Startups in the dental industry: what software must new dental clinics have

Dental software is a vital element in saving your time and money while improving your patient satisfaction.

Launching any startup, including a dental practice, is similar to any other business. To reap the rewards of your efforts, you need to be ready to face some challenges along the way and understand how you can solve your patients’ medical and non-medical problems. 

Of course, we live in a time when businesses leverage technology to stay ahead of the curve, and dental startups are no exception. For your practice, those pieces of technology are software programs and mobile solutions.

But, how can it help you? Let’s find out.

What is a dental startup?

A dental startup is a business that is either founded or acquired and has the potential for expansion. This can be done by purchasing an existing office or by purchasing a location that has either been partially or fully constructed but has no clients yet.

You can start small and then add employees and infrastructure to boost your revenue. You can also select your location based on your target patient demographic. Of course, in such a hypercompetitive space where tech dominates, you have to use dental office software at every step of your journey to get ahead.

Types of new projects in dental. What is always relevant for customers

Regular dental appointments used to be less important to people than they are today. With a rising number of people seeing dentists daily, there is a greater demand for professional and reliable practices. Here are several new ideas and strategies you can inject into your dental startup:

The healthcare sector, particularly dental, is constantly changing and shifting. Generally, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Merely injecting your standard practice with some new ideas can take you miles ahead.

How can software help a dental startup grow successfully?

In such a tough space where everything is tech-based, you cannot ignore the impact of orthodontic software on your startup’s future. Here are several reasons:

Saving money

There are many ways a dental software program can save you money. For instance, dental billing software can keep track of all expenses automatically, saving your team lots of time and effort. Another example is real-time inventory tracking so you won’t spend money needlessly and overstock on certain items. 

Inventory Management

Dental clinics usually put sizable equipment orders, which might overburden inventory management systems. A reliable software program can automatically put items into the database, and identify the time of ordering and arrival, and current stock levels.

Reminders

Before the expected bookings, appointment reminders must be issued to staff members. This not only serves as a reminder, but it may also minimize absenteeism at your dental clinic significantly. By doing this, you can make sure that your patients are getting the dental treatment they require.  

Compliance

Making sure you comply with safety protocols, including HIPAA regulations, is crucial to any successful healthcare firm. By doing so, you may protect customer information and reduce the possibility of security lapses, cyberattacks, and data leaks.

In the short term, you can get all of these benefits with a ready-made software program. However, your practice will inevitably grow, and so will your needs. You’ll start to cover different demographics, expand your inventory, and comply with new regulations. So, what you want is scalability and that can only happen if the software is customized to your practice and keeps up with your changing demands.

How can modern hardware and software attract many customers and make your clinic unique?

Modern dental clinics no longer follow traditional ways of operating their practices. Many today benefit from an integrated system offering different types of dental office software that handles workflow, patient records, and detailed analytics.

But, more than anything, these programs can bring customers to your startup dental practice. Here’s how:

• Fewer calls and emails. By reducing the everyday drudgery of office operations, dental office software serves as an additional pair of hands. Automated reminders cut down the need for human calls and messages, making it easy for customers to book a visit.
• Identifying your target audience. Any clinic that wants to step up its patient attraction and retention efforts needs dental office software. Offering deep insights into patient persona enables businesses to start laser-focused dental marketing efforts catered to niche segments of patients based on their characteristics, preferences, and habits.
• Building your reputation. Dental clinics may improve their online image and gain the confidence of prospective customers by using dental office software. Dental offices may make sure that their patients’ feedback is heard, recognized, and swiftly handled by using dental office software that can organize and handle inquiries.
• Better patient support. Providing a contemporary, seamless healthcare experience depends on easy interaction with patients. Dental offices may guarantee that their patients have the freedom and convenience to communicate in a way that feels most comfortable by offering several communication channels.

What software is important to have a dental startup at the start? Full list

So, now that you understand the drastic impact of modern dental office software on your practice, you may wonder, what software is vital for a dental startup? Here’s a dental software startup checklist you can use to cover every aspect of your operation. 

Online booking

Not only will a solid scheduling program allow patients to sign up for your clinic, but it also makes it easier for you to create personalized templates for the typical medical consents. These templates allow you to save time. By eliminating the need to repeatedly enter the same information, you can save a lot of time. 

Billing 

You can predict how money comes in or how you may increase that cash flow for the future by using tools that allow you to monitor the planned revenue. It will help with the organization of reports, letting you assess the financial health of the clinic periodically.

Reminders

In addition to reducing the number of cancellations, sending text and email reminders may have other benefits such as boosting your revenue. Your schedule and total revenue may be affected if your dental software has an electronic communication function that incorporates an easy, efficient texting system.

Dental imaging

Dental X-rays are essential for patient diagnosis, and the proper dental imaging tool may make a significant difference in the clinic. You should think about imaging technologies that can not only provide superior X-rays for diagnosis but also integrate with different systems and workflows in your practice. You can also save a lot of time by using imaging software that smoothly connects with the office management program.

E-prescription writing

Most modern dental practices don’t bother themselves with manual prescription writing. Using ready-made templates for electronic prescriptions, a dental office software program can help you quickly fill out documents, monitor expiration dates, and oversee refills. 

Cost optimization with the help of office software for dental clinics.

We previously touched on the benefits of dental software and how it can save money. Now, it’s better to dig deeper because a budget is the most vital resource for a dental startup. Here’s how a dental software program can save you money.

1. Automated Billing. Payroll is your dental practice’s biggest expenditure. The most lengthy and difficult task for staff members of any dental clinic is billing. You may simplify your billing procedures with automated billing systems, which will make it quicker and simpler to manage payments and handle patient accounts.
2. Paperless. Although human data entry and paperwork are both necessary evils in dental practices, dental software can assist minimize these tasks. This may lower the cost of paperwork-related expenses including printing, filing, and storage.
3. Reduce Supply Costs. You may monitor and oversee inventory with the dental software, which will enable you to cut prices on supplies. You can make sure you always have the products you need while preventing overstocking and needless expenses by keeping track of your inventory.

3D scanners and other programs for diagnostics. What must your clinic have?

Gone are the days when dentists could only use an explorer to perform diagnosis. Now, you have a wide range of cutting-edge tools to beat your competition in quality. Here are some powerful imaging and diagnostic tools you can use:

• CAD/CAM software. From basic whitening to intricate dental implant processes, CAD/CAM software simplifies the design and planning of your work. It can be useful in creating detachable partial denture prostheses and is utilized in a variety of dental specialties.
• Extraoral scanning. An extraoral scanner can help in creating a dental cast. A dental cast is a replica of the patient’s jaw and teeth made for diagnostic reasons. Dental prostheses including crowns, dentures, and partial dentures are made based on the cast.
• 3D Scanner & Printing Software. Dentists can build very accurate digital images of patients’ teeth and oral anatomy using 3D dental tools. A 3D model of your teeth is created quickly from over 6,000 photos captured every second.

With 3D printing, it’s easier than ever to make dental crowns. Specialist scanning can carry out this operation. It lets the patient’s teeth be scanned, modeled, and immediately printed for the dental crown.

How to become unique with a mobile app for patients?

Your dental startup is a business, and in today’s world, to enhance the customer experience, you need to be active in the digital world. In fact, by developing the right mobile app, you can stand out from the rest. You could develop features that few clinics offer:

Just one click, from anywhere

In today’s busy world, patients would love it if they could get their info on a smartphone. If a clinic has a smartphone app, it will have a positive impact on its reputation. Some even incorporate the push notifications feature so that users may get information with just one click.

Simple feedback

Through a dental app, your patients may rate the clinic’s services and leave feedback. As a result, you may easily obtain information on the work of physicians and other staff in your app. Customers won’t have to deal with paper surveys, which usually irritate them.

Immediate connection

A patient can always get in touch with your dental office and share a picture of a worrying issue. In this instance, the app will make communicating with the dentist more simpler for the patient. Also, they don’t have to sit for hours waiting in line at clinics for dental examinations.

Successful TRIARE projects in the dental niche.

We focus on developing custom solutions that improve patient experiences and bring success for startups as well as existing businesses. We develop new software that fits the expectations of modern dentistry offices based on years of expertise and a strong understanding of the particular needs of dental specialists.

Dentalex, Smile App, and Dental Portal are just a few examples of our work in dental office software development: 

• LabWay. With careful analysis, we created a web solution for digitizing medical service operations. Using the app, medical offices could find registered labs that were a good match to fulfill their orders. 
• Smile App. We developed a mobile office dental app for instant dental implants visualization and customization. It allows dental clinics to show how a patient’s new smile will look in a couple of clicks on a tablet. The app took their customer acquisition to the roof.
• Dentalex. To integrate client practices and labs while providing seamless connection throughout the company, we developed a web solution that connected practices and labs while displaying different parameters such as order progress, price, due dates, and notifications. 

Conclusion

The trend of using mobile apps in healthcare continues to grow and open up many possibilities for established practices and startups like you. Of course, with so many apps already on the market, you need an artistic process to create something unique that can help you cut through the noise. 

Luckily, we at TRIARE have done that for many practices, and we can do the same for you. Just get in touch with us and let’s get started.