By Luken De Arbeloa
⋅ 3 min read
⋅ 31 Jul 2023
I’m Luken de Arbeloa, the Education Strategy Maestro and DSD Course Presenter at Digital Smile Design and two questions many dentists ask me are “How is DSD going to change my practice?” and “What return on investment will I get for a DSD course?”.
Thanks to my many years of presenting DSD courses to dentists around the world, I have gained a unique insight into the impact our course content has on transforming the work of dental professionals around the world.
In this article, I explain how attending a DSD course can help you get the best return on investment (ROI) for your digital tools and career.
Is a DSD course ticket a purchase or an investment?
The answer to this comes down to what your decision-making factors are. A good decision usually feels like an investment, and a bad decision feels more like a purchase. So what factors are going into your decision-making process when choosing a dentistry course?
Ask yourself: What do I need a dentistry course to do for me? Where do I see myself in five to ten years?
I believe education is always an investment and as a dentist, I understand the value of investing in my professional development. The field of dentistry is constantly evolving and it’s no longer enough to just own a piece of technology, but about what you do with it, and how you integrate it into your workflow and strategy.
Whether a course feels like a purchase or an investment also heavily relies on what action you decide to take after a course. I believe that if you take a course and don't apply what’s been taught, then it's just a purchase. But if you take a course and implement any of the ideas, it can become an amazing investment – and a very reasonable and inexpensive one if implemented well.
That's the reason why we focus so much on giving participants implementation strategies at our DSD courses; we want them to have a high-value experience and view the course itself as an investment.
Get started with your digital dentistry journey by choosing one of these two options...
Why DSD Provider provides a great ROI
The truth is, digital dentistry requires significant financial commitment. When dentists first began to invest in dentistry technology, we noticed a problem: many people were making expensive purchases without knowing how to properly take advantage of it.
And this continues to happen now. I’ve been inside many dental clinics that are not making the most of the tools they have, and as a consequence, they’re having difficulty seeing any ROI.
DSD Provider can be seen as THE DSD course with the biggest potential for ROI because it shows dentists how to integrate technology in a meaningful way. With this course, we go beyond teaching you the usage and integration of digital tools within workflows and we equip you with strategies to maximize the ROI of these tools.
In addition, a key advantage of this course is that it enables participants to gain access to the exclusive DSD Planning Center - giving them the opportunity to test drive all the DSD workflows with their own patients. It's not many dental courses that offer such a clear implementation pathway.
What to invest in first: digital equipment or the course?
Without digital tools, you can still use all the DSD strategies to increase case acceptance.
For every one of our courses, theoretical or clinical, there is an immediate and long-term ROI, regardless of whether you already have digital tools. We deliver concrete information at each course that you can apply in your clinic the following week, month, or year that will improve the way you perform dentistry.
When starting with DSD Provider, you’re going to come away with a clear understanding of what digital tools you need, allowing you to prioritize the order in which you make your investments. And if you already have the equipment, this course shows you the precise workflows to take better advantage of the technology to increase your case acceptance rate.
Additionally, we don’t just teach you about guided dentistry, we teach you strategies to get a good ROI with guided dentistry. For us, it's not about teaching interdisciplinary treatment planning but performing it at the highest level and about the strategies to ensure your ROI is substantial.
The DSD Provider course is where we direct new dentists to start learning our powerful case acceptance strategies because, when implemented correctly, they can only increase a clinic’s profitability.
We have participants joining our courses from all over the world and in some countries, digital dentistry tools are not so accessible. This is why I always like to mention that digital tools can be rented. I encourage participants to take this option when they finish the course so that they can start to immediately implement the workflows and strategies that we teach.
However, one purchase we always encourage participants to make is an intraoral scanner and a 3D printer, as we believe these tools are vital to the future success of your business.
Does the ROI on a DSD course favor dentists at any particular point in their careers?
The short answer is: no, not at all.
We like to say that our courses are for people who are ready.
The best-case scenario is that you’ll start a DSD course having already invested in digital tools and will come away ready to start implementing DSD strategies and workflows. In this case, you will start seeing ROI in your clinic fairly quickly.
However, we explain at the beginning of every DSD Provider course how the program can help a diverse spectrum of dentists.
It benefits recent graduates venturing into the field, individuals who have recently established their own clinics, as well as seasoned clinic owners. Additionally, the program provides valuable insights for dentists who are envisioning a future that involves selling their practice in optimal conditions.
I’ve seen many young associates go back to their clinic owners ready to convince them to implement DSD strategies. I’ve also seen experienced dentists, those who were convinced that their traditional methods were the only way for them, investing in digital tools and coming on board the DSD journey. The key is to have an open mindset and embrace possibilities.
Ready to get started?
Every DSD course is taught in a way for you to implement the strategies and methods in your clinic, learn how to utilize digital tools to their maximum capacity, and above all, increase your case acceptance rates.
Here's how to book your seat
If you’re ready to join me, DSD Provider is where it all starts. We have several upcoming DSD Provider courses and you can enroll here in the format and location that works best for you
You can also check out our full range of DSD courses and additional materials in our DSD course menu to further expand your knowledge about the return on investment they can provide for you.
Starting your DSD journey can be daunting and exciting, and in order to start on the best pathway for you, we always recommend scheduling a no-obligation call with one of our DSD team members to discuss your specific needs.
