. Taking on a new challenge builds satisfaction. The intuitive workflows and easy wizards of Planmeca PlanCAD® Design software can introduce a new engagement in dentistry as confidence is built and skills are elevated.

With the capacity and versatility of mills such as the Planmeca PlanMill® 35 and Planmeca PlanMill® 60 S, the team can become milling, staining, and glazing artists. By creating the perfect customized restoration, the entire care team is involved from start to finish, bringing a patient back to a natural appearance and function. In addition, advanced skilled assistants, such as Implant Care Practitioners, can offer specified post-treatment care, follow-up, and at-home care programs. The practice is distinguished by ensuring a lasting relationship even after the case is complete. The complete involvement in a job well done to improve a patient’s lifestyle is fulfillment beyond measure.

Engaged employees are top performers that opt to stay with a practice. As treatment and specialties increase, the practice grows, and a path to personal career growth is open. Key talent to become mentors and champions, increasing their value as contributors and demonstrating the group practice as a community rather than a transactional employer.

Cutting-edge technology attracts both patients and top talent

Every practice provides quality dentistry. It’s right there on the website. Not only are potential patients filtering through the noise to choose among the options from big box to sole practitioners, but so is the talent pool. The advancements in digital dentistry differentiate a practice. The improvements in 3D imaging have made it the new standard of care with the capacity for more diagnoses to treat sooner and less invasively. By choosing the best digital imaging technology with Planmeca, proprietary safety features, including Planmeca CALM® to reduced retakes due to patient movement, and Planmeca Ultra Low Dose™ for an average of 77%* reduction in radiation dose, authenticate that the practice prioritizes patient and staff safety. A culture that cares for its own is where people gravitate and thrive.

The HR team does not need to be overwhelmed by the new learning paths for digital dentistry. You should not have to go it alone. A quality technology company with a proven track of commitment to education should be committed to a partnership. Planmeca begins education during implementation by providing a customized, continuous, and consistent set of learning paths that are a perfect fit and a plan for growth. From the Planmeca Digital Academy to in-office integration, the Planmeca clinical educators work to bolster confidence in cutting-edge technology. By partnering with the stars of dentistry, Planmeca fosters a path to master-level education.

Every department has a role to play in growing and nurturing teams. By embracing the power of digital dentistry, technology can be the path to top talent. With a genuine commitment to developing a professional treatment team, an innovative culture will attract and keep a dedicated staff community.

* According to “Dosimetry of Orthodontic Diagnostic FOVs Using Low Dose CBCT Protocol” by JB Ludlow and J Koivisto.

About Planmeca

Planmeca is a global leader in the design and manufacture of dental equipment and the pioneer in the development of digital concepts that allow efficient and ergonomic dental practice management. Planmeca USA Headquarters and Education Center are located in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. For more information visit: https://info.planmecausa.com/grouppractices/