The Rights and Responsibilities of Dental Patients
Because of the special relationship that exists between a healthcare provider and a patient, dental practices must be dedicated to the well-being of their patients.
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Displaying posts in thought leadership
What Are Great Teams Made Of?
Google has taken some deep dives into what makes for a great team member and has also conducted research into the attributes of effective teams. In 2012 Google conducted a well-known study called Project Aristotle which sought to understand the characteristics of high-performing teams, and the results were surprising.
Time to Re-evaluate the Role of Dentists in Preventing Head and Neck Cancers
A new patient walks into your practice. They’re in their early twenties, and generally healthy. After reporting their medical history, which reveals struggles with mental health, they tell you, “I’m not happy with my smile. I want white crowns on my teeth. My grandfather recently died and left me $40,000.”
Radical Candor and the Patient-Dentist Relationship
A new patient walks into your practice. They’re in their early twenties, and generally healthy. After reporting their medical history, which reveals struggles with mental health, they tell you, “I’m not happy with my smile. I want white crowns on my teeth. My grandfather recently died and left me $40,000.”
Mise en Place - Out of the Kitchen and into the Operatory
The concept of mise en place (Everything in its place), a modus operandi conceived and perfected in gourmet restaurants, could significantly improve the quality and consistency of the treatment and patient experience provided in dental offices.
The Power of Punctuality: Overcoming Chronic Tardiness
It was author Eric Dickey who coined the phrase, early is on time, on time is late, and late is unacceptable. Despite our access to multiple devices with alarms and reminders, many of us still find ourselves dashing into work, uttering a breathless apology to our colleagues and patients – who notably arrived on time. Why does this continue to happen?
Rethinking the Role of Human Error in Dentistry
Dental offices are fast-paced, complex enterprises that adhere to rigorous infection prevention and control (IPAC) standards and other procedures designed to promote safety and prevent incidents. Despite the myriad regulations and controls in place, accidents inevitably happen. The question, then, is why?
One Day at a Time: Mapping Your Road to Wellness
Many of us want to incorporate healthier habits into our lifestyles, but the mere thought of a wellness routine is daunting. You floss, you brush, you exercise, and think to yourself, “there are only so many hours in the day!” I recently read a great article by Jamie Millar about this very topic, and I’ll summarize what I’ve learned from my research.
The Art of Communication: Improving the Quality of Informed Consent Discussions in Dentistry
Prior to receiving dental care, patients in Canada have the right to be fully informed. This means that oral healthcare clinicians must advise their patients of all reasonable treatment options, the associated risks and benefits, and the rate of success or failure of each procedure (or test) that is recommended. Informed consent is a legal and ethical duty for dentists and dental hygienists. More importantly, it is an integral part of building trust within the patient-provider relationship a...
The Safety Dance: Going from Near Misses to Good Catches
Imagine the following scenario: A temporary dental assistant loads a sterilizer before lunch, and despite pressing the start button, the sterilizer fails to begin the reprocessing cycle. Another assistant returns later to unload the pouches. In a rush because one of their appointments ran long, they fail to confirm the status of the indicators, incorrectly marking the instruments as passed (i.e. sterilized), and subsequently store and distribute the instruments.