Why the post-COVID-19 dental practice is all about connecting the dots

What are your patients going to be looking for at your dental practice in 2021? It's time we make sure our patients understand that their safety is our top priority.

Now is the perfect time to pivot your messaging to help your patients understand that we in dentistry have been at the forefront of infection control for years. Ask your patients to think back to the last time they went to a medical practice. What was done to sterilize the room after the patient left, besides putting clean paper on the table? Do they remember seeing anyone wipe down a room? The answer is likely no.

Moving forward, we must remember that we are not dentists who just "fix teeth." We are oral health providers who connect the dots between active infection in the mouth and the entire body. The ADA has announced many new codes in the past three years that are moving our industry closer to the medical world. COVID-19 has many offices realizing that now is the time to consider incorporating medical billing into their practice.

Here are three new codes that have been added recently:

• D0412: Blood glucose level test -- in-office using a glucose meter
• D0604: Antigen testing for a public health-related pathogen, including coronavirus
• D0605: Antibody testing for a public health-related pathogen, including coronavirus

In March of this year, the ADA announced "oral medicine" as the 11th recognized specialty. It's time we recognize the importance of taking care of patients with systemic issues and diseases.

We could change our perspective from treating pain to focusing on the prevention of infection and transmission. Patients are more aware of the transmission of infection because of the novel coronavirus. The focus on transmission prevention opens a conversation regarding infection. We can show patients that a family who has periodontal infection or caries are likely transmitting infection without fully understanding the effects that has on the entire systemic condition.

Christine Taxin.

Take the time to talk to your patients about sharing a fork while eating cake or sharing a drink. Try not to lecture or talk to them about the connection with words they are not really hearing or understanding. Show them pictures illustrating why the oral cavity is so important to their ability to stay healthy.

Go over your patients' medical history and then talk with them about health issues such as diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, cardiovascular disease, or other conditions that put them at risk when they have an infection in the oral cavity. After the past several months of hearing about COVID-19 and as we continue to move forward, patients are more motivated than ever before to stay healthy.

Today, patients will understand the connection between oral health and overall health and want to do something about it. With that in mind, I'm happy to work with you so you and your team can learn the coding and information you will need to earn more benefits and the diagnostic codes that are part of billing for dental and/or medical benefits.

Christine Taxin is the founder and president of Links2Success, a practice management consulting company for the dental and medical fields. Prior to starting her own consulting company, Taxin served as an administrator of a critical care department at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City and managed an extensive multispecialty dental practice in New York.

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