A dental practice requires two core components to succeed. One is the technical side of the business, i.e., dentistry, which requires years of study and practice. It’s a craft that has to be polished and improved over time, and it’s something all dentists focus on.
Then there is the second component of successful dental practice – the business side. Like all other medical practices and specialized fields, a dental practice requires a healthy balance between the two cores. An incredibly talented dentist might not be able to establish a profitable practice if they don’t have an adequate business plan or skills. Similarly, if a dentist focuses only on the business aspect of their practice without giving adequate time and attention to their dentistry skills, they may not survive for long. The latter is a rarity, but you will find too many dentists without the relevant skills to start and grow a successful dental practice. And it’s not their fault.
The 4-year curriculum has dozens of subjects covering a wide spectrum of medical subjects (like most other medical doctors), with several subjects focused on dentistry. However, business courses that may equip them with the necessary knowledge and skills needed to establish and maintain their own dental practice are rare. And when they are gaining practical experience in someone else’s practice or a comprehensive healthcare facility, they focus more on honing their skills as a dentist rather than on gaining business experience and skills.
This, unfortunately, results in a slew of problems when the dentist and other dental professionals start their own practice and establish an office, which is far more comprehensive than a dental clinic dedicated purely to the medical aspects of the practice.
And many of these problems fall under one “department” – Information Technology or IT.