Along with most small-to-medium UK businesses, dental practices were forced to close during the Covid-19 pandemic seeing professionals in this field suffering financially.
The impact of lockdown
As reported here by The Guardian1, only extreme dental cases were granted face-to-face appointments, and only then at designated dental emergency hubs set-up throughout England.
Dr Mojtaba Dehghanpour, a private dentist in Kent, says in the interview dated 14 May 2020: “People have gone on suffering for weeks. At the dental hubs, they have to prioritise the worst cases, and only treat really severe stuff that shouldn’t [be allowed to] reach that level to begin with.”
Other parts of the country took the same measures, as detailed here in a report by the BBC2 that also draws attention to the inevitable financial toll this has taken on practices: “The British Dental Association said Covid-19 represented a ‘major risk’ to the financial viability of dental practices due to staff shortages, patients not attending and potential practice closures if staff or patients become affected.”
Revitalising business
With lockdown lifting, surgeries can consequently now expect to be inundated with clientele, but will practices be adequately prepared for the queues?
With patients being understandably hesitant about re-entering a high-contact environment, equipment should ideally be performing at its optimum level. However, potential equipment upgrades come at a cost, potentially unaffordable after closure.
GRENKE, can provide financial support for state-of-the-art equipment for a substantially lower outlay via leasing. If your business is ensuring dental practices have access to the latest equipment and technology to help those patients in need, perhaps leasing could ensure your customers can access state-of-the-art now?
Expanding options
The current climate could also present dentists with a reason to diversify.
The demand for cosmetic dentistry, for example, continues to rise in the UK. As discovered here in various investigations conducted by Dentistry.co.uk3, forty eight percent of Brits are unhappy with their teeth, and most patients under the age of 344 are more likely to make an appointment with a dentist for aesthetic reasons, rather than a check-up.
The need for orthodontic work remains constant throughout the country too, according to this BBC report5 from 2019, which delivers alarming statistics.
While focussing on 12-year-old Thomas Kendall, who found himself on a waiting list for braces for six years, the article goes on to state that there are over 4,000 children in the same predicament.
Exploring options and finding solutions
Whether customers are looking to update their current equipment, or expand their practice to provide a more specialised service, GRENKE has the tools you need to secure new sales whilst potentially stabilising cash flow for your business. Giving practice owners, as well as patients, reasons to smile again.
Are you interested in becoming a GRENKE Partner, offering your customers the option to lease your equipment? Speak with us today.
Footnote:
1/Molly Blackall/The Guardian, 05/2020
2/Ben Philip/BBC News, 03/2020
3/Sophie Hatton/Dentistry Online, 02/2018
4/Seb Evans/Dentistry Online, 09/2018
5/Neil Prior/BBC News,10/2019
