Business of Dental Hygiene

Executive Summary

Dental hygiene profit centers are departments in dental practice, which work differently since they function as separate treatment providers. They are profit centers as they have a dramatic impact on the practice financially. It is a well known fact that hygiene department is the second largest center of profit in dental practice. Due to this, hygiene department is considered to be a business within a business, and makes the executive who happens to be the hygienist held responsible for their success (Mueller-Joseph & Petersen, 2005). This department has duties to perform like preparing rooms for treatment as per the procedures and protocols, preparing patients for dental hygiene treatment, answering questions and providing information to patients and even employees. A hygienist helps dentist to manage dental and medical emergencies by maintaining oxygen supply and emergency drugs plus directory of emergency numbers. The above roles are just but few of what the dental hygiene department carries out. This clearly depicts how vital and important the dental hygiene department is to the dental practice.

As clearly observed, Dental Hygiene Profit Centers greatly contribute in the economic status of dental practice. This is because of the mechanism the department works in. Hygienists have the ability to identify and support the treatment of a patient during a “recall” appointment and encourages patients to get the treatment they need, thus increasing or enhancing the practice’s bottom line. The hygiene department also carries out many other activities in form of availing services to patients as a source of more finance to the practice. Patients pay for all the services and programs of medication they go through in the hygiene department (Wilkins, 2013). These medication programs are designed in levels or stages a patient has to go through and follow. Due to this, the outcome of services is of high standards and quality that get to attract patients and make them feel satisfied with what is done, thus attracting and keeping clients to the medical firm concerned (Wilkins, 2013).

Start-Up Summary

In order to establish a fully functioning Dental Hygiene Center, there are some things that will be required. These will be things like: list of patients, office space, two additional dental chairs, two systems of light, system of compression air with a suction unit, mirrors, and a phone system.

The list below shows what else will be needed:

• Curing instrument
• Ultrasonic scaler
• Placing instrument
• Disposables, which include filling material, paper products, assorted trays and impression material.

Objectives

• To create a vital department in an already existing dental practice firm whose primary goal is to exceed customer’s expectations.
• To enable attending to all clients, through superior performance and word of mouth referrals.
• To create a dentistry practice that is able to survive off its own cash flow.

Mission

The hygiene dental profit center is to provide the finest dental care and exist to attract and maintain or keep customers. When this is adhered to, everything else will fall into place plus our services will exceed the expectations of our clients or patients.

Services

The dental hygiene profit center is to provide three major services:

• The first one is to offer preventive services that are to promote and maintain good oral health.
• The second one is to provide educational services to patients so that they can develop behaviors that promote better oral health and help them understand the importance of practicing these behaviors.
• The third is to provide therapeutic services, which are treatments, meant to maintain health mouth tissues and stop diseases in the mouth.

Aside from the above, the key role that a hygienist will play in this department will be carrying out periodontal therapy that includes such things as periodontal charting, periodontal debridement, and patients cleaning with the periodontal disease. Also, a hygienist will be able to perform examinations, make diagnosis, administer fluoride, and provide specific instructions on oral hygiene.

Marketing Strategy

Setting up of this dental hygiene center will be a marketing strategy that will be based on developing visibility among patients by providing free informational seminars on what we will be doing and specifying our duties clearly. This department will also increase the sales of our services as a healthcare center. Our sales strategy will be based on educating our patients as much as possible so that they can ask for these services themselves instead of the doctors taking so much time and effort convincing them to have the procedure done. This is an effective method for patients for the reason that it makes them feel that they have arrived at the decision themselves. In connection to the strategies above, a consumer will be allowed to ask any questions they have, which a hygienist will take time to answer them effectively until they are contented and feel knowledgeable to make their own decision.

Management Summary

A person of good moral character who has been examined, found qualified, and issued with a license by the Georgia Board of Dentistry, will practice as a dental hygienist. I have an undergraduate degree in dental hygiene from a college that is recognized by the American Dental Association and is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation. The college I went through conducts not less than two academic years course on dental hygiene for graduation. I also have a current certificate in one and two rescuer CPR and management of obstructed airway for adults, children and infant as taught by the American Heart Association. Due to the information above, I am the most appropriate person to do this plan and manage the Dental Hygiene Profit Center.

A patient base increase in our practice and the difficulty for patients to schedule appointments with a hygienist, led to me being tasked with the duty of looking into and setting up a Dental Hygiene Profit Center. This hygiene center is to be managed by me and was required to develop a business plan for my office. It is well known that most dentists are using DHPCs, and the impact they have on the practice is remarkable. This has inspired our practice towards setting the hygiene profit center that will not only be of benefit to the firm, but also to patients who will have the opportunity to access hygienist easily and experience services in another new level. The services offered will be very high quality and standard, and this will enable the maintenance of the number of clients in the facility, besides attracting more of them due to the contentment they get.

Personnel Plan

In addition to me, another hygienist and two assistants will be hired to have an effective team force in the DHPCs department.

Conclusion

Dental hygiene without doubt is the second largest center of production in the entire practice, and one that is not made the best of in many offices. The focus of our practice management should be on the dental hygiene as a major opportunity of practice. The other thing is that dental hygienists raising ancillary services and their abilities to identify the likely treatment for medical practitioners can enhance the growth of our practice and offer many services to patients. Dental hygienists have been there for a long time now in a model of prophylaxis and bitewings, and now it needs to be changed into perceiving them as much broader givers of treatment who can grow the practice.