Posted February 11, 2022
Historical shortages, coupled with the impact of COVID-19, resulted in a tighter-than-ever job market for registered dental hygienists (RDHs). This begs two questions:
Here are eight steps to better support your dental hygienists to meet practice production goals while also serving patients at the highest level.
Maintaining a full schedule requires lots of communication. Here are some best practices every dental office can start right away:
New tools and technology ensure the team’s workflow is smooth. Additionally, they allow for a higher quality of care for the patient, leading to better patient experiences. Often, with upgrades, everyone in the workflow benefits.
Take stock of office equipment to ensure good working conditions and regular equipment servicing for maximum efficiency. Poorly maintained and outdated equipment sends apathetic signals to your team. Not only that, but it can also lead to potential risks to patient care. So, it’s important to ask your team and check in consistently to ensure the equipment is in great working condition. A productive hygiene team is a comfortable one.
An assistant can maximize the time each of your hygienists spends with a patient and have the important conversations that lead to improved health and acceptance of dental treatment. Data collection, communication with the doctor, handoffs, and operatory preparation for the next patient are all improved, and production can increase. The cost-benefit analysis of changing up the staff operations can pay for itself quickly while reducing staff churn and burnout.
As a hygienist, it’s frustrating when others working in the practice do not appreciate the amount of work that goes into a certain patient’s hygiene appointments and the extra minutes taken by a good RDH to do a thorough evaluation, get to know the patient, and converse about patient concerns. A productive practice creates opportunities for all team members to learn about each other’s roles and weigh in on how they can better support each other.
Be mindful that dental hygienists are more comfortable, happy, and productive when provided with daily breaks. Don’t forget their humanity––they need windows of time for trips to the bathroom, hydration, and nutrition. Offer them support for needed quick breaks, as they help to increase focus and mental acuity, energy, and manual proficiency.
When asked if they are paid for no-shows or open appointments in the middle of their day, 92% of dental hygienists responding to DentalPost’s 2022 salary survey said they are paid their full rate. Between 2% and 3% said they are paid a reduced rate. Suppose you are among the 5% of dental practices not compensating your hygienist for open appointments in the middle of their day. In that case, this is a good time to reconsider your compensation policy.
DentalPost’s 2022 salary survey disclosed that 83% of hygienists are paid hourly and that most spend more than 50 minutes with each patient. During that hour, the minutes spent in patient-centered conversations are valuable because these minutes lead to filling the doctor’s schedule with treatment. But more than boosting the practice’s production, this quality time makes each hygiene appointment more than a clinical transaction. It makes the appointment feel meaningful. One conversation at a time, they have the power to transform the health and lives of patients.
Dental hygienists are uniquely poised to build rapport by getting to know patients individually. Understanding what is important to each patient allows one to uncover aspects for improved case acceptance. Communicating about an individual’s life circumstances, interests, health status, and oral health questions and concerns builds trust and rapport.
Empower hygienists to initiate conversations about what is important to patients. These conversations involve building a pathway to trust to gain patient acceptance. Empowerment includes team conversations and check-ins about how important this is to the practice’s success. It includes doctors recognizing that their hygienists are fostering trust that helps them successfully present treatment and gains patients’ acceptance.
Daily routines and problem-solving can get in the way of looking back to the bigger picture. This includes empowering conversations, better habits to develop, and what technology to strategically upgrade. Perhaps, your practice is ready for an annual checkup that asks, “Are we doing everything we can to support each other in optimizing a balance of hygiene production, patient trust, and a flourishing dental practice as a whole?”
The conversation around this question will re-energize your team and help create a thriving culture. Additionally, it acknowledges changes that can improve performance, job satisfaction, patient satisfaction, patient retention, new patient acquisition, and case acceptance.
Updated October 2022.