Dental Assisting Requires Attention to Detail and People Skills

As a dental assistant at Metropolitan Periodontists, P.A.  our job requires a lot of attention to detail. We need to be sure that we have everything ready for each patient’s procedure.  We offer a variety of treatment options to our patients and each patient’s treatment is unique.

Before a patient comes into the office for a procedure with Dr. Wilson, we review all their information and make sure Dr. Wilson has what he needs for the procedure. The information we need to know is; Does the patient have current x-rays, were they given prescriptions for the procedure, does the patient have any allergies or healthy condition and what specifically during the exam of the patient did Dr. Wilson tell the patient he will be doing. All this information helps us to be prepared and can also help a patient feel at ease when we are working on them.  We want our patients to know that we are taking the best care of them.

Although my focus is on the patient, I am always watching Dr. Wilson trying to anticipate what he is going to need during a procedure to make sure everything goes well. The little details make a big difference.

Dentistry truly is a people business.  The success of procedures is always a combination of people skills and paying attention to all the clinical details.

I have been working with Dr. Wilson for a year and a half and I can sense what he is going to do next when I am working with him chairside, or what he is going to need.  There are some subtle body language cues that he gives.  I don’t think he is even aware that he is giving me these cues or that I pick up on them.  There is a connectedness there and nonverbal communication which makes the procedure go smoother and faster for the patient.  Making sure our patients have the best experience possible is all due to good teamwork.

Stephanie, Licensed Dental Assistant

Metropolitan Periodontists

Minneapolis, MN

New Patients Welcome

The Personal Touch is Very Important When Treating Periodontal Patients

I have a three-tier customer service process in our periodontal office: recognition, personal conversation, and little acts of kindness.

I have a philosophy that there are different stages of patient contact.  The first is recognition.  I think it is very important that we know people’s name as soon as possible and when they come in the door.  We can do the equivalent of saying “Hey, Norm” when he walks into the Cheers’ bar.  The recognition is important, because it sets the tone for a personal touch.

The second level is to recognize them as a person, to be able to ask something like:

“How is your dog?”

“I knew your husband was in the hospital the last time we saw you.  How’s he doing now?” 

“How was your vacation?”

We want patients to know that we really do remember them as individual people.

The third level that I think is the most fun and exciting is to make sure they know that they are special; to let them know that they are not only somebody that we know and recognize but they are somebody that we value.  We can do that in a wide variety of ways, the basic one is to listen to them and see if there is anything that they would like or need that we can fulfill for them. 

As an example, we have a patient that travels a long way to get here and he has a bad back.  He was talking about that one time he was here, and we went out a got one of those little back braces that you put behind your seat to make you more comfortable for his ride home.

Our goal is just to be able to listen and be able to treat the patient not only as somebody who has dental needs but as an individual who is welcome and someone whom we value highly.

John, Patient Care Coordinator

Metropolitan Periodontists

Minneapolis, MN

New Patients Welcome