If your small- to medium-sized business (SMB) is using Windows 10 operating system (OS), you'll be excited to know that Microsoft is currently working on its new update, which is scheduled to be released around May 2020. Dubbed 20H1 (Vibranium), it's going to be the first of two major updates slated for 2020, and it comes with a collection of improvements that can have a positive impact on your practice.

With 2020 fast approaching, new dental technologies will likely emerge and provide your dental office with new and innovative ways that improve business processes, optimize patient experience, and find more efficient ways to acquire new patients. Below are some of the top dental technology trends you should watch out for in 2020.

Teledentistry – Many people find it difficult to visit the dentist for various reasons.

2019 showed that businesses of all sizes are not immune to cyberattacks. Hackers have developed new malware and techniques to infiltrate and steal corporate data hosted on traditional IT infrastructure, the cloud, mobile devices, and email platforms.

Did you know that dental healthcare providers are vulnerable to disruption and downtime? Dental offices house a huge amount of sensitive data such as patient files, bank account information, and credit card numbers, all of which can be lost during a cyberattack or a natural disaster.

Are things moving slowly in your dental office? Are you getting negative feedback from your patients? If so, it's time to re-evaluate your current processes to see how you can make your dental practice more productive. Enhanced workflow management, efficiency, and customer satisfaction are some of the factors you need to focus on to get your dental office moving like a well-oiled machine.

The healthcare sector remains one of the most vulnerable industries to data breaches. Even accidental data loss that does not involve a deliberate attack can have lasting consequences on your organization’s reputation and get you a fine for failing to comply with HIPAA regulations.

Dental practices, like any modern business, need computers. But at $900 per unit on average, personal computers are not a low-cost investment at all. When you consider the fact that you need several units for tasks like record-keeping and patient management, among others, you’d have to allocate several thousand dollars just to build a functional business IT system.

Conventional telephones are an important tool in many dental practices, but they are no longer the most cost-effective phone solution in the market. Among the most popular options today are Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone systems, which can do everything a telephone can — and so much more.

Dental practices can benefit from your patients’ positive experience. Ensuring that your patients only have praises for your clinic will boost your practice’s reputation, thereby attracting more customers and, consequently, increasing your revenue. Additionally, positive experiences help cement your patients’ loyalty to you.

Handpieces are some of the most important tools in a dentist’s employ and though designed to last, they can deteriorate prematurely when not maintained properly. Faulty handpieces can reduce your efficiency and make treatment an unpleasant experience for patients.