Ep 14: Hygiene Wages, Assisted Hygiene, Scaling Assistants, and the Future of Dental Teams

In this episode of Straight Up With Steph, I sit down with a fellow dental hygienist and entrepreneur Rachel Wall, who has built her own company dedicated to elevating hygiene teams and systems in dental practices. We dive into the importance of understanding the business side of dentistry, resolving the rising tension between practice owners and hygienists over wage increases, and how implementing new systems can be the solution both sides need. We also discuss the growing trend of assisted hygiene and the potential for dental assistants to be trained in scaling, along with how hygienists can stay curious, embrace change, and overcome resistance when introducing new protocols. As an international speaker, coach and owner of Inspired Hygiene, Rachelhas guided thousands of dental professionals to elevate their hygieneservices and systems while driving profits to the bottom line and developingempowered, engaged hygienists. Rachel draws from 30 years of experience as a hygiene profitability coach and clinical hygienist to deliver to-the-point interactive workshops and coaching programs. She is a past recipient of the Dental Excellence Award from DrBicuspid.com for “Most Effective Dental Hygienist Educator” and has been named one of the Top 25 Women in Dentistry by Dental Products Report. Her book “Return on Hygiene” has been called the Hygiene Benchmark Bible and used by dentists all over North America to uncover the true potential of their hygiene teams.To watch on YouTube, click hereTo connect with Rachel:WebsiteInstagramFacebookEmailTimestamps:00:00 - Introduction 2:18 - The Importance of Business Metrics & Hygiene Wages 5:24 - Increased Hygiene Wages Drives Conflict 8:10 - How Hygienists Can Be Part of the Solution 11:22 - Changing the Way We Think About Perio 16:29 - How to Fit It All In 19:13 - Starting New Systems 24:20 - Assisted Hygiene and Training Programs 29:53 - Training Assistants as Hygienists? 34:24 - How Hygienists Can Be Open to Change 36:16 - How to Overcome Resistance 42:54 - How to Connect with Rachel Send me a message, I’d love to hear from you! Click here for Christmas In July Sale!(code: POLISH150 FOR $150 off cordless polishers)  To connect with me: 🦷Polished Posture Club➡️Instagram💻My Website📨Email: [email protected] 💌Newsletter signup