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In last weeks blog I talked about an experience in a restaurant.
Imagine, you are seated at your table in the restaurant; what do you believe should happen next?
What can happen that will create a positive experience and one where you want to come back here?
What can the waiter or waitress who sat you at your table, say and do to provide a great experience?
Coming to a dental office means that we need to be service oriented as well as a retail store or restaurant.
Five Star Dental Hygiene Care during Data Collection can be created by two of the following:
- Seat your patient in the chair and without a bib while you (re) build rapport and collect (or review) the important patient information (At least the first 90 seconds of each appointment)
- Inform your patient of what you will be completing during today’s appointment and this will involve:
– let your patient know about x-rays, oral cancer screening (Explain about your new technology and how it will benefit them), tell your patient about the periodontal exam and any other types of services you will complete during their hygiene appointment
ENGAGE YOUR PATIENT IN THE PROCESS
During the full-mouth periodontal screening exam and while your patient is still seated upright in the chair, explain about the numbers you will call out. Explain briefly what these numbers mean and that at the end of the exam you will sit them up in the chair and ask them to tell you the highest number you called out and the lowest number you called out.
Asking for your patients input brings them into the diagnosis of their disease. It will be a first step in taking responsibility for their disease.
Many times when you have explained about the numbers and ask for them to listen and respond to what they hear, patients will “tell you” what they heard – especially when they know they heard something that is not within normal limits.
This is all part of your elegant communication process and how you set up the patient care for success.
Do you feel challenged by time? Feel like you don’t have enough time to complete a full-mouth perio exam?
Download this Time Management Free Resource.
Please comment below and let us know your challenges and even what is working for you.
Click on the link in the picture below to grab the Free Resource
ABOUT DEBBIE SEIDEL-BITTKE, RDH, BS
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.