Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

April 23-29, 201222 DCPs United Kingdom Edition page 21DTß toolkit and how we have to be evidence based. Neither of these bodies will be bothered and you have your excuse for change. Prepare the patient for the change. If you write or call to confirm their appointment, explain that this time we will be using a special dye that will show us how we can help you to clean better at home and act as a road map so we can clean your mouth really well. Reassure them that it will all come off before they leave the surgery. Giving the patient notice of the change will reduce the negative re- sponse you can get with no prior warning. Delegate to an enthusias- tic team member for best results I love to disclose my patients. It makes me happy that they care about what the outcome will be. I like that entire fami- lies compete with each oth- er to get the lowest scores. It makes it relevant and fun for them. So, when you are disclosing you need to be efficient, neat and enthusias- tic. Depending on your role in the team this can be easier for some than others. Patients have a different relationship with different team members and you can often find that the dentist is not the per- son best placed to carry out this work. Use technology too I find one of the best people to do the disclosing and digital photographs of this is one of the dental nursing team. They can even provide the oral hy- giene advice to the patient in a non clinical environment. This can make it much easier for the patient to listen, relax and respond to advice. The digital photographs act as a record of oral hygiene advice being given and can be sent to the patient be email to help them remember where to brush. My friend Fiona, who has recently re-established her love of dis- closing, goes one step further and films the patient using the correct product and technique on the areas they need to concentrate on their own phone. Then they can play it back at home to reinforce the new routine. There is an app for that There is a fantastic app to complement this that re- ally is simple, back to basics combined with technology. It is called brush DJ and was the brainchild of dentist Ben Underwood. It selects tunes from your phone or iPad and plays them with a circular timer on screen to help you brush for two minutes. It also helps you to remember to floss, not spit out and use a fluoride mouthwash. You can set your appointments with your dentist and hy- gienist in it and it will even remind you when it is time to get a new toothbrush head. For more information and to download the free app visit www.brushdj.com/ So go back to basics, mixed with a bit of technology and see your patient’s enthusi- asm grow and see their health improve. DT About the author Mhari has 20 years experience in den- tistry, working as a nurse, receptionist, oral health advisor and ultimately hy- gienist in a variety of practice envi- ronments. She is passionate about her profession. At present, she works as Senior Professional Relations Man- ager for Philips Oral Healthcare and clinically as a hygienist in central London. From Chairing the London BSDHT for 3 years, and working as an MD; Mhari excels at motivating and co-ordinating a team and utilising skills, decentralising leadership and developing self efficacy in members. Throughout her career Mhari has de- veloped hygiene protocols and plans in practices which have continued to be used with great success. Mhari is Clinical Director for CPDforDCP Ltd, a training company offering motiva- tional and interactive development courses to the dental team. A keen writer, Mhari is on the Publications Committee of Dental Health, the Brit- ish Society of Hygienists and Thera- pists (BSDHT) Journal, has a conver- sational column in Dental Tribune and writes articles for many other publications and online sites. As a speaker Mhari has presented region- ally, nationally and internationally for many groups including Talking Points in Dentistry, the British Orthodontic Society Specialist group, the BSDHT, the BDA, the International Sympo- sium of Dental Hygiene, the dentistry show and many others. In 2006 she was the Probe Awards hygienist of the year, and was highly commended in 2010. 2011 saw her placed 15 in the Dentistry Top 50 most influential peo- ple in the UK.