Enhance your dental practice by adding orthodontics. 

Not everyone thinks of general dentistry when they think of orthodontics, but that is beginning to change. General dentists who provide orthodontics for their patients are doing them a great service because they know their patients well: their personalities, their oral health needs, and their oral care goals. Incorporating orthodontics has so many deeper benefits for patients than simply straightening teeth. There are several reasons patients need braces or other alignment devices and  this can also benefit general dental practices. 

General dentists manage periodontal care, restorative care, oral surgery, and even emergency procedures. Adding orthodontics creates a comprehensive practice that will help patients both cosmetically and functionally. Here are 5 ways orthodontics can add value to your practice and your patients. 

1. Create beautiful, confident smiles.

General dental practices can maintain a clean and white smile, but they can’t always detect issues with how your teeth and jawbone align. Misalignment can cause difficulties with your patients’ gum health as well as how they feel about themselves when they smile and laugh. Properly aligned teeth help your patients eat, sleep, and speak properly. When you take a continuing education course with the American Orthodontic Society (AOS), you learn how to create cosmetic changes, but also how to correct malocclusions at the same time. 

2. You help maintain patients’ general oral health.

Misaligned teeth can cause bone loss and deterioration in the jaw. This can lead to infection, decay of teeth near the misaligned ones, bad breath, and a host of other health problems. Regular dental cleanings and deep cleanings can continuously clean these areas out, but the only way to really stop the adverse effects is through orthodontics. Your patients will appreciate that you can solve an array of problems using techniques like straight wire orthodontics. 

3. Increased revenue. 

Adding orthodontics is going to make a major, positive change in your production. When you offer orthodontics, you will notice an increase in patient retention and referrals, because your dental practice becomes multi-speciality. According to Dental Economics, a multi-speciality dental office helps set your office apart and general dentists are referring out less as they become specialized, niche offices. 

4. An alternative career.

If you ever decide, as a general dentist, you are ready to specialize but you don’t want to go back to a timely, expensive residency program, offering orthodontics is a great way to essentially master a niche field. Taking online or in-person continuing education orthodontic courses can help you take a new step in your career. Use the 100+ continuing education credits that the AOS offers through their Basic Straight Wire Course to your advantage by enhancing your career and giving yourself options when you retire or feel ready for a change. 

5. Modernize your practice.

If you are sticking with amalgam fillings and paper charts, you need to take a serious look at your practice. Dental practices are competitive in their technology, materials, and marketing. Offering orthodontics is one of the greatest ways to market your office as a comprehensive, cosmetic practice. According to the Association of Orthodontists, more than six million people are being treated by orthodontists in the U.S. There is no reason to not take advantage of this highly sought after treatment since the number of orthodontic patients is growing each year. 

General dentistry practices can significantly benefit from incorporating orthodontics. They can better retain patients, help their patients receive the greatest quality of care, and increase revenue. Patients will have greater confidence in their general dentists because they are more educated, experienced, and show they have a great interest in the overall well-being of their practice.