Developing a personal relationship is imperative to the long-term success of the patient. One of the most important ways I’ve found to add value is to ask different questions of the patient and give gentle reminders instead of asking yes or no answers with consequences. Always point out the positives!

Sarah Blood: Being a hygienist does not mean all you do is come into the office, clean teeth and go home. You have to become part of the team, and learn to depend on each of your team members. You should also expand your knowledge to additional office tasks and duties to gain an understanding of the interaction of how the entire practice operates and how interdependent all activities are.

Stephanie Tajon: First and foremost, I develop a relationship with each patient. By asking questions to find a common connector between us, I’m able to gain their trust, which is imperative to achieving optimum oral health and acceptance of all proposed treatment. I take away the stale clinical feeling and turn it into a more personal relationship. In doing so, patients can sense I genuinely care, which in turn increases their willingness to follow through with recommendations and also increases accountability.

Ashlyn Jones: I know what it’s like to be “thrown in the fire” to adapt to a new dentist office, so I developed an organizational program for new employees at our practice. I took it upon myself to help train new team members in the ways I knew could help them succeed. I learned in the process, too!

Stephanie Tajon: After Dr. Calleros introduced a laser into our practice, I wanted to know more about how it can benefit our patients and the practice. I took advanced laser courses and became an instant believer and knew we could utilize the laser in so many more ways. Using the information from the course, I was able to implement our Non-Surgical Periodontal Therapy and Laser Assisted Periodontal Therapy Program. Since the start of the program, our acceptance rate is much higher but, more importantly, the results are jaw-dropping. Now the laser is an integral part of our practice and I couldn’t imagine practicing without it.