3 Tips for Improving Communication Between Dental Labs and Dentists

When it comes to dental lab-dentist relationships, communication is the most important factor. Not only do labs and dentists needs to communicate effectively to create a positive work environment for all, but good communication results in better patient outcomes. While fostering a good lab-dentist relationship doesn’t always happen overnight, here are three tips for improving lines of communication.

1. Create an onboarding process for new dentists.

Onboarding is often overlooked, yet it’s one of the most important factors when it comes to improving communication between your lab and the dentists you work with. What exactly is onboarding? Onboarding is the process of supplying new dental practices with any information, tools and answers they need to begin working effectively with you and your lab. It may seem like a common-sense effort, but by onboarding your dental practice clients (think: introducing them to the lab technicians and other team members, ensuring they have all of the necessary paperwork, and setting work expectations), you can help foster a positive lab-dentist relationship, as well as a productive and stress-free environment for everyone.

2. Don’t be afraid to ask questions.

Everyone communicates differently, so it’s important to ask the right questions if your lab-dentist relationship is seemingly on the rocks. Perhaps your dentist is sending your lab fewer cases and you’re not sure why? Or maybe you’re worried about losing your dentist’s business? If this scenario sounds familiar, it’s important to zoom out and examine your lab-dentist relationship from the beginning. Start by asking yourself a few questions: Did you provide effective onboarding information? Who manages the dentist’s cases? Have any mistakes been made? When was the last time you contacted the dentist? While dwindling communication could be chocked up to financial strains or slow business, asking the right questions will ensure your lab-dentist relationship isn’t strained from miscommunication.

3. Remember the human factor.

No matter how high-tech the gadgets we use every day are, we should always remember the human factor. What does this mean exactly? What we’ve been taught since we were kids. We’re all human. We all make mistakes. Don’t treat your dentist like your subordinates, rather than an important member of your team. Accept that you won’t always agree on everything and remain open minded regarding different opinions from any dental clients you work alongside.

Taking the time to build a strong communication process is important and vitally helpful in boosting productivity, efficiency and accuracy of your dental lab. At Sun Dental, we’re on a mission to make your lab even more efficient and garner faster turnaround time through our SunDigital Workflow solution. If you’re not already familiar with our streamlined solutions, contact us today to learn more.