Top 3 Ways Dentists Use Patient Education

With all the years of care and dedication we have put into our Optio Dentistry series, we’re excited to hear how our clients are using our app and patient education videos.

Clients have told us that Optio Dentistry has worked exactly the way we planned it to work! They install the Optio Dentistry app on each operatory computer making it easy for staff to play the appropriate treatment video for the patient before the dentist comes in to discuss treatment. The dentist will answer questions using the slides for reference or they can send the patient to your website to watch the video again on their own time. Now, that’s quick and efficient chairside communication!

But you know what? We’re also hearing about other innovative ways that dentists and office managers are using patient education to help them and their patients. We’d like to tell you about them:

Supporting Staff

Optio Dentistry helps hygienists explain how to brush, floss and properly care for your teeth. It also helps dental assistants and office managers explain procedures in a clear and consistent way. However, if staff aren’t familiar with the videos, they won’t take advantage of these great resources.

That’s why Dr. Robert Clark, the founder of DrQuickLook, sends the videos home with staff members and quizzes them when they come back into the office the next day. He’s found that having staff familiar with the video content encourages them to use them more often with patients.

Educating Family Members

LLM Dental in New York, N.Y. uses the patient education videos on their website to share information with family members:

"We had an elderly patient that required a new bridge. Her son called with many questions … it was so much easier to direct him to our website. We looked at the video together and I was able to explain exactly what Mom was having done … love these videos!!" Caralyn Levy, Office Manager, LLM Dental

Family members can’t always attend appointments with their loved ones. Having these patient education resources available on your website makes it easy to communicate with them about upcoming procedures.

Entertaining Patients in the Waiting Room

Dr. Neil Gajjar in Mississauga, O.N. has a little trick up his sleeve to entertain patients – a room full of public-use iPads just off the waiting room. Every iPad has Optio Dentistry patient education installed on it, so patients can browse through treatment options and dental hygiene videos while they wait. Children can watch puppet shows about visiting the dentist and find out what to expect before they see the dentist … or they can destroy Plaque Bugs by playing the Sugar Mountain game directly on Dr. Gajjar’s website.

These are some really creative ways to use Optio Dentistry … Now we want to hear from you! Tell us how you’re using Optio Dentistry in the comments section.