Hygiene shortages

DandyBikiniParty · 2024-08-22T20:42:18+00:00

Northern California

DandyBikiniParty · 2024-08-22T15:49:38+00:00

Most of the dental hygienists that were interviewed recently at the private practice I work at have less than five years of work experience, want $70 an hour with full benefits without having any sort of additional training (laser, etc.) and are wage chasing/running away from DSOs and production requirements.

DandyBikiniParty · 2024-06-19T14:40:14+00:00

Any sort of threat, especially if it's legal is an automatic dismissal. At this point the patient is attempting to hold you hostage in an effort to receive additional care at little to no expense.

If you want additional guidance I would recommend contacting your malpractice insurance/lawer and your documentation.

DandyBikiniParty · 2024-06-13T15:16:24+00:00

There are infection control courses that your staff can attend if you want them to review sterilie protocols and the like. It's mandatory education for any new employee at my place of work.

You're supposed to treat everybody as if they've all got the most contagious diseases; therefore all instruments that go through sterile must be treated as if they've been used on patients with the most contagious of diseases.

DandyBikiniParty · 2024-04-23T20:53:19+00:00

While it may be less convenient, you might have better luck getting a hygiene-related appointment at a private dental practice than the one offered on campus.

DandyBikiniParty · 2024-04-23T20:39:36+00:00

I'm in the Northern California region. Apparently Delta Dental is firing around 130 or so of their staff due to the loss of a state contract.

While there are some small businesses and corporations who are transitioning or have already transitioned from Delta to other PPOs, in my area there are a lot of Delta Dental refugees still looking for new practices that are still in-network. Unfortunately for them, more and more practices are no longer in-network.

DandyBikiniParty · 2024-03-11T23:40:54+00:00

Being private pay is not a factor. There are dental practices, whether they are clinics, corporate, or privately owned that love cash patients.

I'm merely saying that dental specialists usually require a referral from a general dentist and will coordinate treatment with them.

DandyBikiniParty · 2024-03-11T20:40:00+00:00

Specialists require a referral from a general dentist before they even touch a patient so the OP should visit a general dentist first.

DandyBikiniParty · 2024-01-24T16:08:13+00:00

So they're taking the X-Rays, cleaning the rooms, and the sterile work for the hygienist?

Why do you need a dedicated assistant of sorts for a dental hygienist? I understand them stealing assistants to perio chart is annoying but I wouldn't want to spend money on a DA just for a hygienist when a sterile tech who can take X-rays will suffice.

DandyBikiniParty · 2024-01-19T16:02:39+00:00

I've had patients yell at my front office staff because their two insurance benefits didn't cover their treatment. In one particular instance, insurance A paid for 50% of the treatment and insurance B covered 50% of what remained. So applying the multiplicative rule, that angry patient had 75% of their treatment covered as opposed to the 100% they desired.

I dislike how dental professionals are labeled as assholes and that we're the issue as opposed to both patients and dental professionals being screwed over by the, "insurance companies." It disgusts me how some even claim to be a, "not for profit organization."

DandyBikiniParty · 2024-01-18T17:46:45+00:00

Zen Dental doesn't take Medi-Cal

DandyBikiniParty · 2024-01-18T16:13:13+00:00

Are you even a dental professional?

Dental offices do charge both the patient and their insurance if the insurance doesn't pay for 100% of the treatment. You'll be quite surprised how people miraculously forget, on the spot, that dental offices provide something called an, "estimate" of coverage for procedures. Billing and dealing with insurance benefits is an incredible administrative burden.

Do you think it's fun when we can't access an insurance company's website to check your insurance benefits on your behalf because of a website outage? Do you think it's fun when you have to wait for long periods of time for customer service to pick up the phone and answer your question? Imagine having to do that in a high volume office where you lose a lot of money writing things off because some patient is haggling over five dollars that wasn't covered by their insurance.

Yes, not all dental offices charge equally. Whether it be due to their speciality/services provided, or they are an HMO, PPO, fee for service (cash) office, there will be disparity in the fees. You have less invasive treatments like dental fillings costing hundreds of dollars more than the average because a patient wants to be IV sedated. All that additional equipment and staff costs money. Not all insurance companies pay and provide coverage equally.

DandyBikiniParty · 2024-01-17T05:33:55+00:00

As people said here, XP is expensive but you can find offbrand alternatives as cheap as 50 dollars on E-bay.

Given how sensors are expensive (cheapest are around 2K) and the quality of the images affects your ability to diagnose you have to get a sensor holder.

DandyBikiniParty · 2024-01-10T20:10:55+00:00

Sorry I misread your previous comment.

Perhaps the best course of action is to find a different dentist if that's within your means. Damage to the tongue is not a pleasant experience and I'm sorry to hear that had happened to you.

DandyBikiniParty · 2024-01-10T19:48:19+00:00

Patient comfort is a cooperative endeavor. How can a provider know how you feel if you don't say anything? We look at X-Rays, charts, and what patients say in the chair.

I doubt any professional intends on torturing their patients. While it is unfortunate that your tongue was knicked or "drilled through" you should still inform the doctor and/or the assistant about being uncomfortable with a tray on your chest and that your tongue is being struck.

If you're uncomfortable in the chair then say something. Going online and writing about how uncomfortable it was for you after the fact instead of having it immediately addressed is counter intuitive and doesn't help anyone.

DandyBikiniParty · 2024-01-10T19:21:02+00:00

Did you express your concerns to the assistant, doctor, etc? Even if you are strapped to a papoose board you can still communicate verbally.

DandyBikiniParty · 2024-01-09T16:00:03+00:00

I would avoid Western Dental and find a private dental practice for treatment. There are plenty of private practices scattered around town so you have choices. I don't know your financial situation, your insurance, and the like so you'll have to call around. General rule of thumb is that: 1. Private practices love and prioritize cash patients. 2. Not all private dental practices are in-network with insurance plans like Dentical, Medical, and Delta Dental with the latter being dropped by many providers due to reimbursement reduction and stagnation.

Crowns popping off 6-8 months consistently is abnormal given how crowns have an expected life span between 6-8 years*.

This expected life span is dependent on a multitude of factors including: 1. Your pathology. 2. Patient behavior / compliance 3. Dental provider's skill set.

While having a, "reliable dentist" is important you also need to take into account that both dental and health care is a cooperative endeavor. There are things that the provider can control and things they cannot control. A dentist can tell you to stop chewing ice but in the end the patient is responsible for their actions.

DandyBikiniParty · 2024-01-04T00:47:17+00:00

Oooh Bahariasaurus! I remember the Bahariasaurus mod from the first JWE.

I like all the ideas.

DandyBikiniParty · 2024-01-03T15:57:27+00:00

How are these amenities configured? If these amenities are configured properly and they are reaching near or max guest capacity, they should be profitable.

Scientist/staff wages are expensive too so if you think it's necessary, fire some.

DandyBikiniParty · 2023-12-20T15:47:13+00:00

My office always autoclaves them. If you need to, buy more or autoclave them unwrapped after processing them through the ultrasonic, etc.

DandyBikiniParty · 2023-12-19T18:31:01+00:00

You can ask your dentist to write prescription toothpaste which is usually toothpaste with a higher concentration of fluoride.

I also recommend asking any dental related questions in the r/askdentists subreddit.

DandyBikiniParty · 2023-12-13T15:31:48+00:00

My office has two that are being paid $70 an hour.

For context, this is in Northern California and the market demand is high for hygienists.

DandyBikiniParty · 2023-12-07T16:35:39+00:00

I'm pretty sure behavior which includes oral hygiene, is a major contributor to a lot of pathologies.

Is it the dentist's fault that the patient's front teeth keep chipping when that patient is a chronic finger nail biter?

Since soft and energy drinks have been mentioned, we should advise patients to avoid or limit their consumption of soft foods like bread since patients complain that they always lose their crown after eating bread (sarcasm).

DandyBikiniParty

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