Dos and don'ts for hygiene success

It starts in the hygiene department

The hygiene department represents an underdeveloped asset for many practices. Your hygienist spends more time with patients on average than anyone else in the practice, including yourself. With the exception of emergencies, almost every patient who visits your practice first goes through the hygiene department. But are you maximizing the hygiene opportunities in your practice?

Build greater value for hygiene care. Many offices refer to the hygiene appointment simply as a "cleaning" or a "recall" visit. None of these terms describe the true value of the hygiene appointment to patients. I recommend that the hygiene visit be referred to as "the periodontal maintenance and oral cancer exam appointment" or something similar. Accurately describing the hygiene appointment will create a sense of greater value for patients.

Don't forget to confirm appointments. Every patient should be contacted 48 hours in advance of the recare appointment via cellphone, email, and/or work phone. Some practices call 24 hours in advance, but this may not leave enough time to schedule another patient.