Over the past several years, general dentists have transformed their practices by placing dental implants. Today, more general dentists than ever are reaping the benefits of implant dentistry.

In 2021, the opportunity for general dentists to build an implant practice has never been greater. Implant marketing strategies have become more predictable and practices can now generate a steady flow of prequalified dental implant patients on autopilot. Finally, clinical and staff training are more accessible than ever.

If you’re on the fence about adding implant dentistry to your practice in 2021, here are five reasons to consider doing so.

1. Implant dentistry is exciting for the doctor and staff.

We’ve helped many general dentists build implant practices since 2016. Whenever we start working with a practice, we make sure to learn their goals and motivations for building an implant practice.

Almost without fail, we learn that one of the main reasons doctors want to build a practice is because they want to get away from drilling and filling and start doing more life-changing dentistry. Adding an implant practice breaks up the monotony of a general dental practice while making dramatic improvements on patients’ smiles.

Many of our clients start adding variety by keeping 10% or even 20% of implant cases in-house instead of referring out 100% of their cases. They still refer out the complicated cases, keeping only the simpler ones. As they get additional training, they increase the percentage and complexity of the cases they keep.

2. Dental implants are highly profitable (with little to no PPO or HMO pressure).

PPOs and HMOs keep ratcheting fees for dentistry procedures down and that trend is expected to continue. This puts a lot of pressure on general dentists. 

Most insurance plans don’t cover dental implants. The majority of implant dentistry remains fee-for-service. which means practices can set their fees and use dental financing to help patients afford their care.

Because of this, implant dentistry remains highly profitable for practices, generating thousands of dollars in profits per patient, even for simple cases.

3. Patients don’t get bounced around.

When patients get referred to specialists, a large percentage of them will avoid or defer their treatment. They simply won’t go to a specialist. Some change their mind and decide they don’t really want their implant. Others stick with their dentures or accept hiding their smile or eating on one side of their mouth.

Patients know, like, and trust their general dentists. They don’t want to go to a different dentist, even a specialist. Dr. Arun Garg, the world’s leading dental implant trainer, suggests only about half of patients will actually visit a specialist to get an implant.

Thus, general dentists can serve their patients better and give them a better dental experience by keeping more implant cases in-house.

4. Keeping implant procedures in-house gives you more control.

When general dentists keep implant procedures, in-house, they get more control over their practice and their patients’ health.

You get to choose your pricing to make it profitable for your practice and affordable for more patients. You can choose the process for your patients to receive their implants. When they move forward, you can choose the materials you use for implants to make sure your patients get quality implants that will last them a while. You control everything from start to finish.

Although you can refer patients to trusted specialists, the specialist controls the price, process, materials, and everything else once the patient enters the specialist’s practice. Even worse, if patients end up searching for an implant dentist on their own, they can often be swayed by ultra-low-priced providers who use poor-quality materials that can cause the implant to prematurely fail.

5. Dental implants change patients’ lives.

Most dentists don’t go to dental school to spend decades drilling and filling. They go to help people. They go to change people’s lives. And that’s exactly what implant dentistry does for patients.

The benefits of implants go far beyond the surface. Of course, the immediate benefit of the implant is to improve someone’s appearance. But they will also start smiling again. They’ll get to eat normally again. They’ll get to toss their dentures. Their confidence will rise, positively impacting their personal, business, and even romantic lives.

When patients see their implant for the first time, many of them become moved to tears. It’s one of the most rewarding experiences for the dentists and team members to witness the joy patients experience when they see their new smile.

Are you considering adding implant dentistry to your practice in 2021?

Adding implant dentistry to a general dentistry practice is one of the most impactful things you can do. It’s exciting for the doctor and staff. It’s extremely profitable and free from most HMO and PPO pressures. Patients don’t get bounced around for simple cases. It helps more patients afford advanced dentistry. And it transforms patients’ lives.

At Driven Dental Implant Marketing, we know how to generate a consistent flow of prequalified dental implant leads. That’s why we hired and trained a team of industry veterans, called Virtual Patient Advocates, or VPAs. Our VPAs prescreen and prequalify leads for our clients. They’re professional, empathetic, and educated about dental implants. They learn everything about our clients’ practices to become an extension of the team. They are located across the country so they can be available at all hours of the day and over the weekend.

To learn more about how our VPA program can help deliver a steady flow of prequalified implant patients for your practice, book a strategy call today.