Month: October 2015

Last week I had a dental emergency happen in my chair. It was a very scary situation to say the least. I, like many of us have been trained to handle most medical emergencies should they arise, but have wondered…could this really happen in MY chair and if it did, would I react appropriately to the emergency? Later that evening I reflected back to the event that took place in my chair and it made me think, “Did I save my patient’s life today?” Watch the video below to see how the emergency hit VERY CLOSE TO HOME, and what three questions I will always ask in the future to hopefully prevent another frightening event like this from happening again!

I recently received an email with a very common dilemma. It’s a situation where a new patient had perio therapy years ago in another practice and now their dental benefit provider will not contribute to Periodontal Maintenance.

Because this is such a common issue, I shared some advice on this dilemma in today’s video.  There’s an ironic twist that I’ll share and I’m wondering…has this ever happened to you?

Do you have a CAMBRA protocol in your office? If your office is like many of my clients, the answer is no. The next obvious question is, how do you get a CAMBRA protocol in place?

October’s Hygiene Profits Mastermind Webinar will tell you exactly how to get a protocol up and running in your office. You won’t want to miss this informative experience with our special guest Donna Brogan, RDH, BS.
I look forward to you joining Donna and I on this webinar. If you are not a Hygiene Profits Mastermind Member, but would like to join, please visit hygienemastermind.com for for details.

Putting CAMBRA to Work: Easy as 1, 2, 3!
with special guest
Donna Brogan, RDH, BS

Caries Management by Risk Assessment (CAMBRA) is an evidence-based approach to prevent or treat caries at its’ early stages. CAMBRA has swept through the industry and is being taught in dental and dental hygiene programs across the country but this valuable tool is still under-utilized. Caries is a multi-factorial disease and research has found common risk factors that help determine a person’s likelihood of developing new or recurrent decay.

This course will discuss some of the most common risk factors and why they are so important to address clinically. Patient profiles will be used to demonstrate how easily you can put CAMBRA to work as a preventive tool in your practice. Attendees will learn how to quickly use the known risk factors, an exam, and a CAMBRA form, to classify the patient as low, moderate, or high risk.

After the course you will be able to…

1) Understand the theory of CAMBRA

2) Identify evidence-based risk factors and indicators for future carious lesions

3) Classify patients into low, moderate, and high risk categories

Donna Brogan is a graduate and former faculty member of the University of Oklahoma Dental Hygiene Program. She was honored as the 2010 Alumnus of the Year and voted Outstanding Part Time Faculty by her students in 2007, 2012, 2013 and 2014. She serves on numerous committees and boards for community non-profits and professional associations. An educational consultant of eighteen years, she has written for such publications as RDH, Journal of Practical Hygiene, Contemporary Oral Hygiene, and the Women’s Dentist Journal.

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 6/1/2014 to 5/31/2017.

This call will be available in our Mastermind Library on Thursday, October 20. If you’re not already a member of our Mastermind group, click here to sign up.

Insurance coding errors are more common than you might think! Using the ‘wrong’ code or applying the code in the ‘wrong’ sequence is often an honest mistake that may have serious consequences.

Join Dr. Charles Blair and myself as we explore common coding errors and misconceptions during this months Hygiene Profits Mastermind Webinar. You can’t afford to miss this insurance update, including a 2016 preview into eliminated, changed and new insurance codes.

Be sure to send me your insurance questions ~ either post them on the IH Mastermind Facebook page or email your questions to kim@inspiredhygiene.com!

Dr. Blair and I will meet you on the webinar!

2016 Insurance Code Update
with special guest
Charles Blair, DDS

Dental coding errors cost you money!  It’s not just lost revenue, but the loss of huge amounts of time and energy that it takes to unravel the tangle that we sometimes find ourselves in with insurance claims. Coding errors are never done on purpose, and yet they happen on a regular basis.  Learn how to use the new and changed codes for 2016 when you join Kim on this special topic webinar with Dr. Charles Blair, owner of Practice Boosters.

Don’t forget to post your insurance questions on our facebook page or email them to kim@inspiredhygiene.com.

On this webinar you will learn:

• New codes and how best to utilize them to maximize hygiene productivity
• Modified codes and how those modifications effect the use of the code
• Predictable coding errors 
• Q & A with your questions submitted on facebook

We often hear the term “Over Achiever” when describing some of our colleagues and clients in the dental profession. As I was preparing for this week’s e-zine where I am highlighting a RDH that demonstrates how to be a true “Rock Star”, it occurred to me that term never rang truer than for Rita Bollwitt! I believe that when it comes to the health care of her patients, Rita truly believes it is her duty to be that very “over achiever”. Read below to see how she and her team raised the bar to ‘Rock Star’ status!

RDH Rock Star Rita!

Rita has worked for the dynamic team at Jackson Dental in the small town of Belle Fourche, SD for 25 of her 35 years as a RDH. I have had the privilege of coaching Rita and her team for over one and a half years. Rita granted me the opportunity of asking her to share some of her thoughts and career changing moments that have shaped her into one of the finest RDH’s I have had the honor to coach.

Rita feels that “the best part of my profession is that I get to elevate patients from a state of disease and inflammation to health”. She knows that she is helping save lives by educating her patients regarding the oral and systemic link. “One of the biggest things I have implemented since private coaching is becoming up to date on current research regarding oral and systemic health links and understanding the process of inflammation, not just ‘bleeding gums’. We cannot separate the two. What saddens me, is the fact that not all people can afford comprehensive dental care”.

This ‘diamond in the rough’ team offers top shelf services. All five hygienists are laser certified and routinely use salivary testing granting them full awareness of their patient’s disease and best care treatment. Doctors’ Christopher and John Jackson are both LANAP (Laser Assisted New Attachment Procedure) certified, making Rita and her team from rural South Dakota true “Rock Stars”!