Not Like Other Businesses
Inside Dental Technology delivers updates on digital workflows, materials, lab techniques, and innovation in dental technology through expert articles and videos.
October 1, 2022
Volume 13, Issue 10, October 2022
Page(s): p. 2
They say that business is business, and that to be successful, one just needs to follow basic business plans. Well … for many years, I argued that our profession is different from most businesses. Yes, if you own a laboratory, you are a business owner. Most of us, as dental technicians, hopefully concentrate more on the learning and production of restorations while considerations about running a business are usually secondary. We make body parts, deal with microns, and—most of the time—enjoy what we do. We are not like other businesses. Some of us, probably more so in the past, focused purely on the business of dentistry.
Still, as the digital evolution made its way into the dental profession, it brought business strategy along with it. The thought of investing in updated and new expensive equipment that we did not need in the past has caused many of us to re-think our businesses strategies with more of a focus on the return on investment (ROI). Today, milling machines and their related software cost considerably more than the cost of a new wax pot or perhaps an electric spatula of the past. We did not need to ask how many restorations we had to make to pay for them. In this way, the price of technology has forced us to think more like business owners with more of a focus on the benefits and cost of our business investments while remaining focused on the artistry of our work. Our businesses are becoming more modern in both technology and the business thought process.
Peter Pizzi, MDT, CDT
Editor-in-Chief
ppizzi@aegiscomm.com
