Sad will be the day when sitting down to write a letter (really writing the letter, in cursive) is completely obsolete, it is coming.  With that said, we have a unique opportunity in front of us, rather a challenge I might say!  Get in communication with your patients!  Furthermore, get in communication with your friends and family, sit down and take a few moments to write a quick note of gratitude or friendship!  You will be amazed at the impact that it will have on your practice and your life!

 After reading the book “365 Thank you’s- The year a simple act of daily gratitude changed my life, by John Kralik” which was introduced to be by a patient when I still clinically practicing, I took it as a personal challenge to take the journey to being in communication with people through the written word.  Taking it a step further, I have taken the challenge to get my boys into the habit of personally writing notes to friends and family members on a regular basis (which may I say is no easy feat…  When I first brought up the concept of thank you cards after receiving a gift, you would have thought I was an alien or something)

In this time of computer generated cards that we can easily send in the blink of an eye, take the time to sit with a pen and paper, commit to one card per day-get every team member to commit to one card per day and see what the payoff is.  Consider that the payoff will be exponential!  Sarah Cottingham, RDH  CEO BCS Leadership

Fortune is one my side, in that I not only have the pleasure of clinically practicing part-time as a dental hygienist and as a Hygiene Success coach with BCS Leadership.  This gives me the unique opportunity to observe other dental teams in their work environment, which usually leads me to compare those offices to the current office where I practice and sometimes provide me with a completely new perspective, I love it!  Most often I am reminded to appreciate my fellow co-workers and the wonderful patient care we are providing in our practice.  Sometimes it also enlightens me about areas we need to improve upon. Recently, after a long day of hygiene coaching I realized how thankful I am to work with the people I do.  This experience prompted a mindful chat with my sometimes oblivious self, “Do I appreciate those people in my life that matter the most?  Is it enough?”  I could think of many times where I meant to thank or compliment a fellow staff member or family member, and we were interrupted, or the day flew by and they had already left the office or the laundry needed to be folded. 

This is where the idea for the Gratitude Jar came about.  No more taking people for granted!  I wanted everyone to know how important they were in making my day run smoothly, for that matter-make the month better, the year better-my life better!  I placed a “Gratitude Jar” in our staff room with slips of paper and a pen.  The directions are easy.  Every time someone wants to thank a fellow staff member or compliment them on a job well done, it is to be written on a slip of paper and placed in the jar.  Each day we try to read a few slips of paper during our morning focus meeting. This simple project has an astounding impact on office morale and a team’s ability to be related to one another.  Even when we are strapped for time and life shows up, we can take a minute and contribute to those people that contribute to us on a daily basis, it pays off. 

How do you show an attitude of gratitude?  Are you up for the challenge!  See how this little step can make a huge difference not only in your life, also in those around you!  Author-Meegan Hubbard, RDH  Hygiene Success Coach

One of the most exciting tools for helping patients achieve overall health is the use of salivary diagnostics.  Currently Oral DNA Labs offers three non-invasive salivary diagnostic tests, which are easily and quickly done chair side.

• MyPerioPath -determines the cause of periodontal infections
• MyPerioID PST-determines increased risk for periodontal infections
• OraRiskHPV-determines who is at increased risk for HPV-related oral cancers

 These tests are performed by swishing a small amount of sterile saline solution for about  30 seconds. The sample is then sent to OralDNA Labs (www.OralDNA.com) for processing.

 The detailed lab report returned allows us to develop a powerful and effective treatment plan for each individual patient.  For example, the bacterial report (MyPerioPath) identifies the specific bacteria associated with the patient’s gum disease, the amount of bacteria present, and the antibiotic therapy recommended to target their specific bacteria.  Through this state of the art technology, we are now able to treat the cause of the infection and not just the symptoms.

 MyPerioID PST  is a genetic susceptibility test that lets us know if the patients genetic makeup puts them at greater risk for developing periodontal disease.  This helps us optimize our patients’ recare program to prevent those high-risk patients from developing periodontal infection. 

 Finally, the OraRiskHPV test identifies the types of oral HPV present.  This enables us to identify increased risk for oral cancer and determine appropriate referral and monitoring conditions for each patient.

 These types of adjuncts are the future of dentistry, linking the pieces together about the entire body, treating the source and not the symptom!  We are not placing the mouth and head back on top of the body where it should be!  Dentistry is coming into the time where we will need to really know how the health of the mouth links to all of the other body systems.  Are you ready?

Incorporating this type of adjunct into your practice will give your team even more supportive information to educate both the patient and the insurance company about what is going on with this individual patient.  These diagnostic tests will be the ‘leg up’ that you need in order to begin the process of cross coding into medical in order to get dental services covered for the patient.

We are lucky to live in such an exciting time in dentistry!  Take advantage of this cutting-edge technology and add it to your tool kit today.  Meegan Hubbard, RDH  Hygiene Success Coach

What is the difference between WOW and the OPW (Outstandingly Predictable WOW), it is in the things that the author Dr. Paddi Lund writes of in his book ‘The Critical Non-Essentials’.  It starts with the appearance of the office, from the cleanliness of the windows and windowsills to the dust bunnies in the corners!  Take the time to walk into your office and take the tour from the parking lot all the way into and throughout the office.   Making sure to take a trip into the patient restroom and evaluate what they see and how they experience each area of your office.  Lay back in the operatory chair, what do you see on the ceiling?  Do you have those posters on the ceiling from 1980′s that have never been replaced that now cannot be moved because the ceiling tile underneath them is a different color…  What do your counters look like, a clean tidy space or a shipping lane?  Take a look at the dental unit hoses, are they clear of any scuffs, dirt and grime or are they smudged and dirty.

These are the things that your patients make unconscious judgements about you and your practice from just these very things!  If the front desk is in disarray, patients begin to think “they must not know what they are doing”, is a common thread I hear from patients when interviewing them about the tidiness and cleanliness of a practice.

Take a moment to administer the white glove test in your practice, be the patient  and see what you see-from there make the necessary changes in order to present the first step of being Outstandingly Predictable-the appearance!  Tune in for more lessons on being Outstandingly Predictable!

I think gun shy is an excellent way to describe how everyone felt when we found out that “consultants” were coming into the office.
Before they arrived we were being told to produce more and given monthly production goals to attain; but when we weren’t reaching those goals, it became frustrating. It became easier to blame the economy or our patient insurance plans for our poor numbers, because we were clueless on solutions. A few ideas were thrown around, but there was nothing concrete, no direction. Having consistently bad reports from corporate and seeing both of our hygienists terminated in a matter of months, the news of consultants coming in really was perceived as a threat to our office family. We were quite comfortable the way we were, and we knew that things were going to change. Really, we thought they were there to clean house.

The threat became more tangible when Sarah very directly went through all of our numbers with a fine-toothed comb and interviewed each team member separately. We were nervous to hear the results and even more to find how corporate would respond. Sarah’s direct approach that made us so nervous would soon make us look at ourselves very honestly, not only as an office, but as individuals. She addressed not only our bad habits, but our fears about her very presence in our office. Sarah communicated directly to our fears, showing us that she was not an external threat that was being forced upon us to shape up or ship out, but she was the missing piece that our family needed to function as effectively as possible as a team.

In our bi-weekly meetings we learned what a team is and how to overcome obstacles together. We learned tools to take charge of and use the template of our daily schedules wisely, maximizing both production and quality of care and minimizing the frustrations of running behind, missing lunch or staying late. She taught us the wealth of information to be found in the routing slips, useful to ensure continuity of care and communication between back and front office. We learned how to run a morning huddle, reviewing the previous day’s successes and mistakes and ways we can turn every opportunity in the current day’s schedule into completed care and higher production. She also had us step away from the schedule and the numbers and look at ourselves and the other team members as individuals. We learned what qualities defined each person and how those qualities could be understood to communicate effectively within the team. It was very eye-opening and rewarding for all to get to understand each other on a much more personal level.

The results have been nothing short of astounding. It has become almost a daily occurrence for us to begin a morning huddle scheduled for a certain amount and end the day doubling or tripling that amount in our actual production to exceed the day’s goal. But even better than that we are just now beginning to start the day already scheduled beyond our production goal. Morale is really elevated as we realize our individual roles and make those come together to form an efficient team. We know how to appreciate one another and enjoy the fruit of working together as our quality of care and our bottom line continue to rise dramatically.

Now that we have seen what is possible with a few months of having BCS lead our team, we are excited about setting and meeting new goals. We are confident that with the tools, direction and motivation they has given us, we will continue to grow and refine, reaching any goal put before us. We have gained so much more from BCS than we ever feared losing when they first arrived. I would encourage anyone to welcome them as members of your own team and really enjoy the experience.

Blessings,
Dr. Spurling