Understanding The Role Of A Dental Consultant

By Adela Beasley


Essentially, a dental consultant can be said to be an individual who provides professional advice in dentistry. The advice they provide covers dental practice management, legal and law enforcement, international development, industry and government, research on health and clinical matters and the importance of this industry. They set standards, provide vision and offer leadership which enhances the profession in dentistry.

Their services are widely used in the corporate arena where they act as coordinators between dental insurance provides and human resource departments in client companies. They analyze the benefits and evaluate the cost effectiveness of the entire program. They are actively involved in resolving network issues, assessing the performance of participating dentists and evaluating their education and history. They may also be called upon to resolve conflicts or any other ethical issue.



Many oral surgeons and dentists seek the services of these experts in order to develop their practice and improve their performance. In this regard, the consultant functions as a business coach or manager. It may involve staff recruitment and training, monitoring day-to-day operations and reducing of receivables through collection protocols. It may extend to the implementation of marketing strategies to retain and attract more clients as well as providing guidance on the promotion of cosmetic or elective procedures.

Their services are not limited to patient care and therefore they must acquire knowledge in other issues where they may be called upon to provide a solution. A good number of these experts have at some point in their career served as dentists and interacted with patients. The experience they gather at this stage in their career enables them to serve their clients in the best way possible. On top of this, they need analytical, communication and marketing skills.

A majority of them operate independently, although some may choose to join or form consulting groups. Depending on the area of specialization, most of them obtain certification training. They may choose to focus on servicing insurance plans or in legal cases that emerge in the field of dentistry. They conduct seminars and speaking engagements on a regular basis.

The branch of restorative dentistry includes teaching, research and clinical practice of oral health care. It deals with the rehabilitation and repair of damaged tissues in the mouth and teeth. These may be caused by illnesses, trauma or may be genetic. The entire process is conducted through teamwork.

In the recent years, the concept of restorative dentistry has gained a lot of popularity. The contribution of each member of the team is key to ensuring effective results are achieved. The consultants take a leadership role in research activities and in the treatment process. They also share their knowledge and experience in learning institutions with undergraduate and postgraduate students.

The quality of the dental consultant hired determines the outcome of the project. There are a number of factors that should be put into consideration during the selection process to ensure effective service delivery. The individual selected must possess effective financial management, human resource, scheduling, practice budgeting and customer service support capabilities. Choosing an expert that offers a complete solution saves costs.




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