Week in Review: Are oral surgeries profitable? | Support for dental therapists | Your front desk

Dear DrBicuspid Member,

I hope you are having an enjoyable Fourth of July holiday weekend.

The perception is that oral surgery procedures offer high reimbursement and high profit for an oral surgery practice, right? Not so fast, according to a study from researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. They analyzed the cost and reimbursement rates of six of the most common outpatient procedures and found that almost none were profitable without sedation.

The study brings up many questions about patient treatment, reimbursement rates, and the use of sedation. How dentistry resolves these questions to the benefit of patients will be an ongoing debate.

Speaking of debates, the debate about dental therapists continues in organized dentistry, but for U.S. adults, the use of dental therapists is not a controversial idea at all. A new survey reported that more than 70% of U.S. adults support the idea of dental therapists. The findings demonstrate adults with private and public insurance appear open to new healthcare models.

Also this week on DrBicuspid.com, we discussed how your practice starts with your front desk team. They are the ones responsible for many of the practice's key business systems, including scheduling, collections, the new-patient experience, and customer service. How do you help ensure a smoothly running practice? Read Dr. Roger P. Levin's latest Practice Success tip to find out.

Finally, fluoride varnish is widely recommended because of its assumed anticavity benefits. When researchers conducted an analysis to see if those benefits were supported by the literature, they found that perhaps the benefits of the treatment are overstated.

We're back with new content on Monday, including a case report on laser treatment.