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Dental Teams and the Flat Earth Society
Today I called the advertising dept of a major daily newspaper in a large city. The voice mail said they were ‘on lunch’ and would have to get back to me later. As I was attempting to spend my client’s…
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Everyone knows the age old rule about not mixing business and relatives. Let’s face it – if there is going to be a problem with a crown it is likely to be with your brother-in-law whom you could really do…
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Who’s Earning Money From Your Hygiene Department?
Dentists we interview are pretty divided on hygiene. It is either the engine that fuels their restorative chairs, or a self serving department in their office that ranges from a ‘break even’ exercise to a ‘prima donna’ group.
Some dental gurus advise closing the entire department and laying off the hygienist. In perhaps 10% of cases (high end cosmetic comes to mind) this may in fact work to your advantage. For the vast majority in a general practice this is nonsensical. Consider the mindset of the average consumer. Firstly, only half of them ever enter a dental office unless they are in extreme pain. Forget regular preventative maintenance. For the remainder, 90% of those call only when they are seeking a ‘check-up’ (which they always presume to include a cleaning). Only a fraction are ever calling for cosmetic services per se.
Secondly, it is critical that your hygiene team are identifying opportunities, and setting the stage to upsell your restorative services. One hygienist we work with uses a camera extensively, and when the doctor arrives in the op for his inspection there are frequently ‘trouble spots’ already up on the screen. This hygienist is worth their weight in gold because the ‘upsell’ is already well in place. For some strange reason, if you as the dentist recommend treatment you have one hand in their wallet. If one of your team members suggests the same treatment they are looking out for the patients’ best interest.
Your hygienist should be billing at least triple their hourly rate. You cannot afford cancellations in that chair if you are paying on an hourly basis, so establish a ‘short notice’ call list for patients with irregular travel schedules. Hygienists have the most ‘face time’ with your patients and in many cases have the strongest relationship with the patient. Recare appointments should be booked from their chair, and if handled properly this should be seamless. We hear from patients during surveys that if their hygienist ever leaves that practice, they going with them! This is the value of the relationship – and has little to do with the actual quality of the work because patients simply don’t have a clue about good versus mediocre dentistry. All they really know is how they feel during and after a dental visit.
Understand that most patients believe if they don’t have a toothache, a hygiene visit is all there is to dentistry. Ensure everyone makes them feel comfortable – and get your hygiene department to have a little contest with themselves to see how much potential work they can uncover in the course of a day. Let’s face it – with the deplorable state of many mouths out there, nobody has to manufacture dental problems. Help your entire team out by having the hygienist articulate what they are finding dentally instead of droning on to the patient about a latest vacation or their pet dog or pussycat!
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