Hygienist Dentist Communication

It is important to note that communication between the dentist and hygienist needs to be at an optimal level. All too often, hygienists take specific actions only to have dentists either not understand or pursue what the hygienist has put in place. A typical example is a dental hygienist who identifies potential treatment only to find that the dentist either misses the same treatment opportunity (because they didn’t communicate beforehand) or that the dentist overrules the hygienist’s indication of additional treatment. Here is how to deal with both scenarios:

1. Dentists and hygienist do not meet prior to the dentist’s exam. This is a formula for continually missing opportunities, as the dentist must then find those same indications in a limited amount of time and educate the patient about why potential treatment is needed. I estimate that tens of thousands of dollars are easily lost each year by practices that do not act on necessary dentistry. The dentist and hygienist should meet for a minute or two prior to the dentist’s hygiene exam to review the hygienist’s findings.

2. Dentists overrule the hygienist. Dentists will sometimes determine that treatment identified by a hygienist is unnecessary, or they tell the patient about the diagnosis and recommend “watching it for the future.” The clinical reality is that if there is a legitimate indication that treatment(s) need to be performed, the situation will almost never improve on its own and will have to be performed later with greater breakdown, complexity, or expense. It is in everyone’s best interest, especially the patient, to hear about necessary treatment at the first signs of diagnosis.

Overcoming these two common barriers will enhance patient clinical care and improve practice production. In many practices, when communication between dentist and hygienist is improved, practice production increases immediately. Dentists and hygienists should work together to determine the best way to communicate prior to the dentist hygiene exam to achieve best practice results.