921: Your Hygiene Department: A Goldmine for Growth – Ariel Juday, Angela Heathman, Miranda Beeson, Courtney Dalton, & Christina Byrne

Hygiene is more than just preventative care. It’s a way to tether patients to your practice! In this episode, Miranda Beeson, ACT’s director of education, brings in four amazing ACT team members to share some of their best practices and insights for building value through hygiene. Hygienists are more than just “mouth janitors”! To learn of all the ways they provide value for your practice, listen to Episode 921 of The Best Practices Show!

Learn More About the ACT Team:

• Send Ariel an email: ariel@actdental.com 
• Send Angela an email: angela@actdental.com 
• Send Miranda an email: miranda@actdental.com 
• Send Courtney an email: courtney@actdental.com 
• Send Christina an email: christina@actdental.com 
• Follow the Team on ACT’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actdental

More Helpful Links for a Better Practice & a Better Life:

• Subscribe to The Best Practices Show: https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
• Join The Best Practices Association: https://www.actdental.com/bpa
• Download ACT’s BPA app on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/best-practices-association/id6738960360
• Download ACT’s BPA app on the Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.actdental.join&hl=en_US
• Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club: https://www.actdental.com/ttt
• Get The Best Practices Magazine for free: https://www.actdental.com/magazine
• Please leave us a review on the podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show-with-kirk-behrendt/id1223838218

Episode Resources:

• Watch the video version of Episode 921: https://www.youtube.com/@actdental/videos

Main Takeaways:

• Hygiene is how you keep patients tethered to your practice.
• Be aligned on what your optimal standard of care is for patients.
• Always schedule the patient’s next appointment before they leave.
• Don't underestimate the influence hygiene can have on practice growth.
• Put a consistent follow-up plan in place to reintroduce unscheduled patients.
• Use value building language to communicate why their next appointment matters.
• Have documented systems that support your philosophy, initiatives, and follow-ups.
• When doctors and hygienists work together, both the patients and the practice benefit.  

Snippets:

0:00 ACT’s BPA.

2:18 Why this is an important topic.

5:39 How this topic shows up in the practice.

8:41 The importance of hygiene for patient retention.

13:19 The importance of hygiene: Create urgency or build value for the next appointment.

15:44 The importance of hygiene: “Due for what?”

17:24 The importance of hygiene: “Your program of care”.

18:11 The importance of hygiene: Don't use minimizing language.

19:48 Best practices for consistently working a recare system.

23:11 The importance of optimal standards of care.

30:37 Upholding optimal standards of care: Align your team on what optimal means.

33:04 Upholding optimal standards of care: Benefits of having a documented system.

34:38 Upholding optimal standards of care: Let patients know you're providing optimal care.

39:25 The importance of collaboration.

47:03 The importance of collaboration: “Preheat” the patient.

48:57 The importance of collaboration: Get doctors and hygienists aligned.

50:26 The importance of collaboration: Have clear conversations from the beginning.

51:25 The importance of collaboration: The exam on demand.

53:20 The importance of the hand-off.

55:29 Final takeaways.

Ariel Juday Bio:

Ariel has a master’s in healthcare administration and several years of dental experience in all aspects of the administrative roles within the dental office. Her passion is to work with dental teams to empower team members to realize their full potential in order to better serve patients, improve office systems to ensure a well-functioning team/office, and to help everyone have fun in the process!

Angela Heathman, MS, RDH Bio:

Angela Heathman, MS, RDH, has over 20 years of clinical dental hygiene, dental sales, and practice coaching experience. When she transitioned from her role as a clinician to her role as a sales account manager, she realized both her passion for education and practice development. Now, as a Lead Practice Coach with ACT Dental, she works with dentists and their teams to help them accomplish their goals. She believes the hard work you do on your practice is just as important as the work you do in your practice!

Miranda Beeson, MS, BSDH Bio:

Miranda Beeson has over 25 years of clinical dental hygiene, front office, practice administration, and speaking experience. She is enthusiastic about communication and loves helping others find the power that words can bring to their patient interactions and practice dynamics. As a Lead Practice Coach, she is driven to create opportunities to find value in experiences and cultivate new approaches.

Miranda graduated from Old Dominion University, and enjoys spending time with her husband, Chuck, and her children, Trent, Mallory, and Cassidy. Family time is the best time, and is often spent on a golf course, a volleyball court, or spending the day boating at the beach.

Courtney Dalton, BS, RDH Bio:

Courtney Dalton is a Lead Practice Coach who focuses on establishing a solid foundation in order for a practice to thrive. With over 15 years of experience in the dental industry, she is as passionate about patient care as she is about those who are providing it.

Christina Byrne, BS, RDH Bio:

Christina Byrne has been involved in dentistry since 1985. Over the years, she has held many positions on the dental team, including dental assistant, business office, and dental hygienist. Christina’s extensive knowledge of the front office and clinical procedures is a great asset, and she loves to impart her knowledge to guide dental teams do the best they can to achieve a Better Practice, Better Life!