 Hello everybody. Andrea here. Let's talk about treatment planning and how to get patients to really accept their treatment plan more. And just basically you're doing what is best for them. But sometimes we do have to convince patients that they need that crown that bridge those additional cleanings they need to come in more often for cleanings whatever the case may be. So I've been a mobile dental hygienist with my own practice since 2018, but I have been a dental professional for almost 18 years now. Time goes by so fast. I was a dental assistant, a dental receptionist. Then I became a dental hygienist. Then I became a restorative dental hygienist, which is a specialty. And then I started my own practice as a mobile dental hygienist. And treatment planning is something as dental professionals we do every single day. And having my own practice, it's almost like I want the patients to accept the treatment even more because I'm the one handling their treatment from start to finish. It's not like they're going to see another hygienist the next time or the dentist is telling me about that crown that that patient needs, please try to convince them, you know, it's all on me and what I see best for my patients. Now as a mobile dental hygienist, I cannot do crowns, bridges, root canals on site because I'm not a dentist. But what I do is if a patient needs those things, I refer them back to their dentist to do that. But so what are some things that I do to help really increase patient acceptance of their treatment plan? So just as an example, let's say we're talking about anything, whether they need, again, a crown, a bridge, a root canal. They need a tooth taken out or they need additional cleaning just basically anything. What do I do? So the first and most important thing that I do at every new patient exam is I take intraoral photos. If you do not have an intraoral camera, you need to get one. I'm going to leave a link for you guys down below. The exact intraoral camera that I use, it's a couple hundred dollars. You do not need to spend four thousand dollars on an intraoral camera from your dental company. And I say that because having worked in dental offices, that's how much we paid for intraoral cameras. It was thousands of dollars. And I remember starting my own practice and thinking, ooh, four thousand dollars. I just can't afford that right now. Maybe in a couple years. Well, no, a couple hundred dollars. My intraoral camera is perfect. You can see the pictures perfectly. The only thing it doesn't do is zoom in and out. But for a two hundred dollar camera versus a four thousand dollar camera, I'm okay to get the two hundred dollar camera. So the reason why intraoral photos work is because you're taking the photos and you can show them to your patient afterwards. So something as simple as needing a filling. If you tell that patient they have a cavity, well, what if they're not in pain? What if they didn't know they had a cavity because it's not stained or something? I don't know. Let's say, well, no, I guess I shouldn't say not stained because then that kind of, my next point is that if you take an intraoral photo of that cavity, it's probably going to be stained. It might be like right back there where the patient can't see it. But if you take a photo of that tooth and then pop it up on your laptop, tablet, whatever, and show them say, this is that cavity. See big black stain here. That is not normal. And then when I poke my instrument a little bit in there, it's sticky. That indicates an active cavity. This is why you need a filling done because if we leave this alone, this is what's going to happen. And that brings me to my next point. You always should be giving your patient options. You do not want to tell the patient, well, you have five cavities, you need fillings. Here's a couple photos to show you. Have fun with that. You want to give them options and on top of that you need to let them know what will happen if they don't get the cavity fixed. So as an example, the same way that I would tell that patient, I would show them photos of their tooth, show them where the stain is. I would explain to them what a filling is. They probably know, but it can't hurt to just offer a 10-second explanation, even less than 10 seconds. I would simply say, see the stain here. When I poke my instrument in, as I had mentioned before, it's very sticky. So that indicates an active cavity. This is why you need a filling because the dentist needs to actually drill out that cavity just a little bit. And then they put a filling on top of it to bring back that tooth structure and that stain will be gone. No stain and no cavity. It is super, super, super easy. So you see how that's kind of making things sound like no big deal, right? You want that. You don't want to say, oh, I'm sorry, you need a filling. It's going to suck. You're going to get the biggest needle up. You don't want to do that. But then you also want to say, but you know what? You don't have to get the filling done tomorrow, but I would suggest it within this month. If you wait longer, the cavity is just going to get bigger and it will start to cause you pain. And then you're going to rush in, need a filling right away. And it's just not as pleasant when you're in pain to begin with. And if you're in pain, that means the cavity is much larger, which means they have to spend longer. At that, at that appointment, you're going to get a bigger filling and it's just more work. So the sooner you can get that fixed, the better. So see how I didn't just say you have a cavity. You have to get it fixed. $300 later. See you later, you know, you explain things, but you also say, you know, you don't have to get that done tomorrow. Don't worry about it, but the sooner the better. I wouldn't wait longer than a month because we don't know what cavities are going to do. It's going to get bigger and I don't want you to be in pain. Once you get to that point, it's just not as pleasant. But then again, I would say like just to kind of review the topic with them. Say, and you know, that cavity, since we don't have an x-ray in front of us, I would get it done sooner rather than later. Once it starts to cause you pain, that's not a good thing. You might end up needing a root canal because the cavity might get so big it goes into the nerve and nobody wants a root canal. So you see how you're explaining to them. You're giving them options, but you're also really telling them the truth. You're telling them and reassuring them that you want their mouth to be as healthy as possible and you don't want to cause them pain. Pain is that one word that once people hear that they go, ooh, I don't want to be in pain. Oh my God. Okay, fine. I don't want to get that filling done, but I might as well. And also, which I forgot to mention, let them know the bigger the filling is, the more expensive it's going to be whether you have insurance or not. You're probably not fully covered for that filling if you do have insurance. The bigger it is, the more expensive it's going to be. But then also say, and if you don't get that cavity fixed, if you are too busy, you know, I can kind of tell you're a little bit hesitant. If you don't get the filling done, what's going to happen is it's going to cause you pain. You're going to need a root canal. The tooth might have to be taken out. Cavities don't get smaller. They get bigger. So also let them know that too. So you see how you're constantly talking to your patient, working through things, take those intraoral photos and don't be afraid to say, would you like me to email you these intraoral photos? But I also want you to follow up with them a week later. You don't have to do it the next day as we all know life gets busy. Even if they want to book that appointment as soon as possible, they're probably too busy to do it. But follow up a week later. Leave yourself a note, whatever you have to do and say, hi, I'm just following up. How does that tooth feel? I hope it's not causing you any pain yet. Did you book that filling appointment attached? Is that photo I took of that tooth as a reference? Let me know if you have any questions. I really suggest having that done as soon as possible. So you're following up as well. The patient might have forgot or they might not have been like, oh, I'm not really sure. I'm just going to wait and see. But you following up with them, you mentioning again, sending them the photo again, they can't ignore it. So do that with anything, whether they need a crown, a bridge, a mouth guard, anything, even teeth whitening, if you're trying to talk to them about teeth whitening. But as a side note, if you're recommending a crown or bridge or a dental implant, keep in mind, they probably don't know what that is. Show them photos of a crown, show them photos of a bridge. If you have samples, even better, show them what that is. Always let them know what it is, how it happens. Like, oh, a crown is so easy. You will just need two appointments. They prep the tooth first for the crown. They give you a temporary crown that goes over top of that tooth. They send those impressions to the lab. And then about two weeks later, they will cement in your permanent crown that looks exactly like your tooth. They are amazing. That will protect that tooth forever, as long as you keep a good eye on it and do well with your oral hygiene, brushing, all of that. And then show them pictures of what the crown looks like. Let them know, you know, just always say, like, this is what you need and why. Here are the options. If you don't get the crown done, well, that tooth could chip below the gum line and then you have to pull it out. You can't just leave a space there, then you're going to need a bridge or a dental implant, which is going to cost you more. Take more time. You know, things like that. Okay. If you have any questions, please comment below. I hope this helped. Please help me in my channel. Click like and feel free to share this video with anybody because the more, I guess, awareness, the more we can help dental professionals, you know, dental students, everybody, the better it is for our patients. They don't know what they don't know, if that makes sense. You want them to trust you, but you want them to have the best, healthiest mouth as possible. So thank you guys again for watching. Comment below if any questions and I'll see you guys in the next one.