Ep 151 - Is your veterinary dental practice built on quality care or just cleaning teeth?

In the second part of this insightful series, Dr. Brett Beckman, a board-certified veterinary dentist, continues his conversation with Annie Mills, LVT, VTS (Dentistry). They discuss actionable steps for building or improving a dental service in general veterinary practices, even when resources and equipment are still in development. The focus remains on education, team building, and fostering a quality-over-quantity approach for exceptional patient care.     Guest Information: Host: Dr. Brett Beckman, DVM, FAVD, DAVDC, DAAPM Guest: Annie Mills, LVT, VTS (Dentistry) Veterinary Technician Specialist with extensive expertise in dental care. Educator offering live, virtual, and on-demand courses tailored for veterinarians and technicians.     Main Talking Points: 1. Building a Dental Practice Without Full Resources: Education First: Encourage staff to attend seminars (live, virtual, and online) to build a strong foundation of knowledge. Form a Dedicated Dental Team: Identify passionate team members (ideally 2-3 technicians and 2 veterinarians). Invest in continuing education for this small, focused team. Prepare for Equipment Integration: Train on key skills like dental x-rays, pathology recognition, and nerve blocks in advance. 2. Recruiting and Retaining Skilled Staff: Utilize the VTS Network: Leverage the growing community of Veterinary Technician Specialists (VTS) in Dentistry. Access resources through the Academy of Veterinary Dental Technicians (ABDT.us) to find qualified candidates. Promote Specialized Credentials: Highlight VTS expertise in marketing to demonstrate advanced care. 3. Learning from Experience: Key Lesson: Dental x-rays are indispensable for comprehensive care. Early pathology detection prevents unnecessary suffering and improves outcomes. Cautionary Tale: Practices operating without dental x-rays often miss critical issues, resulting in poor patient quality of life. 4. Overcoming Challenges in Dentistry Services: Quality Over Quantity: Start with no more than 2-3 patients per day to ensure thorough assessment and treatment. Patient Scheduling Tips: Avoid scheduling multiple periodontal cases in one day. Gradually scale up as team efficiency improves. Practice-wide Buy-In: Have conversations with managers and owners to ensure proper time allocation and support for dentistry cases. 5. Encouragement for General Practices: Take the pressure off by focusing on providing quality care. Recognize that building a successful dentistry service is a gradual process that requires dedication and teamwork.     Key Quotes: "Dentistry is one of those services that just can't be rushed." – Annie Mills "It's about quality, not quantity. Three patients a day is a great starting point." – Annie Mills "Without dental x-rays, we're leaving patients to suffer in silence." – Annie Mills     Episode Timeline: 00:00-04:00: Preparing for dentistry services with limited resources. 04:00-08:00: Identifying and training the dental team. 08:00-12:00: Recruiting VTS-trained technicians and their impact. 12:00-18:00: Lessons learned and the value of dental x-rays. 18:00-22:00: Addressing challenges and adopting a quality-first mindset. 22:00-28:00: Encouragement and actionable advice for general practices.     Key Takeaways: Education: Prioritize staff training before investing in equipment. Team Focus: Build a small, passionate dental team for maximum efficiency. X-Ray Integration: Use dental x-rays to detect early pathology and improve care. Gradual Scaling: Start with a manageable caseload and grow as skills improve. Practice Support: Secure management and owner buy-in for proper time allocation.     Learn More: Explore the Veterinary Dental Practitioners Program: https://ivdi.org/inv Keywords: Veterinary dentistry education, Building a dental team, Veterinary x-ray importance, VTS dental technicians, Quality dental care tips.