Month: June 2017

When I went to hygiene school, I was given training on ultrasonic use for calculus removal. If I had a patient with class IV or V calculus, I was given permission to use the cavitron to remove his or her calculus. Once I had done that, I would have to stop and take the unit back to where it lived in the clinic and then use my hand instruments to disrupt the plaque.

Back in the 1980’s when I was in hygiene school, that was the mindset many of us were taught. Moving forward 35+ years that simply DOES NOT hold true any longer, it probably didn’t even back then. So, if you and/or any of your hygiene team members are still STUCK in that mindset, I want to challenge you to take just a few minutes to watch my video on thinking outside the box and start using your ultrasonic as your ‘go to’ tool for effective calculus and BIOFILM removal!

Patient communication is always a topic of interest!

Using high impact words and phrases can make a big difference in a patients’ ability to understand why following through with diagnosed treatment is in their best interest.

During a recent workshop, the topic of nicotine use and its affects on the progression of periodontal disease came up. And of course motivating the patient to consider smoking cessation was part of the discussion.

Take less than 2 minutes to watch this video and learn a new ‘high impact’ communication skill that will help the patient understand how damaging tobacco use really is.

If you’d like to learn more about the potential of your hygiene department, request a complementary Discovery Session.

One reason some Dentists don’t reach out to coaches for help is because they are afraid THEY will have to do all the work. You’re already busy and can’t imagine adding more to your plate and at the same time, you want to take your business to a new level.

Here’s the good news, our coaching strategy is to empower your hygiene team with the knowledge and permission to do everything short of making the final diagnosis. This means, they are collecting diagnostic info, sharing with the patient and really taking ownership of presenting treatment.

Click Here to listen to this 1-minute audio clip for proof that this concept can work. In this clip, you’ll hear Dr. Jim Heller share his experience and how his hygienist took a lot of weight off his shoulders.

And if you still aren’t convinced, the proof is in the numbers. When we first worked with Dr. Heller and his team, here’s what they achieved in the first 5 weeks of their coaching:

That’s a $10k increase in just over 1 month and they continued to perform at this level month over month paying for their coaching program many times over in the first 6 months.

I was thrilled recently when I spoke with Dr. Jim Heller and he decided it was time to bring his team back into coaching by entering our Masters Elite program.

I hope Team Heller has inspired YOU! We’d love to help you experience similar results! Just click here and we’ll set up a strategy call right away to see how we can help.

If you’re not clear on how to use and/or bill the new D4346 gingivitis code, you are not alone! Never fear, Patti DiGangi is here!

Join Patti DiGangi, RDH and myself as we discuss the opportunities and eliminate the confusion surrounding the use and billing of this new code.

If you are not a Mastermind Member, and would like to join, click here for information on how to join!

D4346 Opportunity or Confusion?
with special guest
Patti DiGangi, RDH, BS

Using the new D4346 CDT 2017 code, we can finally treat gingivitis after decades of merely dumping gingival inflammation into the same category as health. This new code can potentially close the loop and elevate our standard of care. With increasing research pointing to the connection between oral disease and medical conditions, the timing is perfect. Early recognition ensures earlier intervention and disease prevention. Yet it isn’t just a new code, different thinking is needed. This code has brought as many questions as answers.

Upon completion of this webinar, the participant will:

Recognize which type of oral evaluation is appropriate before delivery of D4346 and when it must be completed
Identify ways to quantify inflammation to support submission of new D4346
Differentiate this new scaling procedure (D4346) from the current debridement procedure (D4355), prophylaxis (D1110/D1120) and scaling and root planning codes (D4341 and D4342)

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 6/1/2017 to 5/31/2020.

This call will be available in our Mastermind Library on Thursday, June 15. If you’re not already a member of our Mastermind group, click here to sign up.

When January rolls around, most of us take the time to reflect on the past year, evaluate it and then set out to create some New Year’s resolutions and goals. I know for me, I often find myself surprised at how quickly the year went by and how, unfortunately, some of those great intentions did not come to fruition. So I ask “Why wait until January to reflect?”

Watch my short video and see how to not let the next six months slip by without re-evaluating those goals now.