The American Academy (AAP) states that approximately 50% of the US adult population has periodontal disease. (See homepage of perio.org) If this is true for the US population, how is your dental practice’ hygiene department in alignment with this statement?
Do you know the information on your practice’ adult dental hygiene patients? What percentage of your adult hygiene patients have been enrolled in peridontal therapy?
If you have not completed the perio percentage formula, I recommend that you create a baseline for this number of Adult Patients in your dental practice enrolled in periodontal therapy. Think about this statistic provided by the AAP and understand how your practice is in alignment of this important information. It will be a WIN-WIN. Improved health for your patients and healthier profits for your practice. Honestly, hygienists will not work as hard when they treat peridontal disease at an early stage and stop the wait and watch syndrome.
If our over arching message to patients is “Optimal Oral Health Leads to a Longer, Healthier Life” then this information from the AAP is valuable for us because we are treating our patients at the highest level of care.
This week’s video training, will walk you through Diagnosis of your hygiene patient. Are they a health patient or do they have periodontal disease? After you read this click the video to review this information.
QUESTIONS TO PONDER: GETTING TO YOUR NEXT LEVEL OF CARE
- When do you complete a comprehensive periodontal exam?
- How often do you probe your hygiene patients?
- Do you find time to complete the Comprehensive Periodontal Exam? (Review the blogs in May on Time Management if you don’t think you have time to pick up the probe before you scale) to read the Time Managment Blogs you can go here: TIME MANAGEMENT AND DATA COLLECTION
- What examination instruments are on your tray set-up? (Hint: Besides the curettes)
These and more are questions I provide answers to create a level of care which represents the statistics reported from the AAP when you view the video below.
OPTIMIZATION OF HYGIENE PRODUCTION
As you begin to refine your treatment of the periodontal patient, not only will your patients improve their total health, but your hygiene department production will increase. The hygienist should find that they are not working as hard. Trying to “get it all clean” when in fact, the patient is “More than a prophylaxis” truly creates more work for the hygienist and is not appropriate treatment for optimal oral health.
This picture represents a patient who is “More than just a prophylaxis” How often do you see this and think “It’s Just a Prophy!”??
Below is the Examination of the Gingival Clinical Markers and this is shared in the video. Use this information now so everyone: Doctor and hygienists, can get on the same page for calibrating what they agree is a healthy mouth and what is considered disease.
eBook and Video Training Series on the Topic of Diagnosis of the Perio Patient, Determining a Treatment Plan, Discussing the Treatment Plan and Simplified Documentation Skills.
Click on this Link for More Information on this Training Series.
About Debbie
In 2000, Debbie founded Dental Practice Solutions, a dental practice management business focused on creating profitable dental hygiene departments, as well as improving the total bottom line of the dental practice. She has been named as one of Dentistry Today’s Top Consultants for 10 years in row!
Debbie is a former clinical assistant professor from the University of Southern California where she taught the senior dental hygiene students skills to treat periodontal patients. She also co-taught the practice management course at USC from 200o-2002. (Until the school start PBL – Problem Based Learning) Debbie also wrote the accreditation for a new dental hygiene program in Portland, Oregon and is a former dental hygiene program director.
Debbie has a team of experts to guide teams throughout the world to provide quality, patient centered practices that sustain profits for the life of their dental practice.
-->
Follow