What You Should Know About Becoming a Dental Hygienist

Introduction to Becoming a Dental Hygienist

Becoming a dental hygienist is not for everyone. It takes a special individual to consider a career in the field. It also takes some training and knowledge to work in a dental office. It also takes an outgoing personality to work with people from all walks of life. There are specific educational requirements that must be met to work in the field and become a competent dental professional.

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Requirements and Skills Needed to Work as a Dental Hygienist

To work in the field a person must have a high school diploma and must complete a specialized dental hygiene education program. Many schools offer Associate degree programs, though some will offer Bachelor and Master’s degree programs for those who want to become more than assistants to a dentist. A person entering such a program should have some high school chemistry and biology courses completed. This will help in gaining a better understanding in subject matter upon entering the professional program.

After training is completed the individual must take a state certification exam to become licensed. Each state is slightly different in the requirements for licensing but all require an individual to pass an exam. If an individual applies concepts and skills learned in the program passing a state exam should not be difficult.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics jobs for a dental hygienist are likely to increase over the next several years. In some regions competition for jobs may be tougher, depending on the size and needs of the community. Upon graduation and receiving a state license the professional will have some options in the work environment. There are community dental clinics and private dental offices. Some offices are associated with hospitals or urgent care organizations and may focus on acute dental care.

The hygienist will need to have a thorough understanding of techniques to prevent infection and the spread of infectious diseases. Knowing how to handle and properly protect one’s self and patients from bodily fluids like saliva is critical.

Being able to understand sterile techniques and how to sterilize dental instruments is another required skill.

A dental hygienist must be able to work with all kinds of people. Children can sometimes be a challenge due to fears about dental instruments and the intimidating sounds of tools. It is the job of the professional to offer assurance to children and help them to relax. Sometimes this also means working with apprehensive parents to calm them as well.

People visit the dentist for many reasons. Routine checkups and cleanings are the most common types of visits, followed by filling of cavities and tooth extractions. A skilled dental hygienist will perform routine cleanings and may take x-rays of teeth if needed. The individual will also sterilize and prepare instruments to be used for fillings and extractions and will assist the dentist with procedures.

Information about Dental Hygienist Jobs and Training

An individual interested in the field should find out which programs are available nearby, should compare costs, and determine which programs offer the best preparation for becoming licensed.

Source : EzineArticles

How To Decide Which Practice Management Software To Buy

How To Decide Which Practice Management Software To Buy

In this blog let’s see what to look in good Dental Practice Management Software?

Friend’s, the purpose of practice management software is that it should help you to manage your whole practice easily. If you are based in tier I or tier 2 cities and still not using practice management software then probably you are lagging behind.

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There are hundreds of practice management software available in the market and many are free of cost but when I say good software then the number shrinks to 3-4. Even out of this 3-4 software, every software has some or other drawback.

For example: If one software helps in branding it doesn’t help in marketing or vice versa. One will have a multi-practice option but will miss on some other feature.

Now, as a consumer you have to decide what you want and which software fits in with your requirements.

Here are some insights on how to decide which software to buy?

Before you go ahead reading this blog make sure you have read,  “Life-cycle of your Dental Practice” otherwise you won’t understand what I am going to tell you.

1. If you are in your introduction stage of your practice then probably you need to take support of other big brands to become a brand but if your practice is already into a maturity stage then instead of relying on third-party marketing, you can have your own marketing budget and use the software that helps in branding your clinic.

2. Here is something I want you to think about, let me put this in simple words, suppose you have subscribed a paid version of the software and using it to send messages to your patients then ideally all the messages should go by your clinic’s name and not by the software’s name. If messages are being sent by the software name then it means that the company is branding themselves & charging you for it.

3. Second important aspect is that, some companies promise to list you on their portal but what’s the sense if there are already 10 dentists listed on the same page no matter above or below me coz at the end of the day it’s not killing the competition but creating a competition further.

So be careful before you get trapped in to this marketing jargon.

Source : DentistFriend

Dental Practice Branding: Things To Consider Before Setting Up Website For Your Dental Practice

Dental Practice Branding Things To Consider Before Setting Up Website For Your Dental Practice

A Good Dental Website Complements Your Brand!

Visitors arrive at your website, they look around, if they don’t like what they see, they leave. So it is very important to get their attention quickly. However, it is also important that website should reflect your brand. 

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Consider a website that you have visited. Was the content you were seeking was readily available? How was the presentation? How well was the organization of content? Did it look professional? If the information was, difficult to find, left you confused, did not exist. Now consider your own website. You aim to design a website which can successfully sell your brand.

1. Aesthetics:

While designing your website you should pay special attention on Color scheme, Images, Graphics, Font size, Font style. Additionally your website should have a contemporary feel.

2. Content:

Content is the King. Users won’t come to your website because it is beautiful but because of information they are looking for so create original content. If you just copy & paste the content from some other website it will carry zero value. The content should be well written, error free and it should be appealing. Create an interactive content by keeping it interesting; also you can use pictorial representation wherever it is possible to keep the users engaged.

3. Clarity:

Clarity is rule one when it comes to developing a website. This includes clarity of purpose, content and your contact information. You should have clarity in your vision. Know why you are creating a website, communicate who are you and your purpose through your content. Make sure that the information and layout of your website is easy to understand.

4. Tabs:

It is vital to have a clear idea of the content you want to present. This will help you in determining the number, type and title of the web pages you will need. Some of the more standard types of web pages include: HOME, ABOUT US, CONTENT PAGE, CONTACT US.

5. Navigation:

Create a navigation system that is logical and easy to use. People don’t want to visit a website where they are lost. Don’t merely rely on your sense of the proper flow. Test and retest with experts as well as your dental team. It should be simple, clear and appealing to draw the interest of the viewer and persuade them to explore other pages.

6. Compatibility:

Users access internet from different devices such as desktops, laptop, mobiles, tablets etc. When the user opens a website on mobile and finds the navigation system difficult then he will immediately go away. So create a website which is adaptable to all screen sizes (Responsive Design).
Visitors use different browsers from their devices to accessinternet. Make sure that your website is compatible with all the leading browsers such as Chrome, Safari, Firefox etc.

7. Brand Value:

Your website gives you a great opportunity to create a brand value and influence your visitors to be your prospective patients. Remember, your website is extension of your dental practice.

8. Review:

Ask your existing patients to write a feedback about treatment, staff and their overall experience during the treatment at your clinic. Positive feedback from your patients increases your credibility 

9. Social Media:

Integrate all your social media accounts in your website. Do not forget to provide social media plug-in of Google, Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, You Tube, Pintrest etc.  Ask your patients to follow you on social networking sites for regular updates on Dental Care.

10. Call To Action:

Show Your Visitors “What to Do?” & “How to Do?” Your website should have some type of call to action, such as “Click here to make an appointment” as it is the ultimate reason to create the website. The entire purpose behind creating a great dental website is to encourage people to make you their dentist of choice. Yes, you want to share information with current patients. However, marketing to new dental patients is your primary goal.

Remember, your website is an extension of your dental practice. When you select a domain name for your website, try to keep it short, easy to remember and type otherwise you may lose some of your visitors.  For example:  DentistFriend.com is easy to type & remember compared to The DentistsFriend.com 

Source : DentistFriend

Advertisement Guidelines For Private Dental Practitioners By Dental Council Of India

Advertisement Guidelines For Private Dental Practitioners By Dental Council Of India

Dental Council of India (DCI) has circulated the gazette with Revised Code of Ethics. The amendments have been made with respect to changing scenario of dentistry in India. I’m sure that this can definitely uplift the status of dental profession in the country if followed by every (licensed) practicing dentist. There are modifications in various sections of the Revised Code of Ethics; however we will discusse only about the advertisement and soliciting sections in this blog post. This blog will be very useful for dentists to know the norms and abide by law.

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Let’s see what the authority says on Advertisement by Dentists
 
A. Advertisement
A Dentist or a group of Dentists may advertise provided that they maintain decorum, keeping in mind the high moral obligations and the value that society places on the important nature of their work and the moral character and integrity expected of them.

The following is considered as Unethical:
 

1. To indulge in demeaning solicitation and false promises through advertisements or direct marketing of individuals, clinics or hospitals.

2. To advertise directly or indirectly or being associated or employed with any organizations or company including corporate bodies that indulges in such activities in a manner which gives unfair professional advantage by cold targeting vulnerable groups and conducting camps and other promotional activity in schools, colleges, old age homes and distributing hand bills, claim vouchers and other business promotional activities. Registered charitable organizations or medical bodies which provide fully free dental care & treatment are exempted.

3. Misleading advertisement or publication through press reports that promise inducements, rebates & false benefits.
 
4. Appointing or paying agent or canvassers for bringing in patients.
 
5. Use of sign boards at places other than actual location of the clinic.

6. Publicizing name in the commercial articles like toothbrush & tooth paste except for the ones fabricated in the clinic itself.
 
7. Publicizing articles or opinions on any procedures in lay papers or journals without any evidence.
 
8. TV interview, magazines, periodicals or public awareness program in magazines or periodicals with name, telephone numbers or email addresses.
 
9. Advertisement in the electronic media, such as television programs, that display names, address, phone number of dentists as on screen “scrollers”
 

B. Soliciting
Soliciting of patients directly or indirectly by a dental surgeon, by group of dental surgeons or by institutions or organizations is unethical. A dental surgeon is however permitted as an ethically acceptable practice to make a formal announcement in press regarding the following:
 
1. On starting practice.
2. On change of type of practice.
3. On changing address.
4. On temporary absence from duty for a prolonged period of time.
5. On resumption of practice after a break a prolonged period.
6. On succeeding to another practice.
7. About the availability of new equipment or services without boastful claims of being the “first” or “best” specially if such services are already available in other facilities.
8. Inserts in Telephone directories, yellow pages or on the internet is permissible.
9. Maintaining Websites where all information is factual will not be construed as unethical practice.
 
 
Please Note: Above article is only for information and it should not be used as reference for any legal purpose. We at DentistFriend.com request you to read the full gazette before arriving to any conclusion. Click Here to download the Revised Dental Code of Ethics.
 

Read More
How To Effectively Spread “Word of Mouth” About Your Practice?

Source : DentistFriend

Dental Practice Marketing: Why You Need Good Online Presence?

Dental Practice Marketing Why You Need Good Online Presence

The world is evolving

I’m sure that many of you must have experienced patients in your practice who are already well versed with their treatment even before you explain it to them. It is happening because; nowadays information is available at the fingertips. The world is evolving; India is getting digital, we are the third largest country with respect to the number of internet users and with every passing day internet services are getting cheaper and better.

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Past Vs Future

10 years back, did you even think that you will buy any product online? But it is very common these days;  Pyazz se le ke Payjame tak everything is now available online. The modern “Online shopping” trend is ruling us all to such an extent that even before buying the smallest and simplest thing we do a Google search. Dentistry is not an exception to this; not only that you compare prices of dental materials but also the patients do their part of Dr.Google and then make a decision. I don’t say that every patient will Google before visiting your practice, but the once who are looking for cosmetic makeover or some high end dental treatments would definitely do the internet exercise.

The Power of Choice!

Everyone has some criteria to buy a product or service and same applies while choosing a dentist. Some patients look for affordable dental treatment some want best hygiene, some want convenience of timing and there are a lot of other such factors… And guess where do they get the information?

from Obviously internet.

10-15years ago just a reference used to be enough for patients to enter someone’s practice, but it is not the same old way today. Even after getting a reference, the person will Google about dentist, visit his website, read testimonials, check reviews on Google plus, ratings on Just Dial and then decide whether to visit his practice or not.

Are You Ready For Future?

If your dental practice does not have presence over the internet then don’t you think you are losing out some patients? So now it’s your turn to decide whether your practice needs a strong online presence or not? If you need any help or opinion on how to build a strong online presence for your practice then feel free to get in touch.

Here’s a list of few basic things that you can follow to improve online presence of your practice..

1. Create Facebook page for your practice

2. Register your practice on Google+ and request your patients to write a review

3. Get website for your practice

4. Register on leading social media platforms and connect with people who matter to you

5. If possible you may also think of SEO

Source : DentistFriend

Dental Practice Marketing: How To Make Most Out Of Facebook!

Dental Practice Marketing How To Make Most Out Of Facebook!

If you measure success in terms of number of patients walking in your practice and expecting quick results then this article is not for you.. I believe that Facebook is a platform that can help to build reputation & add value to your practice. You can leverage this platform and use it as Connect between your practice and patients.

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Won’t you like to have a warm and welcoming Facebook presence for your existing as well as potential patients? If your answer is yes then go on reading…

Here are some Do’s and Don’ts that you should follow on Facebook

A. FACEBOOK PROFILE Vs PAGE

Would you ever like to mix your personal and professional life? I’m sure you won’t, then why not have a dedicated Facebook Page for your practice? Facebook Pages are for business, simple to create have several advantages over a profile and absolutely FREE!

1. A Facebook profile has limit of 5000 friends whereas there’s no limit for friends/followers on a page.

2. If you try to approach unknown people via your profile, you will get blocked on the contrary with a page you can reach people who you think can be your potential patients without getting annoyed.

3. All your on page activities are measurable. You can even get accurate analysis for people who saw/clicked or visited your website which helps you to understand what kind of content your audience like. This feature is not available for Facebook profiles.

4. With a Facebook page you can delegate responsibility of sharing updates. The same page can be managed by multiple profiles and different responsibilities can be allocated to them. Your receptionist will be able to do this job easily with simple training and you will be able to track all her activities on page.

B. LIKES Vs ENGAGEMENT

You might think that Page Likes are important but as per my experience the emphasis should be on user Engagement. Here’s my explanation for what I have said. 

We all know that one can buy Facebook Likes for page. Suppose you got 10,000 paid likes; now you will expect that whenever you post on your page it will be notified to all the 10K people who have liked your page.. but here you go wrong. As per the current Facebook algorithms your update will be shown in news feed of only 1/10th of your total likes. 

This means you will have to pay further Facebook in order to reach remaining 9K people who have liked your page. You will have to spend in the ratio of approximately 10:1 for Like: Engagement. So isn’t it a better idea to focus on Page Engagement for which it takes only 10% of your budget?

C. AUDIENCE

The target audience differs from practice to practice based on its location, age group, class, specialty etc. While targeting you have all the options to target the post to a particular group of people.

In fact you can target your ad specifically to a custom audience by updating your database of either mobile numbers or email address.

When you spend on Facebook Marketing; make sure you hit audience that matters to your practice.

D. POST

Just like your profile you can share images, links, videos or even blogs on your page. As per the current algorithms Facebook gives priority to videos and it is shown in news feed of maximum users who have liked your page.

When you share an update be careful, people are too busy, they don’t have time to go through long articles or videos; instead share short links of your articles or blogs just like I did for this blog. If patients like what they see, they’ll click to read more just like you. Also never scare your visitors by posting images/cases with blood field.

One more important aspect about sharing an update is the frequency, well that completely depends on you. You can share a post every day or every week as per your convenience but be consistent and avoid overdoing.

You can also schedule posts for a particular day and time which will make your job simple…

E. RESPONSE

If your patients or say potential patients are going to take the time to post comments and ask questions, you should take the pain to respond to their questions in a timely manner. If a non dentist is handling your page and the person doesn’t know the answer, then he or she should get the correct information from you and respond.

F. CALL TO ACTION

At the end of the day you will be doing it all either to add value to practice or to get more patient appointments. You have to decide what your goal is and place a call to action button and direct your visitors to respective place such as your blog, website or appointment booking widget. 

G. WIDGETS

You can place widgets on your Facebook page for online appointment, You tube channel, Twitter, Blogger etc. Widgets will help to engage your visitors further.

Important Note:

Online things change so fast that I can’t deny the possibility that this article would get obsolete tomorrow morning. So I would request you all to keep your knowledge updated so that you can have strategies as per changing Facebook algorithms.

And One Last Serious TIP:

Do not invite your dentist friends to like your page

Because they are not going to be your patients ever! 

Source : DentistFriend