Attract more patients

David Oultram suggests that dentists can boost revenue by meeting increased patient demand for cosmetic dentistry.

Clear aligner orthodontic treatment has become a popular treatment over recent years; its relative subtlety compared to braces and increasing availability have made it an attractive proposition for anyone looking to enhance their smile.

As a treatment that does not generally involve AGPs (aerosol generating procedures), orthodontic treatment should, in theory, be less disrupted by the requirements of fallow time. In addition, treatment take-up has potentially been helped by the continued widespread advertising by direct-to-consumer companies, which has raised general public awareness of this type of orthodontic treatment.

In fact, such has been the recent impact of direct-to-consumer companies that in February this year the General Dental Council responded to concerns about remote providers who offer orthodontic services “without face-to-face patient contact with a registrant authorised to provide direct services to patients”, which is a legal requirement under the Dentists Act 1984. The GDC has since put out a call for evidence on the risk they present and the British Dental Association is also urging the GDC to look at the growing weight of evidence emerging from overseas.