3 Ways to Peak Assisted Hygiene

Most practices that have implemented the assisted hygiene (AH) program into their hygiene department are not utilizing it to its full potential. Reasons may vary from misunderstanding of the concept for AH to miscommunication between the AH team, thus resulting in a lower standard of care for your patients. For instance, if you are still hearing those three little words “Just a Cleaning” from your patients pertaining to their hygiene appointment, your protocol may warrant a renewed perception. The challenge is developing a course of action for the AH team to continually strive together in delivering optimum patient care with both consistency and effectiveness. AH performance will peak immediately via 3 profound steps.

Step 1: Recognize the value of fourhanded dentistry within this hygiene program. Keep in mind that AH is defined as one hygienist working out of two treatment rooms with a designated dental assistant. If the dental assistant is shared between restorative and preventative, they will be overwhelmed due to an incompletion of tasks on either side. In addition, if the dental assistant’s only involvement with AH is to clean, stock or set up the hygiene room, a lack of appreciation or respect allocates professional burnout. Both hygienist and assistant must acknowledge the benefit of sharing duties that overlap their scopes of practice, which contribute to the success of this program.

Step 2: Identify how you and your AH team perceive the current screenings completed within the hygiene appointment. Blood pressure recording, Oral Cancer screening, Periodontal screening, Caries Risk assessment and Malocclusion assessment are the top 5 screenings that must be provided to each patient. Conduct a quick survey by gathering your team; giving each a piece of paper with the top 5 screenings listed. Next to each screening, rate them on a scale from 1 to 5 according to their ability to become implemented within 1 week to a 3-month timeline. Stay current and brainstorm on areas concerning treatment or products within the profession that will best serve your patients. By doing so, you will create a tailored protocol that will nurture the perception of a higher standard of patient care.

Step 3: Develop your customized protocol into a written format, as each member of the AH team must acknowledge and accept their role or responsibility within this format. Your protocol should include establishing a goal for daily productivity, troubleshooting potential situations, introducing or investing in technology, combining education with recommended treatment and obtaining quality care by scheduling appropriately. This reference is instrumental for consistently granting exceptional patient care, thus instilling a renewed perception of unmatched health care beyond “Just a Cleaning.”

Avoid miscommunications that may result in a tainted outlook for the program by thoroughly preparing before implementation. Even if you’ve already initiated the program, you may consider the expertise of an AH coach, as their power-packed solutions are pertinent from their experience via practicing the peaks and valleys of the AH format. AH encourages the practice’s capability to literally view the past, present or future of your patients’ journey toward enjoying a healthy smile and life by maximizing the skills of both team members respectively. Begin with determining what expectations or perceptions currently exist from your patients, team and yourself. This awareness not only enables you to proficiently exceed them but continue to do so with clarity. By addressing the above suggestions, your hygiene department will progress with the profession and achieve its immeasurable peak potential.

Anastasia speaks both nationally & internationally on various health/wellness topics. Her coaching specializes in AH implementation.

She is a columnist for Modern Hygienist and co-author of Conversations on Health &Wellness.

She may be contacted at www.AnastasiaRDH.com

AnastasiaRDH@aol.com or (252) 202-9319.