How Dentists Can Improve Workflow Without Cutting Corners

Dentists are busier than ever, according to research by the American Dental Association (ADA). They have been working longer hours since the pandemic, while practice expenses balloon faster than revenues. With staffing shortages also prevalent, the ADA predicted a continued ‘margin compression’ in the dental sector.

Improving workflows is now even more crucial, as lost chair time and operational delays lead to the loss of already dwindling revenues.

Here’s how your dental practice can streamline processes for better productivity.

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Identifying Pain Points and Treating the ‘Symptoms’

We list some workflow inefficiencies common in clinics, the ‘symptoms’ that signify if you’re experiencing them, and a solution you can implement to bust the bottleneck.

🙅 Pain Point #1: Appointment Scheduling Issues

🔍 Symptom: High rates of last-minute cancellations and no-shows

Solutions:

• Implement policies like pre-payment or deposits to discourage last-minute cancellations.
• Set up automatic appointment reminders for patients via SMS or email.

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🔍 Symptom: Frequently understaffed or overstaffed

Solutions:

• Assess peak and slow hours.
• Reallocate staffing to meet patient demands more effectively.

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🔍 Symptom: Patients frequently complain about difficulty booking appointments

Solutions:

• Offer online booking so patients won’t need to wait for someone to pick up the phone, or leverage an AI-powered call concierge so no call goes unanswered.
• Employ AI chatbots that can respond to routine inquiries.

🙅 Pain Point #2: Chair Time and Staff Workflow Inefficiencies

🔍 Symptom: Certain treatments consistently take longer than expected

Solutions:

• Standardize common procedures (e.g. crown preps, fillings, extractions) by developing step-by-step protocols, and train the team to follow them to reduce variability in treatment times.
• Schedule complex cases separately from routine procedures to avoid disruptions.
• Train hygienists to handle procedures like scaling, sealants, or preliminary impressions, freeing up the dentist for complex tasks.

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🔍 Symptom: Too much time is spent on non-billable tasks, like administrative tasks

Solutions:

• Identify tasks that are repeated day after day.
• Assess if these tasks can be delegated to non-clinical team members or automated through a digital workflow solution.
  • While training requires extra time now, it saves time in the long run once dentists or other clinical staff are freed up and can perform more treatments.

🙅 Pain Point #3: Lab Turnaround

🔍 Symptom: Restorations from labs take too long to arrive

Solutions:

• Some dental labs experience bottlenecks due to high demand — consider outsourcing CAD designs to receive digital files faster.
• When you get the CAD file from a separate provider, you are free to have it manufactured to an in-house milling center or different lab for quicker production.
• Consider switching to a digital-first lab.

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🔍 Symptom: Frequent remakes are causing case delays

Solutions:

• Provide higher-quality impressions with AI-powered management software that automatically verifies scan quality before sending them to labs.
• Use a digital workflow solution that sends you design approval reminders. Platforms like EviSmart also have mobile apps that allow dentists to approve or provide feedback on case designs with just their phones.
• Improve communication with labs through a centralized case tracker, keeping both sides updated on case progress without constant back-and-forth.

🙅 Pain Point #4: Patient Experience Concerns

🔍 Symptom: Case acceptance rates are low

Solution:

• Use visual aids like 3D models to better educate patients about treatment plans and encourage them to complete treatment.

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🔍 Symptom: Payment processing takes too long

Solutions:

• Look into advance payment for large or complex procedures.
• Choose a management system that can automate credit card processing and insurance claims and collections.

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Getting Ahead of Problem Areas

As dentists often advise patients, prevention is better than cure. Here are the top 3 challenges dentists predict they will face this 2025, according to the ADA — and how you can take action now before it affects your workflow (and revenue).

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1️⃣ Staff Shortage. 3 in 5 dentists are worried about recruiting and retaining staff.

How to Get Ahead: Burnout is among the top contributors of employee turnover in the dental industry. Assess your clinic’s workload and how it is distributed among staff. If possible, reassign repetitive administrative tasks to non-clinical staff so the latter can focus on value-adding work. Better yet, consider automating these tasks with a digital workflow solution.

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2️⃣ Insurance Frustrations. More than half of dentists surveyed by the ADA predicted issues with denied coverage, delayed payments, and other related issues.

How to Get Ahead: Implementing automated tools to speed up the claims submission process can reduce human error and the time it takes to process claims, further alleviating delays. It may also be helpful to offer in-house payment plans like credit card processing or utilizing third-party financing options to reduce the reliance on insurance payments.

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3️⃣ Increasing Overhead. Nearly half of dentists cited overhead costs as a persisting concern this 2025.

How to get ahead: The ADA survey also revealed that 2 in 5 dentists plan to invest in new machines this year, while only 1 in 5 dentists plan to invest in new software. While these require upfront investment that not all clinics may have, these investments are cost-saving in the long run, especially if it speeds up your workflow and allows you to take on more patients.

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A Workflow Solution Made Specifically for Your Practice

EviSmart by Evident is a powerful dental workflow solution that leverages AI to automate your processes and elevate your practice.

It provides tools for growth like performance tracking and revenue management; front desk solutions like patient communication and scheduling; digital lab solutions like case tracking and outsourced CAD designs; and chairside solutions like automatic IOS QC and 3D case presentations.

We know every practice is different, so our team will build a custom dashboard to best fit your clinic’s needs. You get the solutions to your problems without all the noise or clutter.

Learn more about elevating patient care with EviSmart Clinic here.

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