Achieve total clarity
Featured Products Promotional FeaturesPosted by: Dental Design 5th September 2022
Communication is an important aspect of any workplace, and dentistry is no exception. It is important to have systems in place to enable all colleagues to share ideas, give instructions, and ask questions. Streamlining workflows for the creation of removable orthodontic appliances will help to reduce miscommunication and lower the likelihood of errors. When you are able to create high-quality products, without the need for excessive adjustments, both you and your patients will avoid the risk of unexpected problems and delays. This will make you stand out for all the right reasons and increase patient satisfaction within your practice.
Success for businesses
Communication is vital to the smooth running of any workplace. Collaboration will allow you to work with the certainty that you are undertaking your work correctly and to a high standard – providing clear instructions to your colleagues will instil this confidence in them too,[i] helping everyone to work effectively. This is why creating a workspace in which everyone feels able to communicate any instructions, queries, or plans clearly will ultimately lead to success for everyone within the business.[ii] This success can be replicated within dentistry by utilising technology and improving clarity surrounding treatment planning.
Predictable results
Even when dentists and dental technicians work closely with one another, communication may be insufficient. Being able to speak directly with dental technicians, and contribute to the treatment plan and setup, makes a huge difference to your workflow. The ability for dentists to clearly communicate specific requirements on a patient-to-patient basis will allow the dental team to predict the treatment outcome with precision.
Impression taking is key. Ensure you take good quality impressions for your dental technician to work from, as this will be a deciding factor for the efficiency of aligner treatment. It is important that your communication with the dental technician is comprehensive, and that you are able to provide them with all of the high-quality recourses they need to create removable orthodontic appliances with precision.[iii]
Improve patient satisfaction
Collaboration between the dental team is not the only factor impacting predictability and quality of treatment. The ability for dentists to communicate clearly with their patients is crucial too. This will undoubtedly improve patient satisfaction – making them happier with their treatment outcomes, quality of care, and their relationship with the dentist.[iv] Effective communication with your patients, particularly when discussing orthodontic treatments, will help to make them feel more confident, more likely to co-operate with oral hygiene instruction, and ensure they understand their treatment plan. [v] This will inevitably contribute to the long-term maintenance of orthodontic treatment and, ultimately, result in fantastic outcomes, which both you and your patient will be thrilled with.[vi] Satisfied patients reflect well on your practice, if they’ve had a positive treatment experience, they are more likely to recommend your practice to other people.
Furthermore, ensuring that your patients are fully aware of what to expect from their orthodontic treatment is very important for medicolegal reasons. Clearly communicating your predictions for their treatment outcome through a smile simulation is beneficial in providing them with a clear visualisation of how their teeth will move, and what their results will look like. In addition, it helps to ensure your patients understand all of the risks, and what could potentially impact the results of their outcome. This will mean that your patient is able to fully consent to their treatment plan, protecting you legally.
Treatment preferences
For all these reasons and more, communication is very important in dentistry. This is why, when planning treatment with your dental technician, it is vital to clearly describe your requirements regarding engagers, movement velocity, and ways in which you would prefer to manage mild to severe crowding issues, allowing your dental technician and yourself to collaborate on setups.
ClearCorrect® Treatment Preferences allow you to take control over your treatment plans, and communicate them clearly to the dental technician. As well as giving you direct communication with the dental technician working on your case, you have the ability to change these settings over time, always ensuring your customised treatment preferences are up to date. Choose from a variety of options when deciding a range of factors such as wear schedule, torque, expansion and many more. This level of customisation means that you are always able to communicate exactly what is required for optimal results – completely tailoring each patients treatment plan.
Take control of your treatment plans by ensuring that your dental technician is always aware of your expectations. Creating a positive experience within your practice will also encourage your patients to maintain great care for their teeth, and their removable orthodontic appliance. Providing your patients with predictable treatment plans and reliable products is so important for great aesthetic results to give your patients the smile they’ve always wanted.
For more information on ClearCorrect®, visit: www.clearcorrect-uk.com
[i] Ring Central, The Importance of Effective Communication in the Workplace. (Date accessed 25.05.22) https://www.ringcentral.com/us/en/blog/the-importance-of-effective-communication-in-the-workplace/#:~:text=Good%20communication%20can%20boost%20teamwork,are%20on%20the%20same%20page.
[ii] Adu-Oppong, Akua Ahyia, and Emmanuel Agyin-Birikorang. “Communication in the workplace: Guidelines for improving effectiveness.” Global journal of commerce & management perspective 3.5 (2014): 208-213.
[iii] Stewart, C. A. “An audit of dental prescriptions between clinics and dental laboratories.” British dental journal 211.3 (2011): E5-E5.
https://www.nature.com/articles/sj.bdj.2011.623
[iv] Touati, Romane, et al. “Communication tools and patient satisfaction: A scoping review.” Journal of Esthetic and Restorative Dentistry 34.1 (2022): 104-116.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1111/jerd.12854
[v] AnbuSelvan, Gobichettipalayam Jagatheeswaran, et al. “Changing concepts of positive patient communication in dentistry and orthodontics: South Indian perspective.” Journal of Pharmacy & Bioallied Sciences 5.Suppl 1 (2013): S109.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3722690/
[vi] Wouters, Cleo, et al. “Development of a clinical practice guideline for orthodontic retention.” Orthodontics & craniofacial research 22.2 (2019): 69-80.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/ocr.12302
