Many general dentists have hygiene departments that are either not profitable, or only marginally profitable.  Our in-office programs provide immediate results and are guaranteed to increase the profitability of your hygiene department while providing your patients with the best hygiene care available.

We started Advanced Hygiene Concepts in 1990 because we recognized that the most common approaches to "soft-tissue management" , while effective for their time, needed revitalization.  Since then, we have helped hundreds of practices improve the profitability, efficiency and quality of care of their hygiene departments. With all of the recent developments in treatment, we wanted to raise the profile of hygiene departments to the next level - in which hygienists, administrative team, and doctors form comprehensive, well-choreographed teams dedicated to patient information and involvement. 

We've found that when patients understand their conditions and their role in treatment, they are much more likely to return for follow-up and to refer their friends and relatives. 

Since 1990, we've been on the forefront of developing laser, hygiene, and conscious sedation protocols.  We've trained hundreds of practices - in their own offices - in clinical and communication techniques.  As each practice implements our easy-to-learn, easy-to-administer program, we see time and again how they have greatly enhanced the value of their hygiene practices and increased production by as much as 300 percent.  

Again this year, only a few dentists will maximize the profit potential of their hygiene departments.  Our clients average over a 500% yearly return on their investment in our program.  What other investments do you have making this kind of return? Investing in your own practice makes sense and provides control over your investment that you don't have in other investment options. 

Will you be one of them?  We can make it happen - Guaranteed!

Linda O'Grady, RDA owned her own practice management consulting business from 1986 to 1996. Her background in dentistry includes: dental office manager, registered dental assistant, lecturer and writer. She brings our clients a wealth of experience and knowledge. Her keen abilities to analyze practice needs allow her to train and target specific areas to produce results and build enthusiasm within the team! Valerie Williams, RDH has been in dentistry since 1974 as front office, dental assistant, dental hygienist since 1979 and consultant, lecturer and writer since 1990. Valerie's experience and understanding of people enables her to balance the specific needs of hygienist, patient, Doctor and staff, creating a proactive environment conducive to team empowerment!

The Advanced Hygiene Concepts program is:

  • Custom designed for your practice - not a "cookie-cutter" program -- with three-day training sessions that will leave you and your team motivated.

  • Personalized, with the hands-on involvement of Advanced Hygiene Concepts' associates, and the support of other professionals with proven track records.

  • Backed up by follow-up training and a money-back guarantee.

  • The ADA estimates that 75% to 80% of adults have some level of periodontal disease - doesn't it make sense that a high percentage of hygiene appointments should be periodontally related, and not "just prophies"?

  • Advanced Hygiene Concepts will help build your hygiene department into a highly profitable business within your practice which delivers the highest standard of care.
  • Everyone wins - The doctor wins by having a more profitable hygiene department, the patient wins by getting excellent treatment, and the office team wins by feeling good about themselves and the treatment they are providing.
  • Proven since 1990 in hundreds of offices in the United States and Canada.
  • Our clients have made millions of dollars in added profit, and will continue to do so for their entire careers.
  • An investment in your hygiene department is one of the most profitable business builders at your disposal, with a return on investment of several hundred percent per year.
Laser Hygiene Training

Now you can also incorporate the latest laser technology for soft tissue management into your practice, easily and effectively. Advanced Hygiene Concepts offers hands-on laser hygiene training for the progressive dental team, in the comfort of your office, at your convenience.  You'll learn technical instrumentation for utilizing lasers for periodontal care. We'll cover safety issues and the practical applications of laser usage. You'll perform treatments on live patients and be given post-op instructions.  Just as important, you'll fine tune the communication skills necessary to explain the laser treatment to your patients to ensure their compliance and commitment to periodontal care.  On the business side, we'll help you set proper fees for your area and understand the criteria involved for billing procedures.  At every step of the way, your particular needs and concerns will be addressed. Our customized, hands-on attention assures you will be completely comfortable with your skills and understanding of the laser before we leave your office.  When the training is over, you'll be ready to begin treating patients the next day!

Here is a sample of the topics we cover in our training: By the end of the training, your hygienists will be working on live patients under the direction of our staff.
  • Laser history/research
  • Discussion of properties of light
  • Discussion of wave length/electromagnetic spectrum
  • introduction to laser physics
  • Review of terminology
  • Laser delivery systems
  • Video and/or slide presentation
  • Review test
  • Components of a typical laser
  • Laser Test
  • Tips and techniques
  • Laser Safety
  • Practice on pig mandible
  • Perform root debridement therapy on live patients
  • Incorporation of laser technology for soft tissue management
  • Post-op instructions
  • Discussion and review of day's activities
  • Dismiss patient

Polish up your hygiene department
How do you see the hygiene department of your dental office? As little more than the local cleaning and polishing center? What if you saw it for what it really is? A business within your business, and potentially a significant profit center to boot!

Better service equals increased profitability
Profit doesn’t have to be a dirty word. It can peacefully co-exist with superior patient service—in fact, the two can thrive together. Profit may not be the sole measurement of the health of a practice. But face it: without profits, nothing functions. So if you agree that profit is as worthy a goal as patient service, it’s time to investigate ways of maximizing profit in the setting of a private practice. The hygiene department is a great place to start.

Picture hygiene as a portal—with opportunity knocking!
In virtually every private dental practice in the U.S., the hygiene department occupies a unique niche: it’s an almost autonomous entity within the larger framework. So, use it as a doorway to other
profitable operations and sidelines. From being strictly a cleaning and polishing center it can evolve to a significant profit center.

Consider your hygiene department as a business-within-a-business—not just through hygiene appointments—but also as a way for the dentist to motivate patients to proceed with restorative and cosmetic treatments. Profitability of the hygiene center grows by having control systems in place that expand and fine-tune your entire office operation. And, the hygiene department can serve to:

Sustain patient relationships
Educate patients
Produce income
Market your practice
Enhance the “Wellness Center” aspect of the practice
Grow the elective and cosmetic side of the practice
Establish mutual referral systems with other healthcare professionals.

Making it work
To develop the hygiene department into a self-supporting, profitable component of a highly productive office, expand its role. Begin by establishing systems that insure your entire team realizes the department’s full potential. Not only does this important step increase profitability, it helps you offer patients an enhanced level of care: a win-win situation for you and those you serve.

Six ingredients for success
So often in dentistry (as in life) the theory is sound; its execution marks the difference between success and failure. Consider these six critical ingredients:

Expectation. Most dental practices have untapped income potential. Recognize this and you’ve taken the first step to operate your office at peak capacity.

Teamwork. Sounds Rah-Rah, but it isn’t. Success really depends on interaction between every team member. Breakthroughs are a group effort. They don’t “just happen.”

Vision. Having a philosophical picture of where you’re going (and how you’ll get there) is critical to achieving any goal in life—especially true of dentistry.

Communication. Just talking isn’t quite the same as conveying concepts—clearly and effectively. Listening (being interested instead
of interesting) is a widely ignored component of effective communication. When practiced, listening can open doors to getting your treatment ideas across.

Education. By providing information to transition patients into needed care and elective treatments, you empower them. You add value to your practice at the same time.

Monitoring. Well-designed monitoring techniques measure both successes and failures of the dental team. A valuable feedback loop for greater fine-tuning!

Change does require effort
Since 1990, we’ve consulted with hundreds of dental offices. Their making the changes necessary to enhance profitability wasn’t easy. However, virtually all have realized sustainable hygiene department profit increases of from 60% to over 280%. And, these offices have groomed dental teams to be both more productive—and happier in their work.
To meet the technical and financial challenges of the future, consider enhancing your practice’s hygiene department—a worthwhile, attainable and profitable—goal.

Test the Basic Health of Your Hygiene Department

Answer "yes," "no," or "don't know" to the following questions. Give yourself one point for each "yes" answer.

Call today or click for a comprehensive hygiene analysis - This report is an in-depth analysis of every aspect of your hygiene department.

  • I charge my 3-or-4 month periodontal recall patients my treatment fee for code 4910.
  • Regardless of insurance constraints, I diagnose the periodontal health of my patients, providing each of them an analysis.
  • My staff has the verbal skills to prevent cancellations and failures.
  • My hygiene practice produces 50% of the total office revenue.
  • My hygienist and I rarely keep our patients waiting.
  • 75% of our hygiene appointments are perio related.
  • My hygienists and I are as comfortable diagnosing and discussing our existing patients' periodontal disease as we are examining and treatment planning new patients.
  • My hygiene department averages $750 - $1200 a day per hygienist.
  • 90% of my patients accept periodontal treatment.
  • My hygienists generate sufficient patient revenue to justify their salaries.
  • My hygienists' treatment guidelines are consistent.
  • My staff understands periodontal disease and the office treatment philosophy.
  • Any new or temporary hygienist understands periodontal disease and the office treatment philosophy.
  • When my patients have periodontal disease, they understand its treatment fee and their estimated co-payment.
  • My documentation will protect me in the event of a lawsuit.
  • I plan my hygiene schedule to afford low office stress and meeting my production goals.
  • My continuing-care patients receive comprehensive update exams.
  • I monitor and evaluate the productivity, profitability, and recommended restorative treatment of my hygiene practice.
  • I regularly and effectively use my intraoral camera.
  • During restorative exams, I'm effective and comfortable telling my patients about their prioritized needs on a tooth-by-tooth basis and about their elective and cosmetic options.

Scoring

  • 20 points - You are right on track and doing an excellent job of managing your hygiene department.
  • 16-19 points - You are doing a good job but there are one or two areas to focus on that will make a tremendous difference in your bottom line.
  • 10-15 points - You probably haven't been analyzing your hygiene status for a while. There are several significant areas in your hygiene department that need to be addressed immediately in order to bring it back on track and make it profitable.
  • 5-9 points - Your hygiene department is weak and needs a major "overhaul" in order to make it productive and efficient.
  • 0-4 points - Your hygiene department is in crisis and you need a specialist post haste!

 

"The work that Advanced Hygiene Concepts does is vitally important to the dental profession and to the communities where their clients live.  The impact of their results goes far beyond the obvious.  The patients receive unparalleled care.  The dental staff is challenged to be their best, get the opportunity to provide state of the art care, and in many cases get to share in the financial reward.  The dentist receives many benefits: professional stimulation, litigation protection, prestige, and greater income.  That income helps not only the dentist and his family , but also all the charities with which he shares.  The ripple effect from AHC's efforts affect thousands of lives."
Dr John Meis, DDS - AHC Client , August 2002 and now Mentor to new clients.


Click here to see a recent evaluation of our program by Dr Ross Hildebrand of Great Bend, KS 
Click here to see an evaluation by one of Dr Hildebrand's team members. 
Click here to read an email from Dr Chris Bowman of Charlotte, NC
Click here to read recent emails from Crown Council members regarding AHC
Click here to read an email from  a CPA who recommends Advanced Hygiene Concepts to his clients.
Click here to read an email from Dr John Frerich of Marshall, MN to Dr Marcos Ortega of San Diego California recommending our program - by the way, Dr Ortega hired AHC in 2002 and is still an active client.
Click here to read an email from Dr Bruce Hutchison of Centreville, VA
Click here to read an email from Dr Dan Hopper of Rocklin CA who has been a client of AHC since 1999.
"Spotlight on Excellence"


Call us today to find out how we can help you build a more profitable hygiene department.

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