People don’t like to spend too much time in the dentist’s chair, but it might surprise them to know that hygienists aren’t super fond of two-hour cleanings either. They want to get patients in and out quickly. That way the hygienist gets their lunch break, and the patient quickly gets out to their car to examine their teeth in the rearview mirror. Literally everyone does it. Anyway, this one is for the dental hygienists out there. Here’s how you can have the quickest cleanings possible, while still giving your patients a quality job.
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Tell Them They’re Special
Unfortunately, not every cleaning can be quick, but you can put some work in now that may pay off for next time. You basically have to encourage them, while lightly reprimanding them for their failure. Even if their mouth looks like a Sarlac pit, you can’t just come right out and say that. Tactfully let them know that they’re supposed to be doing some cleaning on their own, not just waiting six months to come back to the dentist’s office. -
Make Them Brush Beforehand
Seriously, put up a sign or something. Require patients to do a little of the prep work themselves. There’s no reason you should be cleaning up after their dinner last night because they were running late this morning. Yeah, we know an appointment after lunch doesn’t give your patient a lot of time to brush, but the least they can do is a little mouthwash rinse. -
Ask Them Questions They Don’t Want To Answer
Everyone knows that talking during your teeth cleaning just makes it take longer. It’s hard to scrape plaque off your teeth when you’re jawing about how your kid made honor roll. Still, a deathly silent cleaning isn’t a thrill for anyone either. So what do you do? Ask them questions no one really wants to talk about. “How’s work?” “What are your plans for after graduation?” “Still single?” All good questions that elicit brief and unenthusiastic answers from your patients. You look like you’re making an effort, and they don’t go off on a tangent. -
Distract Your Patients
If only there was a way to avoid that chitchat altogether, but without awkward silences. Wait, there totally is. If you install a Molar Media Mount, your patients will be gazing at their favorite movie or television show during the cleaning, only responding to your commands to open wider. You get your work done fast, and your patients get to watch Seinfeld reruns. Just avoid those dentist episodes.
The Molar Media Mount is perfect for your dental office because it’s built to attach directly onto your dental light. Once it’s attached all you have to do is pop in an iPad Mini or another tablet 16 oz. or less, and you’re ready to stream movies and television shows directly in front of your patient’s face. Perfect. Your patients will drift into a screen induced fugue, and you can get your work done as fast as possible.
Contact us today if you’d like to hear more about how the Molar Media Mount can help your dental office.