Dental practices around the world are navigating unprecedented times. Some practices have been forced to close completely. Others are open only for emergency care.

Now, practices are beginning to reopen. But reopening doesn’t mean going back to the way things were before. We have new knowledge. We have new concerns. And we have new challenges and opportunities.

If we navigate those well, we can come back stronger than ever. Here are three keys to coming back strong.

Invest in the physical safety measures for your team and patients.

Physical health and safety is the top concern of patients and team members, and reasonably so. As practice owners, we must address the physical health and safety of everyone who comes in contact with our practices as we reopen.

Our options are limitless, too. We can make physical adjustments to our practice to promote physical distancing, such as plexiglass barriers at the front desk. We can change policies and procedures. For example, you could only allow patients in our office and doing all intake and paperwork in the operatories. You could also check the temperatures of all team members and patients. Finally, we can invest in additional safety protocols.

In my practice, I invested in three USA NanoCoat air purification systems, which utilize NASA-developed photocatalytic oxidation technology to actively purify the air and sanitize surfaces throughout indoor environments. They also destroy viruses and bacteria both in the air and on surfaces by more than 99.6%. If you’re interested in investing in the same air purification systems, use the code WOW10 to get a 10% discount. I recently interviewed their executive director, Jason Field about how their systems work in the free Delivering WOW Facebook community if you want to learn more.

Together, these adjustments help us create a safe environment for everyone who comes into contact with my practice.

Maintain consistent communication with your team members and patients.

While we know what we’re doing to ensure our practice is a safe place, our patients and team members might not know everything we’re doing, and why.

This is important because other doctors, team members, and patients are rightfully concerned about their physical safety these days. Thus, not only is it important for us to invest in safety measures, we should also communicate what we are doing to our team members and patients.

Use every channel you have to communicate with them. Do a Facebook Live walking through the safety measures. Then, boost your video to patients and your community to spread the word.

Put a new page on your website that shares everything you’re doing to keep your practice safe. Send your patients an email or text message directing them to that page.

And make sure your team members know what you’re doing, too, so they feel safe and comfortable coming to work.

Don’t let it be a one-and-done communication, either. Communicate regularly about what you’re doing so everyone knows you take their safety seriously.

Be a leader in your community.

I’m consistently asking myself how I can be a better leader in my community, not just in my practice. I challenge my Delivering WOW Platinum Mastermind members to do the same, too.

So, how do we be leaders in the community? We start by creating a safe environment and staying in communication with our patients and team members. In addition, we do things such as investing in the best and latest technology and top systems and processes to keep everyone safe. We research PPE. We research air quality. And we research tools and technologies to help create safe spaces.

We then share that information readily in the community. We connect with other business owners in the community and share what we found out and are doing for our businesses. This helps them make better decisions for their businesses, too.

Are you preparing for a strong dental practice reopening?

As you prepare to reopen your practice, invest in safety, communicate with your team and patients, and continue your role as a leader in your community. That will help you come back strong as you reopen your dental practice.

If you want to learn more about the purification systems I got for my practice, visit USA NanoCoat’s website and check them out. Be sure to use the code WOW10 at checkout to save 10%.

And, if you want more help improving your business, join me and thousands of other practice leaders in my free Delivering WOW Facebook community!