1. Treat your hygienists like professional colleagues

Let’s be clear.  I’m not saying your hygienist’s formal education is equal to your formal education in scope or depth.  All I’m saying is that hygienists are well educated individuals who see themselves as dental professionals and want to be treated that way.

Treat your hygienist the same way you would treat an associate dentist or a specialist working in your office.  Your hygienist knows some things you don’t know and you know many things she doesn’t know.  Exchange knowledge as colleagues, not as boss and employee.

Think of the relationship like a marriage.  Well, on second thought, scratch that analogy.  That was dumb.  Forget I brought it up.

2. Let your hygienists “diagnose” and “treatment plan” perio.

When I say diagnose and treatment plan, I don’t mean it in a legal way.  I mean it in an informal, practical way.  Your hygienist lays out the perio plan and you basically concur with it.  As long as you and your hygienist have a similar perio philosophy (it doesn’t have to be exactly the same, just in the same ball park) then I say let her take charge.

Don’t be the dentist that says, “Everything looks good.  See you in six months”, after your hygienist just convinced the patient that he or she needs localized SRP!

3. Provide your hygienists with proper equipment

I temped for about 6 months after hygiene school.  That experience let me see the WIDE range of equipment hygienists are expected to work with.  The equipment in some of those offices were, to be blunt, god damn ridiculous.  Broken, worn out hand instruments and old, leaking ultrasonic inserts were all too common.

Your hygienist needs, at a minimum, a quality ultrasonic scaler, quality inserts and quality hand instruments.  Worn inserts and hand instruments must be replaced immediately.  Some dentists reading this might be thinking, “Who doesn’t do that?” Well, unfortunately, many dentists do not.

4. Pay your hygienists well

Let’s say the pay range in your area for hygienists is $30-$35 per hour.  If you like your hygienist and you want her to stay for the long haul, then pay her $35 per hour.  Get the thought of, “I should be making more”, out of her head.

You could pay her straight commission or a base pay + commission combo instead, but in that case, the hygienist should earn more than $35 per hour when working a full schedule.  Why would a hygienist take the risk of a slow day, and lower pay, if she can’t make more than what her hourly pay would have been without the risk?

Most hygienists prefer security over risk and will probably choose hourly pay most of the time.  So, just pay her $35 per hour and be done with it : )

Those are the four ways you can help your hygienist.  If you’re already doing all four, I say, bravo.  If you are not, I would ask you to seriously consider it.  Your hygienist would greatly appreciate it.

Links
– 4 ways hygienists can help their dentists

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Mark Frias, RDH