Virtual Hygienist
Are you in the dental profession and worry that you are not giving your patients enough advice around dental disease prevention?
Are you constantly feeling like there just isn’t enough time to get all the messages across without overwhelming your patient?
Or perhaps you think your patient isn’t interested, maybe you feel like you’re always nagging them and nothing you say is being heard anyway?
Or perhaps you just HATE giving oral hygiene instruction!
BUT, you know how important it is, you know that if they learnt to brush their teeth properly they wouldn’t need to keep coming back with new or secondary caries – that beautiful composite you did is now failing and the tooth needs a crown? How disappointing, for you and the patient. And deep down you know that this was preventable, but finding the time and energy to get your patient interdental cleaning just seems so impossible.
Do you worry that one day the GDC will catch up with you? They’ll know you aren’t educating your patients well enough around prevention, but how do you fit it all in? You have an ever-extending list full of patients waiting to see you, your nurse is tapping her foot looking at her watch wondering why you’re not working quicker and your patient is just so keen to leave the surgery you let it go, you don’t tell them how important it is to rinse not spit with their toothpaste!
Or perhaps you’re fed up of having to ‘scale and polish’ on the NHS when you know your patient really would benefit from seeing the hygienist, but the patient doesn’t get it! They don’t see the value of seeing the hygienist when you can do it ‘for free’.
I get it! And I can help.
Sarah-Joy Lendon
After years of working in dentistry I’ve seen it all and I understand that sometimes providing the preventative piece for your patients just feels like a chore, you don’t get paid for it, your patients don’t seem to listen anyway, and quite frankly you’re bored by it and just want to get on with the clinical treatment.
I am Sarah-Joy Lendon, a Dental Therapist, Dental Hygienist, Oral Health Educator, previously a Dental Nurse and now, The Virtual Hygienist. I have been in dentistry for over 25years and in that time have worked in many different dental settings, from high end Harley Street practices, to Community Dental and the Prison Service, and it really doesn’t matter where I work as the problems are always the same. And, my patients? They always make the same comments… ‘but why has nobody ever told me this before?’
I love giving dental health education! I love helping patients understand how their oral health is connected to their general health and I love helping them to achieve great results. I love it when they can feel the difference in their own mouth and the confidence that gives them.
I also love looking into a clean and healthy mouth where I can fully see the teeth and restorations and properly assess if anything else needs doing. I love restoring the teeth when the gums are healthy and there is no plaque and bleeding affecting my moisture control!
You can achieve this with your patients too.
The Virtual Hygienist has been set up so your patients can access all the preventative advice in a format that is easy to access away from the pressures of your surgery, freeing up your precious time and energy whilst also giving your patient the opportunity to really digest and implement the information.
The Virtual Hygienist is perfect for patients who are undergoing treatment with you but can not access a hygienist, for whatever reason, maybe fear and anxiety? Maybe they don’t seem to understand the value? Or perhaps there is just no availability.
It’s also perfect for those that do see a hygienist but just never seem to improve their oral hygiene and keep returning with new disease. Having an appointment with me and having access to all the information they need, in a format that suits them, frees up your time/your hygienists time to focus on the clinical work whilst knowing you are not ignoring the repetitive and boring preventive piece.
This is perfect for those that need educating around periodontal disease and what treatment options are available to them, for those that need help understanding that dental disease is preventable! For those that need help deciding which oral hygiene aids to buy and how they should effectively use them.
By incorporating an appointment with The Virtual Hygienist into your treatment plan you can rest assured that your patient is receiving all the preventative advice they need, prior, during and after their treatment with you, reducing the amount of time they need to spend in your chair whilst you explain this stuff to them, but also knowing you are ticking all the boxes in terms of your commitment to providing that all important dental health education and oral hygiene advice.
So, how do your patients book and what will they receive?
Booking an appointment is simple, give your patient this link and they will be directed to a booking page where they can pay either by card or paypal, they will then have access to my calendar where they can book themselves a video call appointment with myself. What’s more, recommending through Your Dentist Recommends means you will receive a commission on every patient who books an appointment.
During this appointment I will be able to assess and advise accordingly, obviously I will not be able to clinically diagnose or treat during a virtual appointment and I will only be able to advise within my scope of practice as a dental hygienist and dental therapist, but your patient will have the opportunity to talk through their specific problems and concerns. After the appointment they will have access to an online portal containing a series of videos covering periodontal disease, caries, sensitivity and tooth wear, choosing oral hygiene aids and how to use them. Your patient will have lifetime access to the videos so they can be viewed in their own space and at their own pace, and they can be referred back to time and time again.
My aim is to give everybody the opportunity to improve the health of their own mouth in a format that is easy and accessible for our patients but also frees up your time and energy as a clinician.
You can send information and recommend booking an appointment to your patient using the Your Dentist Recommends website (you will have to be registered with them in order to send my link to your patient - This process is really simple and only takes a minute or two). You can find their website by clicking the button below.
Here’s what others are saying:
I loved the videos by Sarah-Joy, her enthusiasm and clarity when explaining the different aspects of oral health really did help me to look after my teeth and gums at home. To be honest, when I’m sitting in the chair after having a treatment with my hygienist, I find it difficult to listen as I’m spitting out the mouthwash! I've found it so useful to be able to watch back the videos at home, and I have already noticed an improvement with my gums that must be due to my improved flossing technique that I learned from Sarah-Joy.
MICHAEL
Oh yes, I know all this already as I’ve been watching Sarah’s videos.
PATIENT SPEAKING TO A DENTIST
I thought the videos were really good Sarah. I went and bought some tepees with the long handles yesterday, much easier for my tiny mouth!!
CATHARINE
The videos are so useful. You’re very clear and easy to understand. Thank you.
FIONA
Really helpful, open to questions and has loads of knowledge.
Thanks very much Sarah. I’ve watched quite a few of your videos and found them really helpful.
LOUISE
Your videos are so professional Sarah, I never knew how to brush my teeth before. I’ve shown them to my daughter too so she can learn properly and not follow my bad example.
If you want your patients to experience these benefits, whilst also making your job easier, more rewarding and freeing your time and energy to spend on the clinical aspects of dentistry recommend The Virtual Hygienist to your patients.
SHARON