We should all have time to implement one-minute changes that improve our outcome. In fact, I can’t think of anything better than a one (minute) and done fix. Imagine being able to eliminate a majority of problems that turn your office into a Donor Practice while driving your precious patients away. The obvious plus here is that you retain more patients, get more direct referrals, and decrease your stress while insuring longevity in your staff. Most offices have a few things that just drive them mad. These same offices always seem to find the time to deal with the problem but they never seem to find the time to eliminate it. Change is tough, but facing re-occurring fires of your own making is like sleeping with a saboteur. Below, and continuing next week, are a few of the most common problems and “easy as 1, 2, 3” fixes for each.
Hurting patients
- : The need for consistent profound anesthesia is a given. I am always surprised at the number of practice staff who indicate that their doctor struggles with this. I won’t go into injection techniques, which you should study, but some tried and true products that will make you look like a miracle worker. Where others have failed, you will shine.
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- DBG Topical Gel: stevensrx.com. Hands down the most profound, fastest acting topical I have found. Done correctly, you could take a scalpel to soft tissue and they would never feel it after using this gel.
- Carpule Warmers: How simple is this. Anesthetic at body temperature has less sensation on injecting and its onset is much quicker. You should have one in every Op. I like the ones form Premier Dental Products for about $69.
- Needles: I only use tri-beveled needles in 27 gauge from septodontusa.com. Awesome!
- Pre-med with 2 extra strength Tylenol plus 2 Ibuprofen: Assuming they have no stomach issues, this will have the same efficacy as Vicodin.
- Stabident: stabident.com A never fail, go to strategy that will guarantee profound anesthesia every time. I use this on over half of my patients. If you are not hearing your patients brag every time about not feeling a thing, there is room for improvement.
- Dexamethasone: This is an injectable steroid that I place in the buccal fold of almost every patient I work on. Extractions, multiple fillings, crowns, root canals, you name it. This will insure that there will be no muscle trismus from opening or torqueing actions in extracts, sensitivity post op, and pain. This literally changed my practice. My patients couldn’t believe they had no discomfort following any procedure. The main contraindication would be an Insulin dependent diabetic. In addition, we used Medrol 4mg at a dosage of 3-4 a day for small discomforts caused from bruising or inflammation.
I will stop here and begin again next week with more one-minute changes for eliminating patient complaints. My reasoning is that with this short list there should be no excuse for not ordering these few items and starting to use them. This is how you Summit.
Michael Abernathy, DDS
972-523-4660 cell
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