1.  “Do” most of the exam for the dentist and relay your findings when he or she arrives.

I’m not saying you should legally “diagnose”.  I’m saying you should, to use the current buzzword, “co-diagnose”.  For those who hate buzzwords and prefer plain language like myself, just make the exam easier for the dentist!  We hygienists stare at the patient’s teeth for at least 20 minutes and we often see things that can be easily missed by the dentist (e.g. buccal decay on #16).

2.  Promote the procedures your dentist can do.

Increasing production in the hygiene department is a great goal (and it should be one of your goals), but nothing we can do directly, including SRP, compares to what dentists can do directly to increase office production.  You, the hygienist, have the opportunity to increase office production more with just your WORDS than you do with your scaler!  Build that skill.

3.  Have everything ready for the dentist.

Have the explorer and mirror separate and ready to go (not under a pile of scalers or tangled in floss).  Make sure the mirror is clean.  Radiographs should be up and ready to look at.  You can even go as far as having clean gloves ready to go for the dentist to quickly slip on.  I took a “time and motion” course many years ago so I’m a little anal about this stuff : ), but seriously, every wasted motion adds up in lost clinical time.  Periodically, stand back and critically analyze what you do and look for waste.

4.  Have sympathy for the big picture.

Dentists who are owners have A LOT on their plates.  Not only do they have to be good clinicians, which is more than a full time job in itself, but they also have to deal with accounting, marketing, HR, taxes, purchasing, equipment maintenance, rent, market competition, and the list goes on and on and on.  To be honest, I don’t know how most of them do it without going nuts.  So what can hygienists do to remove some of the stress off their plates?

a. Strive to be a good employee.  I’m just talking basic stuff here like showing up on time every day.  The last things dentists need to worry about are things they shouldn’t have to worry about.

b. Go beyond what is expected of you.  Come in a little early off the clock if needed.  Schedule your hygiene patient for a crown.  Help the assistants turn over a room if you’re free.  These are just random examples.  Every office has different expectations, but you get the gist here.  Go beyond expectations as defined by your particular office.

c. Have a good attitude.  Don’t be a “Negative Nancy”.  Be kind, respectful, and professional to everyone—dentists, assistants, front desk, patients, vendors, etc. even when you don’t feel like it.  The last thing dentists want or need is drama in the office.

If you take these 4 actions and do them consistently, the vast majority of dentists will love you for it.  I’m sure some of you hygienists might be thinking at this point, “Hey, that’s cool, but where’s our list?  You know, how dentists can help us!”  That will be the next blog post!

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Mark Frias, RDH