To be successful in business one golden rule is that you have to offer more value than your competitors do. For independent hygienists, you have to determine what your “competitive edge” is going to be and put that message out there without breaking any of the advertising rules that your provincial or state regulatory boards outline. So what can this “edge” possibly include
Flexible Hours. If you work out of a home office/operatory it is much easier to meet the timing needs of your clients. There is no rule that says dental treatment is a Monday to Friday 8-5 market. In larger centers this is certainly no longer the case among traditional dental offices either. How can you make your hours more accessible and yet fit that in your personal life schedule? In the early days of your practice you also want to appear more accessible in how long a patient has to wait to schedule an appointment. These are days of instant gratification and many communities (especially in smaller demographics) face long delays in scheduling visits that they did not pre-book 6 or 9 months ahead. Do a little investigating and make some anonymous calls to local offices and see what sort of wait times they have for their hygiene department and aim to beat it.
Bring the clinic to the patient. There are many successful hygienists in practice who focus solely on long term care, assisted living and retirement complexes. There is also an opportunity among homeschool support groups or even large families as well. I’ve had many great days spent right in the middle of a family’s busy life in living rooms and kitchens. Working parents would likely appreciate a dental hygiene clinic that came to their child’s school or daycare as well. Independent hygienists are poised to be every parent’s wish come true.
A quiet atmosphere speaks volumes. A small hygiene clinic can be much quieter than a multiple operatory practice and accompanying drill noises that can increase patient anxiety. Along this same line, bringing the clinic to the patient’s environment also can bring comfort and ready acceptance to treatment. In my own practice I had the opportunity to help acclimatise a young teenage autistic student to dental hygiene therapy right in his school library where we set up our mobile clinic. Previously his mom reported a few aborted attempts to bring him to a traditional dental clinic. After a couple of months of seeing us working on fellow students and chatting with him, he eventually became comfortable with coming and sitting in the dental chair. Before Christmas we successfully managed to complete his hygiene treatment and the noise of the compressor and suction along with the prophy was an accepted and even welcome part of his environment. Soon we taught him to use an electric Philips Oral B which he used daily at the school.
Client centered care involves your client as active participants in their treatment planning and delivery and ensures they truly feel their needs are heard. Gone are the days when all adults get 4 units of time and all children are scheduled for 2! You are in control so take full advantage of this and offer your clients a valuable edge by investing extra time that will put more word of mouth and social proof out there about you than you could imagine. I cannot tell you how freeing it is to hear “noone has ever done that before, I’ve never heard it explained so in depth, it’s like someone turned on a light bulb” after a new patient exam that I have not had to rush through to be sure I didn’t run over into the next appointment. It may be tempting to fall back into old habits once your recall list requirements grow and 1.5 – 2 hours for new patient appointments seems excessive in a day but this small investment on your part will reap rewards and loyalty that go beyond daily production.
Like I’ve said before, no hygiene practice is a cookie cutter image of another. Decide who your target clientele are, what patients make you glad to be a hygienist and go out there, seek them out and make their lives easier and healthier! The possibilities are endless.
