Dental industry news, trends and information from Patterson Dental.
With dental emergencies – in particular cracked teeth – on the rise, we decided to ask David Rice, DDS, founder of igniteDDS to share his best approach for squeezing in dental emergencies during regular office hours and how to convert those emergencies into comprehensive care patients.
Automated patient reminders can reduce no-shows by 34% or more. In addition to the cost on a patient’s health for not following up on necessary treatment, the tangible costs of no-shows can have a severe impact on health care in general and your bottom line specifically. See how automated patient reminders can improve the continuum of care while increasing office and staff efficiency.
When COVID-19 limited dental care in the midwestern state to emergencies only, Megan Beuckens, DDS, knew she had to find new ways to extend her skills beyond the reach of her operatory.
Keeping patients updated with paperwork, reminders for their appointments and a list of what to expect when they get to the office will help ensure they keep their appointment. Here are three steps to create a positive patient experience and help make sure your schedule stays full and breaking appointments is a rarity.
As part of its webinar series on supporting a new digital patient journey, Solutionreach recently shared some of the key areas of focus when communicating with patients during COVID-19. As patients look for a variety of up-to-date information, their healthcare provider could likely be their best source of trusted information.
Social distancing massively effects the dental industry, forcing us to change what our standard procedures are. In this new reality, we can’t just go paperless, we must go touchless. Continue reading for steps dental practices can take to provide a touch-free dental experience.
Curbside waiting rooms and curbside check-in have become a necessity for dental practices. The experts at RevenueWell share how to successfully communicate, and create, this new reality to patients.
As dental offices re-open and face the challenges created by COVID-19, how can a practice maintain the patient experience that patients have come to expect yet create reduced contact points within the practice? Ann-Marie DePalma, RDH, shares several ways to create a touchless patient experience.
When Melissa Brown, DDS, founded Murray Hill Family Dental, she worked hard to prepare for many different business situations. But needing to close and reopen her practices due to a global pandemic isn’t one she could have imagined. Along with her husband, Troy Walton, director of business operations, they have built a loyal customer following and are an active and important part of their community.
Complimentary beverages, relaxing playlists and new patient office tours are all easy ways to improve patient comfort. But what about scent branding? Tapping into the sense of smell can elevate the quality of an interaction and the possibility of creating a loyal patient.
Whether right before patients come in for an appointment, while in the waiting room, when they’re in the chair, just after their appointment or in between visits, you should always be communicating.
Patients who are engaged with their providers value dentistry more and are more willing to commit to case acceptance. With engagement and education, patients begin to see the importance of oral health. Here are a few tools for improving patient engagement.
Scripting the initial greeting of the all-important telephone call is a great way to ensure that each patient and future patient receives the same five-star service. What to say when answering that call, though, is up to the dental team. Perhaps everyone on the dental […]
It’s easy to understand why patients facing a tooth implant can be confused. There are so many things to consider. How is the implant placed? What are alternative treatments? How many appointments will I need? Things can seem to get complicated rather quickly. Patients need […]
All successful oral surgeries require an equilibrium of effort between practitioner and patient: excellent dentistry on your part, and an adherence to postoperative care instructions on the part of the patient. It’s likely you feel confident about your role in this equation … but how […]
For Office Manager Cyndi Hanna and the staff at Downtown Dental on 4th in Pasco, Wash., dentistry is about far more than clean teeth and healthy mouths – it’s about people, friends and community. After 29 years working as a dental hygienist, Hanna transitioned to […]
In today’s busy dental practices, where general dentists are doing more complex treatment cases, it is more important than ever that dental teams are aware of how the practice makes treatment not only affordable but as comfortable as possible for the patient. In order to […]
Dental clinicians and staff wear eye protection because it’s a requirement to keep them safe while at work. So why not offer the same protection to patients? Imagine this scenario: One of your patients comes in for a root canal, and as the dentist is […]
After just returning from the 11th Annual American Association of Dental Office Managers (AADOM) Conference in Nashville, it occurred to me how many offices are still not benefitting from a great feature we had incorporated into our practice management software, Eaglesoft, 9 years ago. IntelliCare, what […]
We all know that good oral healthcare begins at an early age (by age 1, if we’re following the guidelines of the American Association of Pediatric Dentistry and American Dental Association). For optimal compliance in young dental patients, a lot practices turn to products that are […]
Dental isolation has been around for many years but in the last decade there has been new, innovative technology allowing for a more effective and efficient way to isolate the oral environment. With a combination of isolation, suction and retraction, hands-free isolation opens the door […]
Implementing technology to improve the patient experience and applying the most appropriate technologies to simplify processes is something I help dental offices do every day. Eliminating paper, clipboards and manual data entry of patient forms is one incredibly simple way to increase the level of […]
Doctors Steven Ozer and Anne Norris-Ozer built their thriving Manhattan Beach, Calif., dental practice, Beach Teeth, while raising three sons who are now ages 22, 24 and 26. When their first son was just six months old, the Ozers hired a consultant to help with […]
I can recall many years ago when patients would enter a dental office, sit quietly in a treatment room and allow the dentist to perform whatever treatment the provider deemed necessary. Then pay for the fee in full when leaving with no questions asked. These […]
Being an endodontist is no easy task, especially when you consider that one of the big challenges is breaking down the perception that a lot of patients have of what their visit is going to be like. As Dr. Garrett Morris, endodontist in Metairie, La., explains […]
Looking to invest in state-of-the-art technology to improve patient care and increase production? Fearful of how your practice can afford it? Take heart! Using proper training and great communication skills, front office team members can speak to patients knowledgeably and help practices quickly see a […]
“I’m a big rock and roll fan and have been since I was young,” said Anthony Hatch, DDS, who has decked out his San Diego practice with rock and roll memorabilia. “My first concert was Ratt, who I went to see when I was 15.” […]
When Laura Hatch and her husband, dentist Anthony Hatch, opened the doors at their Maryland practice in 2003, they chose a rock and roll theme that has carried over to their new practice in San Diego – Scripps Rock Dental, which they opened in 2008. […]
Dee Dee Meevasin, DMD, has learned a lot from her mentor, Dr. James Saycich, her dentist since she was a child. Dr. Saycich inspired her to go into dentistry while she worked as his assistant in high school. After graduating from the University of Las […]
For many patients, getting to see the hygienist whom they have become accustomed to is something to look forward to when attending regular hygiene appointments. Much like having a favorite service provider at a car dealership, salon, or another type of healthcare office, this invaluable […]