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Would you pass
an infection control audit?
When someone becomes a barista for the first time, they go through a food safety course to ensure someone doesn’t become ill because of improper handling.
Are we ensuring each team member can care for patients without causing an infection control breach? If a patient asked our ‘grade’ for infection prevention, what would it be? Or, if an auditor from the dental board were to walk into your facility right now,
what grade would they put on the door when they left?
Infection control training for the ICC (infection control coordinator)
Did you know?
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that the CDC made a recommendation in 2003 that every dental practice should create a role-specific to preventing infection control breaches and creating a culture of safety?
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Yes, you read that correctly, 2003!
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Sadly, this critical role in the dental practice has been overlooked, and because of that, many dental practices would struggle to pass an infection control audit.
It is time to get off the Scale, Polish, Floss hamster wheel
The practice of being a dental hygienist has long been focused on calculus removal.
But, why?
Is calculus the cause of dental disease?
What if we stepped off our scale, polish, floss hamster wheel for a moment and really thought about why we are putting a scaler to the tooth?
When are we polishing away stains, are we doing more harm than good?
What if we rethought our patient care process and placed behavior change and motivation as the most important part of the appointment?
If disease prevention is based on at-home biofilm management (amongst other variables), flipping the appointment, and first coaching the patient vs. leaving it to last could be
the change we need.
Infection control in the surgical setting
Infection prevention is the foundation of patient care, especially in the surgical setting.
But, would you pass a dental inspection audit with your infection prevention plan?
As healthcare providers, we did not go into this profession to make people ill or sick. In fact, it is just the opposite. We are caregivers striving to create healthy patients. However, some patients are getting sick after their visit to the dental office, and some have even died.
Dirty dental unit waterlines, improper disinfecting practices, and inadequate aerosol prevention are examples of some of the lapses seen in infection control protocols.
Infection control failures in dental settings are an ongoing concern. We can all appreciate ways to break the chain of infection during viral outbreaks-- even during a typical cold and flu season--
but are we doing enough on a day-to-day basis to ensure that we prevent infection in our practices?
Infection control strategies are designed to prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections in patients and injuries and illnesses in healthcare personnel.
Teledentistry- meeting patients where they are
at…
on their phones
Teledentistry is more than just staying in contact with patients as it also opens up the practice to a broader demographic and creates remote ways to carry out diagnosis and dental care.
It is shaping the future of dentistry as a whole, specifically, the dental professionals of the future.
Patients are wanting more ways to access their healthcare providers, and dentistry will need to adapt to better engage with patients.
Stop asking your patients to floss
Did you feel triggered
reading that title?
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How could a hygienist not ask patients to floss?
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Well, because they don’t want to, often don’t have the dexterity for it, and it isn’t always the best option.
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Homecare recommendations have been on repeat for far too long. It is time to break that record and discuss patients' many options for maintaining and preventing their oral disease.
Prevention-
The hollow leg of dentistry
The profession of dental hygiene was created on the concept of prevention.
If we take a moment to reassess what we do for our patients, are we preventing dental disease?
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Have we gotten into a routine that doesn’t support prevention as much as
it supports treatment?
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Biofilm management is the name of the game, both in-office and at-home. Focusing more on biofilm management during patient care could be what tips the scale for patients.
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What if we flipped the script during our patient care process and placed behavior change and motivation at the top of the appointment?
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If disease prevention is based on at-home biofilm management, flipping the appointment, and first coaching the patient vs. leaving it to last could be advantageous.
Reducing Failures: Maintenance as the cornerstone of implant therapy
In today’s dentistry, we are giving patients a viable option for tooth replacement, but we must remember: treatment of dental implants does not end after the surgical or restorative phases.
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Creating a maintenance program that is tailored to the patient and their dental implant is key. Depending on the patient’s motivation, dexterity, physical capabilities, and prosthetics, there can be many ways to maintain their dental implant at-home and in-office.
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Understanding the latest research and products that will help create long-term success for your patient's dental implant(s) is imperative.
Great info, felt like she was talking to you instead of reciting information.
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- Danial -
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