Thinking about adding new services to your dental practice like sleep apnea treatment, Botox, or same-day crowns, but unsure how to make it work without creating chaos? You’re not alone.
Many dentists want to elevate their practices with high-demand services but hit roadblocks when it comes to real-world implementation. Whether it’s time constraints, training gaps, or lack of team buy-in, the struggle is real. But the solution? It’s all about preparation, leadership, and systems.
Start with Strategy, Not Hype
The best implementations don’t start with a CE course; they start with a clear plan. Before signing up for training or investing in equipment, ask:
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Do your patients actually want this?
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Is your team prepared to support it?
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Is the service aligned with your practice goals and patient demographics?
You might love the idea of placing implants or offering facial aesthetics, but if your patient base is mostly young adults with minimal restorative needs, the ROI might not pencil out. Taking inventory of your current treatment mix and referral trends can help you make smart decisions.
Test the Waters
Start by taking a pulse from your own patients. Ask simple questions:
“If we offered this in-house, would you be interested?”
“Where do you currently go for Botox or sleep appliances?”
Have your front office keep a running list of requests patients make that you don’t currently offer. This can be a goldmine of opportunity.
Train Your Team Before the Rollout
One of the biggest gaps we see is the lapse between a doctor getting trained and the rest of the team being equipped to implement. CE can light a fire under a doctor, but if the team isn’t ready to carry the torch, that fire fizzles out fast.
Consider these steps:
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Pre-schedule time for post-CE team training.
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Build basic protocols before you even attend the course.
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Use coaching or consulting support to fast-track system creation and team buy-in.
Don’t Wait to Start
The longer you wait to implement, the more that excitement fades. If you don’t practice what you learned within a few weeks, it’s easy to lose confidence or worse, forget what you learned altogether.
Line up patients ahead of time so you can hit the ground running when you return from training. Just like same-day crown courses ask you to pre-schedule patients, you can do the same for sleep, implants, or facial aesthetics.
Keep It Simple
Not everything needs to be done at once. Focus on one small action your team can take daily:
Track what’s working. Review results. Adjust. Then layer in the next step.
Success Requires a Plan, Not Just Passion
Adding new services can be one of the most rewarding steps in a practice's growth, but only if done with intention. Systems, training, and realistic timelines will take you much farther than excitement alone.
Ready to bring a new service into your practice but don’t want to overwhelm your team?
Schedule a free Practice Assessment with The Dental A Team and get a custom step-by-step plan to add revenue-driving services the right way.
Want to learn more about implementing new services? Check out our podcast!
Last updated: July 2025
Written by Jacintha Ham, Dental A Team