Month: July 2012

I recently began working with a new client. Like many of the clients we work with, they have multiple hygienists working in the practice.  Patients don’t always see the same hygienist for their recare appointments.

In situations like this, it’s critical for the entire hygiene team to be calibrated with one another.  If not, patients will hear inconsistent messages and will start to wonder which hygienist is “right” and which hygienist is “wrong” because they’re hearing two different things.

Patients can feel stress and agitation if one hygienist (perceived as the good cop) says they look healthy and normal and 6 months later the other hygienist (perceived as the bad cop) says they have gum disease.

Have you heard a patient say, “My gums NEVER bleed at home, they only bleed when you jam that pokey thing down in my gums!”

When a patient says something like that, it’s an indicator of doubt and it can easily turn the conversation into a power struggle.  To promote more productive communication, the most powerful words you can say are, “YOU’RE RIGHT.” I learned this concept years ago while attending a workshop by the JP Institute.  I’ve used it in clinical practice ever since and always include it in my communication coaching with clients.

Give “you’re right” a try and see what you think.  In our experience with clients, it can be the missing link to better patient communication.

Like this type of communication tip?  Consider joining the Inspired Hygiene High Profits Mastermind Group.  Each month, you’ll get exclusive phone time with me and we can work on scripting tips like this.  www.hygienemastermind.com

Stay Inspired,
Stacy

Recently, I made the beautiful drive up to West Virginia to coach the awesome team of Shady Spring Family Dentistry.  This is a busy practice in rural WV and let me tell you, I was blown away by the level of care they are delivering.  Over the years they have worked with multiple hygiene coaching groups and practice management consultants, done tons of CE and keep striving to get better and better.

One thing I noticed during my observation day was an ‘extra’ assistant sitting in the room during a long sedation procedure.  Turns out, in WV, the law states that there must be an additional sedation-certified assistant present to monitor the patients vital signs during the entire procedure.

This creates a keen awareness that serious medical emergencies DO happen in the dental chair and we must be prepared.  In fact, patients have died in the dental chair.  And in many cases it could have been prevented with a few simple precautions.

As I have been working with Cindy Kleiman to prepare for this month’s Hygiene Profits Mastermind call, she told me that she was speaking at a major meeting recently and had an audience member share that a 16 year old patient died in their office after having an anaphylaxis reaction and the team could not find the Epi Pen.

On this month’s call Cindy is going to share some very simple things you can do immediately to prevent this from happening to one of your patients.  You better believe I checked to make sure we all know where the ER kit is in the practice where I still do hygiene.

Don’t miss this call!  Sounds dramatic… but it really could be a matter of life or death.  If you’re not already a member of our Mastermind group, the first 2 months are FREE.  Click here to sign up.

Here are the details for the call:

“Medical Histories and Medical Emergencies:
“Vital Signs” for the Dental Professional”
with special guest Cindy Kleiman, RDH, BS

It is vital that the entire dental team responds with calm, informed reactions when confronting a medical emergency. The population is aging in North America, and with this comes a more medically compromised patient into the dental office. Join Rachel as she interviews Cindy Kleiman. Cindy will provide us with an overview of how patients need to be evaluated prior to clinical care. Prevention and the treatment of emergencies will be covered.

Here’s what our members will hear on this tele-class:

• Recognize “clues” in the medical history that require further investigation

• Incorporate current blood pressure guidelines in evaluating treatment risk

• Describe the items important to have in a medical emergency kit

• Demonstrate the proper use of items in an emergency kit

• Recognize the signs of a medical emergency and demonstrate the correct action for each type of emergency

CE credits are provided by Inspired Hygiene.
Inspired Hygiene is designated as an Approved PACE Program Provider by the Academy of General Dentistry. The formal continuing dental education programs of this program provider are accepted by the AGD for Fellowship, Mastership and membership maintenance credit. Approval does not imply acceptance by a state or provincial board of dentistry or AGD endorsement.
The current term of approval extends from 6/1/2010 to 5/31/2014.