IMPRESSIONS continued
in more patients and more revenue . The authors describe the advantages of higher income , but what they neglect to tell the dentist is that they will have a greater workload dealing with the business of dentistry . Most dentists don ' t consider the implications of more employees , more locations , more equipment , more leases or mortgages . Without proper experience and luck , the dentist may quickly find themselves in a sinking ship of overhead expenses due to poor planning and management .
Now and in the future these large practices are changing and shaping the future of dental practices . Maybe it ’ s the best idea for patient care and cost containment . Maybe it ’ s a bad idea for patient care , limiting the personal touch for the corporate profit . Can large dental practices operate with compassion and quality of care ? What have we seen in the medical model of larger practices ? Are they catering to the patient like the small family practice did in the past ?
The face of dental practice is changing . Large corporations are here to stay and may well become the norm for the next generation of dentists . How will you manage the change ? How will you prepare and deal with this new model of practice ? Can you sell your practice and work for one of these companies ? Do you want to buy several practices and become a large dental corporation ? Can you practice alongside this model and still be profitable ?
In my opinion this evolution is going to continue . How will you handle the future of dentistry ?
— BRT
6 S E P T / O C T 2 0 1 3 | P E N N S Y LVA N I A D E N TA L J O U R N A L