• DVM360_Conference_Charlotte,NC_banner
  • ACVCACVC
  • DVM 360
  • Fetch DVM 360Fetch DVM 360
DVM 360
dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care
dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care
By Role
AssociatesOwnersPractice ManagerStudentsTechnicians
Subscriptions
dvm360 Newsletterdvm360 Magazine
News
All News
Association
Breaking News
Conference Coverage
Education
Equine
FDA
Law & Ethics
Market Trends
Medical
Politics
Products
Recalls
Regulatory
Digital Media
dvm360 LIVE!™
Expert Interviews
The Vet Blast Podcast
Medical World News
Pet Connections
The Dilemma Live
Vet Perspectives™
Weekly Newscast
dvm360 Insights™
Publications
All Publications
dvm360
Firstline
Supplements
Vetted
Clinical
All Clinical
Anesthesia
Animal Welfare
Behavior
Cardiology
CBD in Pets
Dentistry
Dermatology
Diabetes
Emergency & Critical Care
Endocrinology
Equine Medicine
Exotic Animal Medicine
Feline Medicine
Gastroenterology
Imaging
Infectious Diseases
Integrative Medicine
Nutrition
Oncology
Ophthalmology
Orthopedics
Pain Management
Parasitology
Pharmacy
Surgery
Toxicology
Urology & Nephrology
Virtual Care
Business
All Business
Business & Personal Finance
Hospital Design
Personnel Management
Practice Finances
Practice Operations
Wellbeing & Lifestyle
Continuing Education
Conferences
Conference Listing
Conference Proceedings
Resources
CBD in Pets
CE Requirements by State
Contests
Veterinary Heroes
Partners
Spotlight Series
Team Meeting in a Box
Toolkit
Top Recommended Veterinary Products
Vet to Vet
  • Contact Us
  • Fetch DVM360 Conference
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy
  • Do Not Sell My Information
  • About Us

© 2023 MJH Life Sciences and dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care. All rights reserved.

Advertisement
By Role
  • Associates
  • Owners
  • Practice Manager
  • Students
  • Technicians
Subscriptions
  • dvm360 Newsletter
  • dvm360 Magazine
  • Contact Us
  • Fetch DVM360 Conference
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy
  • Do Not Sell My Information
  • About Us
  • MJHLS Brand Logo

© 2023 MJH Life Sciences™ and dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinarian Insights, Medicine, Pet Care. All rights reserved.

Polish your clients' dental compliance

May 1, 2006

Use these strategies to promote dental health year-round.

Creating chatter about great dental health starts with your practice team. And one way to drive home the benefit of regular dental prophys is to offer them to your staff members' pets, says Veterinary Economics Hospital Management Editor Mark Opperman, CVPM.

"At one hospital I consulted with, the doctors gave all employees' pets dental prophys in January. Suddenly team members could see and smell the advantages of appropriate dental care, so they were great advocates during National Pet Dental Health Month in February," Opperman says. "The veterinary practice more than doubled its usual number of dental services."

That's a big win for pet health when you consider that periodontal disease affects nearly 80 percent of all cats and dogs over the age of 3. And clearly, giving team members personal experience with a service is a great way to arm them for client education. Also consider these strategies to stress the importance of dental care:

Advertisement

• Display before-and-after photos of pets that underwent dental prophys. Clients will see firsthand what a difference a cleaning makes.

• Try a personal approach with your clients. Opperman says, "Ask, 'How would you feel if you hadn't brushed your teeth in five years?'"

• Provide your clients with educational materials such as vendor brochures with pictures of periodontal disease stages. Then ask clients to grade their pets' teeth.

• Suggest dental procedures when the pet will be anesthetized for other procedures. "Chances are, a client will continue professional dental care throughout the pet's lifetime after the first procedure," says Dr. Ronald Whitford, owner of St. Bethlehem Animal Clinic in Clarksville, Tenn. "So recommend a dental prophy when you schedule a spay or neuter, remove growths, or perform another surgery."

• Give clients payment options. If you think the cost of care could be holding clients back, Dr. Whitford suggests you tell clients about other options, including pet health insurance, medical credit cards, and bundled services for preventive or expensive procedures.

• Send clients home with a toothbrush, toothpaste, and home-care instructions. A technician can demonstrate brushing techniques on a hospital pet or a dental model.

Target pets that need care

You'll also want to set up your computer system so you can track all clients whose pets need dentals. Target clients whose pets are older than 4 or 5 years and visited within the last year but didn't receive a dental prophy, Opperman says.

When it comes to cost, be upfront with your clients. Dr. Whitford hands out a dental prophy admitting form that clearly communicates the estimate. Plus, it helps team members gather a thorough patient history and educate owners about additional services, such as a nail trimming or flea preventive. Lastly, this tool educates owners about preanesthetic testing and serves as a consent form.

Related Content:

Client Relations & Marketing
Treating patients with spectrum of care in mind
Treating patients with spectrum of care in mind
 BluePrints Veterinary Marketing Group awarded 2 Gold VETTY Awards
BluePrints Veterinary Marketing Group awarded 2 Gold VETTY Awards
3 tips for marketing veterinary dental services
3 tips for marketing veterinary dental services

Advertisement

Latest News

Jaguar undergoes anesthesia to determine cause of appetite loss

New online course for veterinary business at UC Davis

Xylazine moves from the stables to the streets

DEA reports widespread threat of fentanyl mixed with xylazine

View More Latest News
Advertisement