The dental industry is facing a host of challenges. Patient rescheduling lists are beginning to resemble grocery store receipts, attracting new patients is becoming increasingly complex, and more individuals are struggling to afford essential treatments. As a result, practices everywhere are feeling the weight of these mounting pressures.

However, just as they did during the COVID-19 pandemic, top-performing practices are finding innovative ways to adapt and overcome these obstacles.

With the latest 2024 benchmarks hot off the press, we looked into what the top 10% of practices are doing to tackle these challenges head-on and continue to thrive.

1. Offer Flexible Patient Financing Options and Payment Plans

With an uncertain and ever-evolving economy, more patients are declining treatment due to financial concerns. The most successful teams are alleviating patients’ financial strain by leveraging Payment Plans, which allow them to offer manageable installments.

With a quick application process followed by instant access to qualified offers, Patient Financing options are another way to give patients the flexibility to fit treatment costs within their budget.

Dental Intelligence’s integrated payment and financing tools make flexible payment options easy for patients to understand and easy for practices to manage, helping reduce financial concerns as a barrier for patients who need treatment. This streamlined and transparent approach has kept leading practices ahead of the curve.

2. Keep Existing Patients Engaged

Retaining existing patients is just as important as attracting new ones. High-performing practices ensure no one falls through the cracks by prioritizing patient communication. Dental Intelligence makes it easy to stay connected with your patients wherever they are via text, email, or mobile app.

Follow Ups help practices stay organized by reminding them which patients need attention. Top-performing practices rely on Follow Ups to manage and prioritize patient outreach for things like unscheduled treatment, outstanding balances, overdue hygiene, or broken appointments. In addition, Automated Reminders make sure patients confirm upcoming appointments ahead of time to curb no-shows and last-minute cancellations.

By prioritizing the patient experience, smart practices are keeping their chairs filled.

3. Make Data-Driven Decisions

The top-performing practices clearly understand their goals and where they currently stand, enabling them to drive growth. How? Using real-time, comprehensive dashboards that offer unique insights into their practice. 

With Dental Intelligence Analytics, you can turn the information from your practice management system into actionable clinical opportunities. DI’s metrics and reporting tools allow you to drill down into each of your key performance indicators to the individual patient data that drives each of those metrics.

Curious why your collection percentage declined? Or why same-day treatment dropped last month? The answers lie within your data. The right analytics platform can help you identify trends so you can make informed decisions, whether you need to address challenges or celebrate successes. 

With these timely insights, top performers are guiding their teams toward sustainable growth and efficiency.

4. Embrace AI Technology

Artificial Intelligence is making significant strides in the dental industry. Software solutions are introducing AI tools to assist in everything from diagnosis to patient education.

At Dental Intelligence, we’ve developed Dot, your virtual Scorecard Assistant, designed to help you understand your data better. With Dot, you can simply ask questions like, “What metric needs the most improvement?” or “Where am I excelling?” and receive actionable insights within seconds, making it easy to focus on the areas that need your attention.

Dot goes beyond data analysis by offering personalized strategies and tips to help you set meaningful goals, address problem areas, and optimize the systems already driving success in your practice.

Need to showcase your performance to your team? Dot can create an outline for you, making it easy to deliver an impactful presentation.

With Dot by your side, you can simplify your workflows, uncover powerful insights, and take your practice to the next level.

So Where Are We Headed?

Although there are challenges facing the industry, successful practices share a common strategy: they’re leveraging proven tools to make data-backed decisions and improve workflows, equipping themselves to navigate the road ahead with confidence.

Want to see how your practice stacks up against industry benchmarks? Download your copy of the State of Dentistry 2025 report for an in-depth look at the latest trends and insights shaping the dental industry.