If you have a general dentistry practice and you are eager to grow the practice, you probably know that growth is driven by more hygiene days. Not only does an increase in hygiene days boost hygiene production, but more recall exams typically translate into more treatment opportunities.
The equation for adding more hygiene days is simple: you need to retain existing patients and add more new patients. Implementation of this plan can seem more complex; however success in adding more hygiene days comes down to remembering the fundamentals of practice growth.
Everything starts with maximizing opportunities from patients who are seated chairside. First, make sure recall patients leave with the next appointment scheduled. Most practices assume they are doing this consistently until they examine their rescheduling rates closely, and it’s not uncommon to find that barely half of the time patients are getting rescheduled. Make it a goal to schedule 80% or more of your recall patients for their next visit.
When you have patients coming for emergency exams, make it a priority to guide unscheduled patients into their next recall visit (for existing patients) or their first hygiene visit (for new patients). Too many opportunities are lost with emergency patients when you just focus on their acute need.
Finally, double check to see if family members also have their recall visits scheduled. Every patient visit is an opportunity to review the recall status of the whole family.
By making it a priority to guide every patient you see into the recall program, and by paying close attention to family members and their recall status, you will take a big step toward making your hygiene program and ultimately your practice even stronger.