The last few years have made us all experience human, social, family, and professional changes that we could never have imagined. For us dentists, before it all started, wearing a mask was part of our daily routine. But buying apples at the grocery store with part of your face covered was not normal at that time.

Many have used these times to question themselves. To reorient their life, their career...or both. Professionally, choices had to be made as well. These choices were sometimes difficult, but often necessary. The term "to pivot" has been overused. One could also say, many of us had to "adapt".

Change is always difficult. It’s much easier to avoid change than to face it. But it's always easier to change when you decide to do it yourself, than when you have no choice.

As dentists, we are fortunate to often be our own bosses, to a certain extent. For those of you who have taken a practice organization course, you will know that one of the first things you learn is that the real bosses are the patients.

If we are to survive in this increasingly competitive market, we must meet our patients’ needs. What are they asking for? What do they want? What do we have to offer them to stay competitive?

It's better to change when YOU decide it rather than when you have no choice

One of the biggest revolutions in dentistry in the last few years, for patients as well as for dentists, is without a doubt the arrival of clear dental aligners. They offered a much more interesting and aesthetic way for patients to get their smile aligned. And for dentists, this new technology simplified orthodontic treatments.

You could almost say that clear aligners have democratized orthodontics. Without claiming to be able to treat all cases (specialists still have their place), general dentists who are interested can now offer orthodontic treatment to their patients much more easily than before. In the past, this was done with devices such as metal braces bonded to the teeth, and practitioners had to truly dedicate themselves to this practice and spend endless hours in training. 

Now, with clear aligners, everything is much easier. But that’s not to say it's easy, or that this can be learned in a weekend! It is important to understand that this is still an orthodontic treatment. It requires knowledge, a diagnosis, and an appropriate treatment plan. People who think that we live in an era in which software can solve everything and think for us are sorely mistaken. Software certainly helps, but it cannot replace us – for the moment at least…

Artificial intelligence will not replace real intelligence

If you want to incorporate clear aligner treatments into your practice, you have to take the time to educate yourself. There is a learning curve, as with any new treatment you decide to incorporate into your practice. And even after more than 20 years of treating orthodontic patients, there are still new things to learn. That's what's so fascinating and challenging. Not one case is the same as another. Even when treating identical twins!

According to a study conducted by the Canada Dental Industry, the No. 1 treatment that dentists want to incorporate into their practice over the next two years is orthodontics with clear aligners. According to the same study, the treatments that dentists are planning to refer less and less are traditional orthodontics and implant placement.

These treatments, particularly clear aligners, are in increasing demand among our patients. What happens if you don't offer these treatments to your patients? What will they search on Google? Worse yet, what will they find on Google? That you don't offer these treatments, but one of your close colleagues does? How will you differentiate yourself in this increasingly competitive market? By ignoring these new solutions? How will you compete with what your patients want and demand? Remember, they are the real bosses. If you don't offer them what they want, they will find it elsewhere.

The No. 1 treatment that dentists want to incorporate into their practice is orthodontics with clear aligners

So maybe it's time for a change, which means effectively incorporate clear aligners into your practice. It's time to take the time to learn, and to make a move! It will transform your practice, and it will not only bring in new revenue, but will grow your number of new patients like no other treatment can. How many new patients can you gain just by providing "beautiful" root canals?

Clear aligners are here to stay. And to dominate!

Incorporating them now into your practice is a necessary choice to keep it prosperous. Your patients are asking for them, and there are many offerings. They will give you the opportunity to be a better dentist, perform minimally invasive dentistry and bring a ton of new patients to your office.

Don't stand on the sidelines of this movement, join it! It’s time, more than ever, to Make the MOVE!

To learn more about our online and in-person training, here are the direct links:

✅     Online courses: 
https://bit.ly/CLEAR_online

✅     LIVE In-person classes: 
https://bit.ly/CLEAR_live

✅     MOCA programs (Master Of Clear Aligners): 
https://bit.ly/learning_programs

✅     YouTube channel: 
https://bit.ly/YTCLEARsubscribe