The pandemic put a strain on dental practices. And now, coupled with a tight job market, your practice could be dealing with reduced hygiene hours or at risk of losing a dental hygienist. At Bryant Consultants, we understand how valuable dental hygienists are to your bottom line, but everyone else in your practice (maybe you) may not see it that way. Hygienists have the perfect opportunity to build a strong rapport with patients, educate them on dental hygiene, and underline the importance of taking good care of their teeth and gums. Furthermore, dental hygienists help convert hygiene patients into patients that will sit in your chair. But, if your hygienist doesn’t feel supported, what’s in it for them? So today on the blog, we share eight ways to support your hygienists and increase practice production, all while ensuring your patients receive the best care possible.
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Get the front office on board with scheduling efficiently
Filling your hygiene schedule starts with the front office and ensuring they use an effective scheduling process. To start with, confirm appointments with each patient on the schedule, and have an established cancellation protocol in place. Don’t just call patients already on the schedule in hopes that they will accommodate your schedule and change their appointment. Instead, keep a list of patients to call to fill the gaps when others cancel at the last minute. Additionally, set in place a strict recall system that matches your patients’ dental health needs. Last, make your practice one that people want to visit. Hopefully, your front office team members are cheerful, kind, helpful, and patient.
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Update equipment, if necessary
You’ve hired your dental hygienists to do a specific job, but they can’t do their job if they use old, outdated equipment that is always in need of repairs. Additionally, every team member is unique, and not all chairs and equipment are designed to fit their ergonomic needs. Therefore, check in with your hygienists to ensure their chair is comfortable enough and provides the necessary support. Ask how their handpieces are working out. Are their instruments too heavy and making their hands and wrists hurt? Involve your hygienists’ opinions when updating equipment that they will be using.
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Consider hiring a hygiene assistant
Hiring a hygiene assistant maximizes the amount of time hygienists spend with patients, building a rapport, encouraging good oral hygiene, and increasing dental treatment acceptance. The hygiene assistant could be responsible for data collection, handoffs for patient care, or the front desk and could clean the operatory and set up for the next patient.
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Know their role
Truthfully, patients spend more time conversing with hygienists than with the doctor. It can be frustrating for hygienists when other team members or even the doctor isn’t fully aware of their role. If you would like your practice to be more productive, start by ensuring every team member understands each other’s roles. That way, team members understand why hygienists take longer conversing with patients, for example.
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Schedule breaks into their day
Your hygienist is not a workhorse. They are human and deserve breaks to use the restroom, refuel by eating a snack, or hydrate. It is a fact that employees in any industry are happier and more productive when their basic needs are met during their workday. Therefore, don’t just tell your hygienist they can take a “comfort” break when they need to. Instead, ask your hygienist what time during the day (other than lunch) would work best for them and allow scheduled breaks throughout their day. This is where having a hygiene assistant could help because they could help relieve the hygienist for necessary breaks between patients.
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Pay your hygienists for a full day
It is common practice to pay hygienists their full pay even when the schedule is empty or when there are no-shows. Few offices pay hygienists a reduced rate during these times. Hopefully, you’re not one of the few that do. If so, it’s time to reconsider your compensation policy.
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Empower your hygienists
Ensure hygienists have enough time on the schedule to spend with each patient. It is a proven fact that these important conversations being had during patient appointments with hygienists lead to filling the doctor’s schedules. One hour for cleaning appointments is the norm and should be sufficient time for hygienists to build a rapport with patients, as well as clean the patient’s teeth, take x-rays, and document their chart. Don’t try to rush your hygienists by cutting back on these appointment times. You could be cutting out valuable conversation time that hurts your schedule and your bottom line!
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Support each other
Dental practices cannot be successful unless everyone supports each other. Just because you are the doctor doesn’t mean you know everything and that your answers are best when it comes to running the practice. Be sure to find out what your team needs. It might be time to evaluate your practice, solicit feedback, and ensure you and your team are doing everything possible to provide the best care for patients while improving job satisfaction. This approach will help you maintain a thriving practice with higher morale and job satisfaction, which translates to better patient retention, case acceptance, and, you guessed it – increases the bottom line!
Bryant Consultants is a family-owned consulting firm that can help dental practices reach their full potential and more! If you would like to learn more or schedule a complimentary one-hour consultation, please get in touch with Bryant Consultants by calling (877) 768-4799. We provide consultation, training, and coaching virtually or in person. To ensure that you receive the latest updates, please follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
