In this episode of Weekly Wisdom, Dr. Ramez Salti discusses how to craft the best patient experience. Subscribe to Oral Health’s weekly e-newsletter to have the latest episode delivered straight to your inbox every week!
We’re ashamed to say it. We’ve had some bad conversations with our patients. We meant well; we were trying to get our patients to improve their oral health, but, instead, we ended up making our patients feel pretty bad about themselves. Instead of empowering them, we embarrassed them. Instead of trusting us, they disliked us. … Read more
Surveys have shown that around 16 percent of children have a fear of going to the dentist. When you work in the industry, that statistic probably doesn’t surprise you. You’ve likely had your fair share of fearful kids walking into your practice. Hopefully, by the time they leave, you’ve been able to calm their fears … Read more
Doesn’t it feel great when patients come in with pain and, like a magician, we use our trained hands to get them smiling again? How about when we cannot get the patient out of pain? What if the condition is outside of the scope of dentistry? Is it out of our hands? Sadly, this is … Read more
On a Friday afternoon, a dentist’s mind raced. Her patient was asking for a fifth refill of Percocet. The dentist was positive that the pain from a third molar extraction had passed and feared the patient had a substance dependence disorder. The patient complained of stabbing shoulder pain in addition to a residual ache in … Read more
In this episode of Weekly Wisdom, Dr. Sanj Mohanta returns to give some tips on motivating your patients to care about their oral health. Subscribe to Oral Health’s weekly e-newsletter to have the latest episode delivered straight to your inbox every week!
Professional conflicts may arise when dental principals and dental associates disagree about processes in the dental clinic. These conflicts may have regulatory implications before the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario (RCDSO). In ideal circumstances, dental principals and dental associates will have excellent and mutually supportive relationships that benefit both parties. Associate dentists can … Read more
Eventually, every dental hygienist will deal with a difficult patient. Despite best efforts, a patient may be angry or upset with the care they have received or something that has been said to them. Sometimes they will be angry for no perceivable reason at all. Regardless of why the patient is being difficult, dental hygienists … Read more
Dental hygienists are a key part in ensuring that patients are satisfied with their visit at the dental practice. As a hygienist, you not only assist your patients with their oral hygiene, you also are responsible for helping educate them on oral diseases and how they can better care for their mouth. Here are 4 … Read more
There are seven key distinctions that set the bar for consistently delivering an ideal new patient experience and increasing satisfaction, retention, and referrals. Making a “distinction” involves refining one’s thinking. Dentists are good at making clinical distinctions. For example, recognizing subtle aspects of occlusion that may alter restorative material decisions is a clinical distinction. However, … Read more
A well-organized appointment system is a cornerstone of successful scheduling, but even the best-laid plans can turn to chaos with an unexpected occurrence, such as a dental emergency. How to manage your regular appointments and dental emergencies efficiently is key to keeping your staff and patients happy while meeting your own practice goals. Develop a … Read more
Did you know that acronyms are actually very modern inventions? They were found to be in existence around World War 1, but were still not used very much until World War 2. The word “acronym” did not even come into play until 1943 because they simply were not used in daily life like they are … Read more
It was in March of 2019 that my daughter was diagnosed with autism at a support level 3, just before her 3rd birthday. This means that she requires substantial support in order to get through her day. Since then, I have spent endless hours reading articles, books and anything that would allow me to better … Read more
Well we are seeing signs of the flattening of the curve and the hope is we will start to return to some degree of “normal” very soon. New Brunswick and Saskatchewan seem to be leading the charge in loosening restrictions. In Ontario, no timelines have been set but we have what the government is calling … Read more
Crosscheck complete. Ready for departure from one of the most remarkable adventures I’ve had the privilege of embarking on. I’m faced with the incredibly challenging task of describing what seems to be an indescribable dream; a blur of circumstances sous vide in emotions that I had forgotten I was capable of feeling. Hold your hands … Read more
It’s been said that there is no health without mental health—the truth of this statement is difficult to refute. Mental illness presents a serious barrier to receiving good health care and dental care is no exception. The enormity of this public health concern becomes clear when you consider that, at any moment in Canada, mental … Read more
Historical thinking about the role of the dental hygienist as a member of the health care team is that their purpose is primarily auxiliary or clinical.1 However, a paradigm shift in the profession has been in process for several years.2 The shift in dental hygiene emphasizes the roles of educator and health promotor as primary … Read more
In the world of dental hygiene, we commonly refer to routine follow up exams with patients as ‘recall’ appointments. More appropriately, these can be considered re-care exams, as our patients aren’t recalled per se, rather compassionately re-cared for through the ongoing monitoring and maintenance of their oral health. Re-care exams play a very important role … Read more
The success of a dental practice is completely dependent on how effective the team is in influencing patients to say “yes” to recommended care. It doesn’t matter how excellent all other aspects of the practice are, if the patient doesn’t accept the treatment we recommend, or doesn’t want to pay us an appropriate fee, then … Read more
The first touch-point for patients is the reception area and it is critical to make a positive and lasting impression. Patients expect a dental office to maintain high standards of cleanliness and safety, which starts from the moment they enter the door. Is the room inviting, comfortable, organized and well maintained? Or does the room … Read more