Mr. von Sydow will serve on the panel “The Best Ideas to Expand Dental Practices and Add Income” at Becker’s Future of Dentistry Roundtable. As part of an ongoing series, Becker’s is talking to healthcare leaders who plan to speak at the conference on Oct. 27-28 in Chicago.
To learn more and register, click here.
Question: Where do you see the dental industry headed?
Thomas von Sydow: I believe the dental industry is poised to have one of its best decades. DSOs have pushed the operational side and it has helped all constituents increase their level of service, technology and education.
Q: What are you most excited about and what makes you nervous?
TvS: I am most excited about artificial intelligence and its impact on standardizing diagnosis and treatment planning. Dentistry is a fragmented industry, that is not a bad thing. However, unlike our medical peers, there is some lack of consistency and approaches which can cause confusion for patients that seek other opinions or change providers. AI is a step in the direction of some “objective” information. It will never replace the experience and wisdom of the provider, but will give them a tool to check their assumptions. I am equally excited about the continued digital revolution. Again using digital workflows reduces variation and provides for a more productive practice.
I am most concerned about the labor force. We continue to see major demographic shifts on how providers and staff desire to work and balance life. Organizations are going to need to adjust because the patient has these same desires. The traditional 9-4 Monday-Thursday appointment slots are not going to work. Not utilizing each and every professional at their highest level of certification or license is not the best strategy. We again need to look at medicine. How do they divide labor? These are lessons that there can be benefit from.
Q: How are you thinking about growth and investments for the next year or two?
TvS: Technology is where we are investing. Technology to streamline communication, training and education. Technology to help our clinicians become more efficient and reduce stress.
Q: What will dental leaders and executives need to be effective leaders for the next five years?
TvS: Developing emotional IQ. At the end of the day, we are in the people business. We are offering services through people to people. Managing relationships, setting boundaries, coaching and reasonable expectation setting are key. I have always firmly believed that if you focus on your people, they in turn will focus on your patients, and revenue will follow. You need to manage people and measure numbers, not measure people and manage numbers.