How do I get my hygienist to be more profitable?  Where do I start?

How do I get my hygienist to be more profitable?  Where do I start?

So, you have this idea that you want to develop and redefine the business elements within your practice. You have heard that hygiene departments can be the profit centres, the lifeblood, the hub where all dentistry begins. You have read articles explaining the high litigation risk of undiagnosed and untreated periodontal disease, and you recognise that now more than ever the evidence connecting oral health to overall health is mainstream news. You just don't know how to advance and develop and grow this aspect of your business.

You have this vision of giving every patient more time within the hygiene room to allow for greater preventive management, and diagnosis, and to shift the patient’s perception beyond the traditional scale and polish. Let's face it, we all know this term is way outdated and the role of the ‘S&P’ is a consumer-driven service.

Whilst you sit and ponder and create this vision of perfection and revel in the prospect of motivated patients knocking your door down to review their bleeding scores, and stick to their hygiene re-care...... You are suddenly shunted to reality! You think to yourself ‘there is no way I can convert my whole patient base to this star-studded concept, they just won't buy it, and what happens if they leave?’. You promptly talk yourself out of the idea and go back to work giving your patients the best services that you can within a shorter appointment, and watch your hygienist carry on exchanging time for money, and throwing their every being into building rapport, assessing, screening, cleaning, education, disclosing and polishing all in about 15 minutes! YES 15 MINUTES, as they had to spend 10 minutes completing questionnaires with the patient! 

If I told you, you could do this, and yes you are right, you can’t just convert your whole practice and not expect some kind of fall out, that's true. Some patients may not want to accept your new offering and may choose to go elsewhere. That is a reality, although, let me give you our top 4 tips on a safe transition, that will give every patient the best chance of being a part of your enhanced programme.

Step 1.  Don’t fly solo!

It’s a team effort, every team member requires an understanding of the plan. Why do you want to improve and develop the hygiene services? What are the benefits to the patients, and what are the risks and benefits of the process?  You simply can't make this transition on your own and the dental hygienist or therapist can't do it on their own either. This likely will cause confusion, upset, distrust, and disharmony. My first top tip is to work together as a team, ensure you have a shared vision and a clear understanding of the positive benefits.

Step 2.  Create the win-win – talk it through

Once you have fully planned the new systems and processes it's really important to recognise that you will need to be able to sit face to face (at a safe distance) and handle any questions or potential objections your patients may have to the changes in the service. The reality is, nobody likes change especially if they don’t truly understand the benefits of the change. It's important to consider all the potential objections and discuss the ideal responses to enable the patients to come to an informed decision regarding their future appointments. Be prepared, because this can be challenging and takes a lot of listening skills. You need to be able to ask reflective questions and handle objections appropriately.

You are most likely to start making compromises and slipping back to your comfort zone now. It's really valuable to push on through and stick to your plan and create a win-win.

Step 3.  Be in it for the long game

Set the plan to transition over 6 months, don't convince yourselves it’s a quick thing, it takes 6 months to service your patient base, so be prepared for this. Now I’m not trying to put you off here, I'm just being honest with you. The appointment process, the handling of objections, and the varied periodontal treatment schedule get easier month by month. The increase in revenue from your new periodontal treatment fee structure, and a large amount of happy smiling patients, is a certain win-win. Remember, always put the patient's best interests at the heart of every conversation, this way you can only do what’s right.

Step 4.  Respect and flexibility

The most successful in life are known to firstly talk less and listen more, they are also known to demonstrate respect for others and demonstrate a flexible mindset. From the starting blocks always carry the mantra, ‘respect the person's decision on the level of care they wish to receive and support them to the best you can BUT do not dilute the service or compromise’. Doing so essentially will do them a disservice in the long run, and cause chaos within your business. Be flexible in your thinking and communication, to best assist the patient away from the short time scale and polish. If you take time as a team to develop your communication skills surrounding the transition, you will be surprised at the uptake and engagement. After all, most patients do want to be healthier and maintain health. This is your opportunity to support them.

Have you transformed your hygiene department and have any further tips for this transition?

Is this an area in your dental practice that you would like to develop?

You might be interested in our 3 step business model for profitable hygiene online course which you can learn more about by clicking the image below