The Formula for Profitable Hygiene

Changes have most higher places. significantly wages, in the Practices and dental stagnant reduced market face rising or hygiene over falling overhead the reimbursement profitability last expenses, few years in

for hygiene services. Attempts made to address these profitability challenges by shortening or double-booking hygiene appointments have only reduced the quality of care we provide and furthered the growing divide between dentists and hygienists.

How can we provide patients with the best possible care, while also increasing hygiene profitability to a sustainable level for the long-term success of the practice?

The solution to today’s hygiene challenge requires focusing on increasing profitability, effectiveness, and production. These may sound redundant and nearly impossible to achieve, but at The Team Training Institute, we teach specific strategies and solutions that help practices achieve each of these key hygiene goals.

With insurance fees remaining low, we have to find a way to continue to provide our patients with the same level of service, or higher, while also increasing our profitability. One of the most impactful ways to increase profitability is to do more same-day dentistry – both preventative and restorative. Combining services that may have been previously provided in 2 separate appointments into 1 reduces your overhead expense and increases profitability per visit. Offering services same-day will also increase your acceptance rate with busy patients who don’t want to

make the time in their schedule to come back for a second visit.

The key to adding more same-day dentistry is to identify every opportunity to serve patients at a higher level and present those opportunities to the patient. We often see team members reluctant to present additional preventative services like fluoride and sealants because they feel as if they don’t have the time needed to complete these procedures. Many also have the misconception that patients won’t pay for what insurance won’t cover. Not only have we seen the evidence in thousands of dental offices that this is not true, but when patients understand the value of the care you are presenting, they appreciate the opportunity to improve their oral health and reduce their risk of needing future, more invasive treatments.

Success in serving patients at a higher level requires us to define and embody our role as a preventive therapist. This focus on prevention is critically needed today as the World Health Organization recognizes the “rapidly changing disease patterns throughout the world are closely linked to changing lifestyles which include a diet rich in sugars, widespread use of tobacco, and increased consumption of alcohol.” With oral disease highly related to these lifestyle factors, patients need us to provide protection for their teeth, in the form of preventive services, that can help offset their risk of oral disease.

We help providers implement key systems for time management that enable many simple preventive services to be completed during the scheduled recall visit. When offering preventive services, or any dental services, most patients prefer fewer visits not more. When you use language like “If possible, would you

like us to take care of this today?”, you’ll be surprised how many patients jump at the chance when offered. Preventive services often extend the appointment time by just a few minutes, if at all. Restorative services should also be offered same-day when feasible, and be upfront with patients about any expected wait time.

• No nesting! Be prepared to work out of any room, at any time.
• Every room is equipped and supplied the same.
• Set-ups for fluoride, sealants, and desensitizing agents are always prepped and ready.

Results

Tonya, a hygienist we worked with in Dr. Greg Ayer’s practice, placed 33 sealants using the same-day process that we teach at The Team Training Institute. None of those sealants had been scheduled ahead of time, all were offered and completed that same day! That’s 33 teeth that are more protected now than they would have been without Tonya’s intervention, all of which were completed the day they were diagnosed.

Janet, a hygienist we work with at Downtown Dental Group in Honolulu, is truly excellent at protecting her patients from cavities. Recently, Janet protected more than 90 teeth in one day using the systems we teach.

Many of our providers are also helping patients with early cavities arrest the progression of their incipient lesions and harness new technology to remineralize the enamel. Practices have had as many as 29 of these services provided in one day, again all of which were not on the schedule but completed once diagnosed.

All of these providers are not only improving the profitability of their practice and optimizing their roles as preventive therapists, but they are truly helping patients with their commitment to providing world-class care.

Our effectiveness as a hygiene provider should be measured by our impact on patient health. Increasing that effectiveness and maximizing our ability to improve patient health requires us to understand the needs of our patients. We need to know what lifestyle factors they have that may increase their risk of oral disease and what systemic health conditions may be impacting their

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Higher oral health. This deeper understanding of our patients cannot be

hygiene wages are a reality that does not appear to be achieved without a process for risk assessment.

changing anytime soon and hygienists are not going to become less critical to the success of dental practice. The simplest soluConsistently using a risk assessment tool with patients helps

tion to maintaining profitability while paying higher wages is them better understand their risk factors, how their risk can

to increase hygienists’ production. Increasing production does change over time, and how preventive services can reduce their

not equate to unnecessary procedures, it simply means we are risk. A basic risk assessment, including both a quick scan of

helping patients choose a higher level of care, consistently. We the mouth and a few questions for the patient, can typically be

see patients day in and day out who need our help, but often completed in less than 2 minutes. The scan of the mouth should

opt out of our assistance. The results of the risk assessment give note any deep grooves, exposed root surfaces, history of decay,

patients a compelling reason to make good preventive care deciand white spot lesions. Questions for the patient should include

sions. These decisions should include services such as fluoride, medications that might cause dry mouth, vaping, snacking, and

sealants, bonded protective agents, guided enamel remineralizasoda habits. Education is critical to helping patients understand

tion, and radiographs. Maximizing these services drives hygiene the connection between these risk factors and their oral health.

production while delivering a higher level of care for our patients.

Given the prevalence and mass consumption of sugary, low pH

When hygienists are using a risk assessment to identify patient beverages, hygienists should be capable of explaining the cavities

needs, providing those needed services same-day to increase infection process in non-technical language that patients can

acceptance, and growing their production as a result, they understand. Keeping it simple is best, but a clear connection

should be compensated for their contribution to the practice’s between sugar exposure, harmful bacteria, and pH of the mouth

profitability. Rewarding your team’s achievements helps engage will help move patients to reduce their risk and hopefully make

and retain your current team and is a great recruiting tool. The more informed beverage decisions in the future.

key is to reward and compensate in a way that is sustainable for the long-term profitability of the practice. We have found that a production-based compensation model benefits hygienists, the SECRETS TO RISK ASSESSMENT SUCCESS

practice, and the patients. Rewarding a higher level of care is one of the secrets to profitable hygiene.

Graphics that show the pH of popular beverages and sugar content of common products are an extremely effective part of this discussion.

Results

Use the latest research regarding risk factors that relate to each

We regularly see hygienists’ production per visit jump to $300individual patient.

$400, depending on their market. Production is not the focus, instead, it is the result of elevating the care we provide day in and

Presenting visuals of clinical symptoms with a digital scan

day out. The most rewarding part of this is that patients receive or intra-oral camera helps patients accept recommended

a higher level of care. solutions.

For help implementing this formula for profitable hygiene in

Request a copy of The Team Training Institute’s Risk

your practice, visit theteamtraininginstitute.com. Assessment Tool by completing the contact form found at theteamtraininginstitute.com/contact with “Risk Assessment”

strategic advisor, speaker, consultant, and best-selling author. She is the President and Founder of HygieneDiamonds as well as RESULTS

the President and Co-Founder of The Team Training Institute. Wendy’s excellence as Sonali, a hygienist with Commerce Village Dentists, increased

a hygienist and patient care advocate has her fluoride acceptance rate to 85% in her first month after impledirectly influenced more than 3,718 dental menting a risk assessment process.

practices in 12 countries. She has a proven track record of supporting dentists, hygienists, and their teams in increasing patient care and doubling hygiene production. INCREASE PRODUCTION

wendybriggs@thetti.com