Advice for the Hygienist: Inform patients about what you’re doing. Counteract the idea that a hygiene visit is “just a cleaning” by identifying the many steps you go through during a routine hygiene …

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Make sure all team members are on the same page. When team members give patients different answers to the same question, your practice will seem unprofessional, disorganized and inefficient. Use …

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Advice for the Practice Leader – Have a sense of humor. No matter how well-run, all practices have their share of tough days. Things go wrong. Team members call in sick. Procedures take longer than …

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Give encouragement and compliments to patients. If patients are doing a great job sitting still for a lengthy procedure, compliment them. They’ll appreciate it and feel better about the appointment. …

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Advice for the Dentist – Work on case presentation skills. It takes time for even the most experienced dentists to master case presentation skills. Case presentation has to be learned, practiced and …

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Advice for the Hygienist: Inform patients about what you’re doing. Counteract the idea that a hygiene visit is “just a cleaning” by identifying the many steps you go through during a routine hygiene …

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Add texting as a confirmation option. If your practice confirms appointments with postcards or land-line calls, it’s time to upgrade your communication efforts. Emails, calls to mobile phones and …

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Advice for the Practice Leader – Make business education a priority. The Great Recession and its aftermath have ushered in a host of permanent changes that have forever altered the dental profession. …

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Advice for the Hygienist – Look for ways to improve your verbal skills. Do you make patients feel welcome and comfortable during their hygiene appointments? Do you inform patients about appropriate …

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Create a systems manual. Up-to-date documentation for all systems should be gathered together in one place—a systems manual. This is an essential reference for the entire practice. Among other …

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Maintain a lively practice atmosphere. Professionalism and attentive care don’t preclude pleasant human interaction around and with patients. As long as it doesn’t interfere with the quality of …

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Don’t try to be the “winner” all the time. When the team is brainstorming to solve a problem, by all means put your best thinking forward… but don’t become overly protective of your own ideas. Be …

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