August 2018--Dr. AJ Acierno of DecisionOne Dental Partners reports that a dynamic dental hygienist can quickly increase treatment acceptance in an office from a low of 24% to a high of 78%. This Chicago-based dental service organization (DSO) counts on their hygienists to help discover patient needs and assist in leading patients to see the value of accepting their dentists’ recommended care.
DecisionOne Dental Partners has grown to 25 locations since 2011, and we are at a new stage of expanding our support center to enhance the lives of dental hygienists and patients. We want our hygienists to have the skills, tools, coaching and empowerment to be restorative partners with the dentists they work with. Investing in the development of our hygienists as leaders in their locations has really paid off. We see a direct correlation between Hygiene development and significantly increased restorative case acceptance.
DecisionOne’s dentists and hygienists strive take an active approach to help patients move forward with the care they need. Hygienists are ideal leaders in a dental practice because of these factors:
Although hygienists are not allowed to diagnose, they are allowed to observe and say, “I think I see a little enamel erosion starting on this tooth so I’m making a note for the doctor to check that. The doctor will examine you before you leave and tell you if there is a problem.” Or, the hygienist might say, “The gum pocket around that left back molar has grown and there is a little bleeding. We don’t like to see a gum pocket get any deeper than 4 mm. When the doctor examines you, we’ll get her opinion on whether that needs treatment.” The patient is apt to ask about what that treatment might be, and then the hygienist has an opportunity to talk about how easily teeth scaling and root planing is performed. The patient may ask what could happen if it gets deeper. Opportunities for engaging with the patient are many.
When a patient asks, “The dentist said last time that I needed a crown here. Do you think that tooth looks worse since I saw you?” the hygienist has an opening to talk about the value of having a structurally weakened tooth crowned and the expertise of the dentist to do a beautiful job, adding “I’m sure the doctor will want to take a look and follow up with you on that in a few minutes before you leave.” The patient may even say to the hygienist, “I know the dentist thought I should have this tooth crowned. I think I am ready to make that appointment today.”
Hygienists are essential to any dental practice and having a hygienist who feels comfortable talking about dentistry and has the confidence to lead patients forward for treatment is priceless. Hygienists need to be empowered by the importance of what they do, and they need to feel permitted to have appropriate conversations with patients that support treatment recommendations of the dentist and inspire patients to follow up on their desires to improve their smiles.
When a DSO provides optimal support to its hygienists, they develop their clinical and behavioral communications skills. They also eagerly learn more about dentistry when dentists share cases with them and explain the treatment options and why a certain treatment plan was made for a specific case. Optimal support includes best tools, best practices, guidance, and even practiced role modeling.
Hygienists cannot diagnose, but they are in the mouth longer than a dentist. They need to look at all the aspects and be able to communicate with the doctor what they are seeing. And that doesn't mean they might be right; sometimes it might be wrong, but there needs to be that communication.
Not all hygienists are comfortable doing this. Most, in fact, need empowerment. With increased knowledge about dentistry, they will be encouraged to speak up when they see a problem, even if the patient says all he or she wants is a cleaning. Dentists need encouragement to think in this way, too. DecisionOne Dental Partners is focusing on its hygienists with mentorships and a full-time periodontist who teaches the teams.
DecisionOne Dental Partners believes in empowering their hygienists to have a greater impact on the lives of their patients, while enabling them to enjoy meaningful careers. The hope is that case acceptance will grow, not because of productivity, but because it is best for dental patients. This higher purpose is meaningful to DSO team members and engenders career satisfaction. Dedicated support for hygienists across DSO locations leads to career development, increased restorative treatment, and long-term employee retention.