Paula Quinn, RDH, FADH has quite the resume with over 30 years of experience in dentistry. She is a practicing dental hygienist, and speaks internationally for Invisalign and Biolase, while working as a co-owner of NEXT LEVEL CONSULTANTS.

Paula was interviewed by Roadside Dental Marketing, during which she breaks down these topics:

• How to find and hire hygienists in today’s market
• How to optimize your hygiene department, and common mistakes to avoid
• Hiring a dental hygiene consultant for your dental practice

What Should You Consider When Hiring a Dental CONSULTANT FOR YOUR Practice?

the Most Common Mistakes Practice Owners Make?

• Not Having a Clear Vision: 
  • The individual skills of team members do not matter if everyone is not on the same page.
  • Without a clear goal and cohesive communication, the practice is not going to operate consistently.
  • If everyone is essentially moving in a different directions, the practice is not efficient leaving room for waste.

HOW CAN A DOCTOR Get the Most Out of Their Hygiene Department?

• Start with the Patients: 
  • Hygienists should be connecting with each patient to figure out what is important to them. What does the patient expect when it comes to their dental care.
• Use Chair Time to Educate: 
  • While a patient is sitting for a cleaning with their mouth open, a hygienist can educate them about their oral health.
  • Let patients know how oral health affects their overall health.
  • A little small talk is OK, but the time where the patient essentially can only listen is a valuable opportunity
  • Give patients information that can lead to more treatment in the future.
• Frame Everything Based on the Patient’s Perspective: 
  • Any conversation with a patient should be based on what is important to them.
  • If that patient wants to avoid pain, that should be the starting point when it comes to bringing up further treatment or re-care.  

VIsit the Hygiene Program page on NEXT LEVEL CONSULTANTS website here to get more details on how to make your hygiene department more profitable!

Finding and Hiring Hygienists?

• Market Value Has Gone Up: 
  • Hygienists are in high demand, so their market value has increased.
  • Dentists/owners should be prepared to pay them more compared to the past.
  • But set the expectations upfront what is expected of them (as discussed above)!

• Run Personalized Ads: 
  • Advertise qualities that make your practice stand out, with a keyquality being technology.
  • Hygienists will be drawn to practices that uses an iTero scanner or lasers because this will allow them to work faster and provide better care.
  • It shows that the practice values their patients and team by making an investment in technology.

• Incentives Are a Good Idea: 
  • In this job market, things like sign-on bonuses and special incentives can help practices stand out.
  • It shows that you value hygienists and that new hires will be rewarded if they put in extra work.
  • Incentivize hygienists who recommend patients to get more profitable treatments (like Invisalign).

Want to Hear More From Paula QUINN?

If you have any questions about the topics covered here or want Paula and the team at NEXT LEVEL CONSULTANTS to help your practice, contact us today to schedule a meeting, or you can get a complimentary practice evaluation.