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The Clear Perspective Podcast with Valerie Dangler

Dec 10, 2021
 

I learned a lot from Valerie Dangler in this episode!
Learn how to stop making these mistakes with your hygienists, learn how to inspire them, and start doing more Invisalign!

Get in touch with Valerie!
LinkedIn: Valerie Dangler, RDH, BSDH - CEO | Founder - ValDENT Solutions | LinkedIn

Instagram: @valerie_rdh

 


Allison: Happy Thursday, everyone. And welcome to the clear perspective. I have with me. One of my dear friends, Invisalign faculty members, and just all around. Amazing, amazing person, educator. Um, and again, dear friend, Valerie Dangler. How are you today?

Valerie: Good morning. I'm doing great. How are you? Allison?

Allison: I'm so good.

And we're coming from like opposite ends of north America in Bermuda. You're in Arizona. So we're here spanning the continent. I'm super excited to have you on today.

Valerie: I'm excited to be here. Thanks so much for having me.

Allison: It's my pleasure. So we're going to dig in right away and we're going to be talking about some really valuable points on some of the mistakes that you're making with your hygiene team, because Valerie, as you guys are going to learn and find out very soon is an expert in everything, hygiene and clear aligners and lasers, so many things.

Um, so we're going to dive into that right away and we're going to learn how to stop making mistakes with our hygienists, how to empower and inspire our hygienists, and then how to start doing more clear aligners. Today. So Valerie, I want to let you share your story because I feel like it's a very, very powerful story on how you really came into the industry, um, and where you are today.

So I'm just going to let you tell everyone where you're from. How did you get to where you're, what you're doing today?

Valerie: Sure. So, um, I'm Valerie Dangler. I am a dental hygienist by license. Um, I began in dentistry, gosh, 28 years ago now. Um, and I can say that cause my son was in diapers and he's 28 come up to this last October.

So, um, I love dentistry. I love dental hygiene. Um, but I started in really, I've done every role, the practice I started as a dental assistant, um, assisting doctors chair side, um, and then I quickly moved and helped out at the front office, eventually rolled into an office management role while I was taking my pre-recs to go to hygiene school.

So finally got into hygiene school and loved it. The, the clinical side got back on the clinical side and, um, always wanted, you know, I always wanted to do more, do more, do more. So then I went back to school, um, uh, to further my education and, uh, became a hygiene educator. So I taught dental hygiene for several years here and in Arizona.

And, um, and then from there, you know, I started to expand and I would, I was, um, asked to come support a group of hygienists for a large group practice in Arizona. So I had 42 practices that I oversaw in the Arizona territory in 67 hygienists, many that I'd be able to bring on as my former students. So that was a lot of fun.

Um, but. You know, my role with them was to help be a mentor, help provide them with training, um, development, recruiting, and really be that mentor and that support system. Um, so they could, you know, do their day to day because as we know, you know, working in dentistry while we all love it, it's a very hard job.

It's mental and it's physical. And, um, you know, so, um, to have a support system, that's what I was there for them is to, is to really help with their training development, their support. So here I am today, fast forward now, 10 years. Since that role, um, moved to Georgia. Uh, took on some other operations roles with, with the company and, um, have been continued to educating and speaking over the last decade.

Um, as Allison said, part faculty, uh, with, uh, Align technology. Um, I'm huge on technology love technology. Um, especially that's one of the things that I know helps me as you say, help, you know, meet logged in a stream, empowers me to stay as a dental hygienist, um, and stay licensed in breeze. Um, is because of the technology that I'm able to use today.

Um, and just really the advancement. I mean, there's, hasn't been a better time, um, in the last 28 years that I've seen that it is today, um, in dentistry and specifically in hygiene with the utilization of technology of, you know, I've been using lasers now 18 years, um, utilizing the Itero scan and the upgrades that they keep getting just gets better and better and better.

So it makes my job easier. Um, when I'm able to, you know, Project off to the patients, um, and let them see, um, what I'm trying to, uh, you know, trying to tell them. Um, and so again, having the, the technology, um, has just been a big piece of what I do. And, and, and as an educator, when I speak around the country, so

Allison: I love it

I love it. I love your story. And I think it's so powerful that you've done every single role in the practice. And now you're helping empower, inspire, um, systemize and teach other hygienists really how to kind of do what you did on your own so many years ago and by yourself. And so now you get to help other people be able to be empowered or inspired.

And so that's the question I have for you is what really is, what does it mean to be an empowered hygienist? And why do we want our hygienists to be empowered?

Valerie: Well, I can tell you even just, I mean, I'm going to talk today, right? As of late, a lot has happened in the last year and a half. And, um, you know, like I said, dentistry has been hard already with going with, um, offices and our doctors having to deal with, you know, PPO plans, reduced fee schedules, and, and sometimes our hygienists are put into this.

Rat case, you know, or this hamster wheel effect up probing prophy, prophy, prophy. But we know that that is not the case. Sometimes, you know, we'll, I'll get into a practice and they think, oh, the more patients that we can cram into the schedule, the better. Um, but really it's about providing our patients with the care that they need.

And the quality. And when that goes hand in hand with becoming an empowered hygienist is, gosh, it can mean so many things. So first and foremost, I, I, I really wish for all my all hygienists, all my peers, all my colleagues, um, to feel empowered in their practices every day to feel that they can. Go if they're on this hamster wheel and they are getting burnout, that they go have the conversation with their doctors or their team leaders with their management team, because truly if they get the training and the development and they're treating the patient comprehensively, their production is gonna be

so much greater. And so the doctor's going to be happier. He's making more money. The patient's going to get the care that they need. Um, and the hygienist is going to get the time that they need to be the, provide the empowered provider that they should.

Allison: Oh, I love that. Oh my gosh. Okay. So a power empowered hygienist is an empowered provider.

So if you are interested, like we, I think all doctors asked this question to me as I go into their practice consultant. I'm sure you get the same question is how do I increase hygiene production? And from your answer it's to empower your hygienists, to comprehensibly care for their patient.

Valerie: A hundred percent. I mean, if, if, again, if we're just, we're missing the links on so many things, you know, our patients get, I know the time is the thing that we always say, but they truly get the most time with us.

Right. So we are the ones that are able to help our doctors diagnose when we're looking at airway, sleep, breathing problems, um, you know, oral cancer screening. Periodontal screenings as well as we do. There's so much that we do. And the short amount of time that we're given, um, that really helps us encapsulate the patient as a whole person.

Um, not just flick and pick and scale the teeth and send them on their way. There's so much more that we can do with the oral systemic health now. Um, and then also setting up our, our patient today and my hygiene chair, my patients. Is also going to be my patient in my doctor's chair. So if I'm not taking the time to help co-diagnose and engage my patient into their oral health care and their overall health, you know, they're going to come in for just, just their free cleaning that their insurance pays for and be on their way.

But if they see us as an empowered healthcare professionals that we are, and we're able to provide them with the services and the care, um, they're going to go, they're going to trust us. They're going to value what we say, and they're going to move forward with the treatment that we recommend.

Allison: A hundred percent.

I love that. And I wholeheartedly believe in that process, that system of comprehensive care, um co-diagnosis and it does, it makes a huge difference in a practice. So let me ask you this. Like, what if we have a doctor watching this right now or an office manager and they're like, that sounds nice, Valerie, but like how, how do we make this happen?

Like w what does even like the steps to start? So how does a practice support their hygienists to be that empowered provider, um, in their practice today?

Valerie: Well, I can tell you, you know, for them to support their hygienist is really just to engage with their hygienists and provide them adequate training. Right.

So it's all comes back to training. Um, but we gotta figure it first, figure out where, where the is at the hygienist, you know, listen to them, find out what, what it is that they need. Um, and just have that conversation. One of the things I do is we go into practices and I'm sure you do as well. Allison is I look at metrics.

I look at KPIs because the numbers tell me a story. Right. And so I can see a story by looking at the data and then, and then obviously sit down with each individual and hear from them. What is it that they need? Where is it that they're struggling? And then that way we can develop a plan that is going to empower them and get them on the right track.

Allison: I love that. I love that. And so what, what KPIs are you looking at typically when it comes to hygiene production, hygiene numbers? Like what do you, what, what story do you want to see when you're going to these practices?

Valerie: Yeah, so hygiene particularly, um, if we're just looking at clinical metrics, um, I look at all the, the, the KPIs that a hygienist can perform as a clinical comprehensive.

Care provider. Right? So I look at what their period percentages, but I, you know, anything under their periodontal. Um, I look under their prevention because you know, we are also prevention specialists. So what are we, you know, are we taking scans? Are we, um, you talking about periods risk assessment. Are you using flooring therapy in the practice?

Are we providing our patients with sealants. Um, you know, so, um, looking at perio prevention and then also treatment advocacy for our doctors looking at, you know, is there outstanding treatment? Have we had the clear, the conversation around their treatment needs? Um, you know, as, you know, being a part of align faculty, um, or so one-on-one is extremely important to me.

Um, you know, and I was really blessed and lucky that when I was a baby hygienist, 20 plus years ago, that I had a doctor that invested in me. He invested in my education. He invested in my training and to this day, every time I see him, I still say thank you because, um, I sat in courses with him while he was learning about sleep apnea 20 years ago.

I sat, you know, I sat in those courses when we had a, when we learned about expansion and what that does for our patients and why, um, you know, clear aligners now is just a big piece of. Um, a lot of the practices that I work in. Um, and it's because of that training and again, it's it's um, so I'm so thankful that I have the doctor that invested in me and I could only, um, you know, pray that there are hygienists out there that

connect with your doctors, show them, look, if you, if you get the training that I need, here's how I can perform. And the numbers will come. The money will come. It is the best investment you can do is invest in your team.

Allison: This is such a theme that I've been listening to and hearing in the last few weeks, like we've been having a lot of conversations about team, um, with my, the people that I'm interviewing on the clear perspective, because it's such a problem in the industry right now, and everyone's searching for answers and it's interesting

that was like you and I both have had doctors invest in us from, I was a baby dental assistant and I was being invested in and brought to all these courses and like, look where it's taken us. It took me to be a very high-producing dental assistant in a very busy practice. It took you to being a very high producing dental hygienist.

And now we're teaching team members how to, how to perform the way that we did. But I think that's the key that's really important. And if doctors are listening to this. Investing in your team because they will, you know, become the providers that you want them to, um, when you invest that time, energy and that care and the skills to be able to perform to a level that you want.

So I really appreciate that you said that. And I got goosebumps actually, while I was thinking about it, because I do, I appreciate my doctors so much for helping me kind of get to where I am today as well. Um, so kind of switching gears when it comes to Clare liners, like you and I are. Probably w two of the biggest clear liner nerds in the world, like when we get together over, just like, yeah, let's talk about, um, what is the biggest mistake a doctor can like make when it comes to wanting to do more clear aligners starting clear aligners in their practice when it comes to their hygiene team.

Valerie: So a lot of times we'll see, you know, and we see this out at, um, you know, speaking events and things like that, where doctors are coming, they want to learn more about clear aligners and they want to be a part of the, you know, the Invisalign, you know, they, they know that they need to be a part of it. Right.

They get up, they better get on that way, but the rings are going to be behind the times. So, um, but unfortunately they don't bring the team. And, and that's, again, the theme that we're talking about, and with hygiene specifically with your question with hygiene specifically, again, it starts in hygiene.

It starts most of the time as a dental hygienist, I'm already diagnosing, having the conversations, showing the patient, the signs, symptoms, the wear on their teeth of fractions, whatever it may be. So I'm already pointing that out and I'm having those conversations and I'm already talking to them about the benefits of clear aligner therapy and how we can help, correct that problem that they're having before the doctor even comes in.

You know, in hygiene school, we're not taught a lot about ortho. We are. I mean, we're really talk about the English classification, overjet overbite, and that's it. And basically the doc, you know, our, our instructors come over, the doctors will come over and be like, okay, did you get that right? Is it a class one class, two class three over by overjet.

And we get checked off. And is it now what? Right? Now, what we do with that, there's nothing. Right? So, so again, investing in the hygienists because it is the hygienist, that's going to be able to spend the most time actually in the mouth looking and finding the clues, finding the, you know, seeing the, the recession, when the patients are jumping, seeing the infractions, seeing the wear on the teeth, seeing when, when the knee they've got narrow arches and.

I start asking questions, you know, are you snoring at night? You know, so, so again, we are the first line of defense because we have the most time with the patients. And so it is a miss. It is a miss if we're not training hygiene. And I can tell you for hygienists to really be empowered in this day. Um, as I was mentioned earlier, this is just one thing that you add to your tool belt, right?

This is just one thing that goes beyond. Flicking and picking and just doing prophys all day, because we're so much more than that. And, you know, like I said, I mean with technology, I'm just so blessed that I'm able to hit a lot of it, you know, with, you know, utilization of lasers I use. Um, and then utilization of, of identifying, you know, my ortho cases and scanning.

It's that's what keeps me in it. That's why I'm the nerd that I am. Right. I mean, people will say like, Valerie, you were such a nerd and I am, but that's because I love it. But that's also because I have these tools and this technology and the training that I've been so blessed to get. So definitely training.

Allison: Exactly. And that's what I see too. So, so often when I go into my practices, doctors will be like my hygienist isn't scanning. I've asked them to scan. They're not scanning. And I'm like, How have they been trained to scan? They're like, well, they watched a video or like they did it with the rep one time. Like, no, no, you have to help them be confident.

And. That's what I think is important for everyone to know is like, you know, why don't we want to do something? Why is it that we don't want to take the extra five minutes to take a scan? Well probably be because it probably won't take you five minutes if you've never done it before, or why don't we want to talk about something like clear aligners or airway or lasers it's because we've probably not felt confident enough to do that.

Help your hygiene team be confident and they will, you know, take those tools like you said, in the tool belt and just talk to the patients about them because they understand why and they understand how so. I love that. I think it's so important.

Valerie: I always say clinical competence. Um, we'll come when they feel competent.

Um, and again, this is from my, my experience as a hygienist, right. And I there's been times where I've been in a practice, I'm working with a patient and you know, the water bottle wasn't full and I had to stop and go unscrew the water bottle. Say I'll be right back and come back. And I could see that my patients like would look at me like you're not prepared for me today.

And as little and, and silly as that sounds, you know, I felt like, oh wow. He might, he felt, it feels that I'm incompetent because I didn't have this ready or I didn't have this out. You know? So that's one thing I've learned is always being ready before my patients come in. We never want to train on a patient.

We never want to look like we don't know what we're doing because that just ruins our confidence. So I always practice anytime we're in practice, we practice on each other. We practice on the team. Um, so that way we build those verbal skills. We build up that competency to where, when we're with our patients, it's like tying our shoes.

It's just a no brainer.

Allison: Exactly. And I remember when I, I took three months off of clinical practice and I went on a little bit of a hiatus, like five years into my clinical, um, you know, workflow. And I took three months off. And during that time, the practice had purchased an iTero. And I had never scanned.

And I walked back into the practices, the Invisa leader, you know, ready to do all of the Invisalign things. And I had a patient in the chair and I needed to scan. And I remember sweating because I didn't want to look silly. I didn't want to look like, I didn't know what I was doing. I'm the Invisa leader.

Like, how am I not knowing how to use the iTero? And so I will never forget that feeling. And that's one of the feelings that I help, you know, team members and you help team members overcome is to feel confident so that they can do their job really. Yep. Love that. So tell me, um, if doctors are watching right now and they want to take their clear aligners to the next level in 2022 they want to finish the year strong.

They want to just like think of strategies to do more Invisalign, more clear aligners in their practice this next year. What would you, what tips would you give them that they could implement in their practice? You know, before the end of the year or early next year

Valerie: Well, first and foremost, they need to call it Allison Lacoursiere.

Um,

um, but yeah, it really, it, you know, I think it's just, you know, finding out, you know, where the, the links, if they want to do more, there's, there's always opportunity to do more, right. I mean, always, so we need to find out what's working well, and then where can we improve? And typically you're gonna find that within the team, um, it could be even.

You know, it could be even something in the practice that small that your patients, maybe they don't even know that you've implemented clear aligners in your practice because you're not letting them know you're not marketing it internally externally. So you've got to first take a deep dive like what's working well in the practice.

Um, training development, look at your marketing, look at how your, how your front office is answering the phone. You know, that's a big miss. I see. When I go into practices too, if, uh, someone calls and says, do you do. Do Invisalign in your practice and they say yes. And then they say, well, how much is it? And you say it's $5,000.

Okay. Thank you. Click right. You got to have some different ways to, um, bring patients in, um, to get those consults so you can do more too. So I, I kind of look at those systems as a whole.

Allison: I love that. It's I love that you said first, like, look, what's going well, because that typically shows, like, if you can focus on more of that, you'll, you're going to see more results and then see where the opportunities that we're missing.

It's so good. I think you are such a genius. You're such a bright light. I think the industry is so, so lucky to have you, so I want to thank you. Being here today. And I want to finish up with asking just one more question. I know, um, I honestly could just pick your brain on everything in dentistry for hours.

Um, but I want to finish up with one final question and that is what is your definition of success when it comes to your zone of genius in dentistry?

Valerie: When it comes to my zone of genius. Is that what you said? Yeah, that's cute. Um, gosh, my success, my, okay. So success for me, um, is really knowing that the people that I work with, um are happy, Um, I see again, I think about what's happened the last year and a half and prior to COVID hygienists were burnout, but, you know, with what we're seeing with the staffing issues around the country, um, and you know, it was, uh, it was an, I think it was just the tip of iceberg.

For some of my peers and colleagues and, um, so success means so many things, but I think right now, one of the things that I, um, I really loved to do is empower hygienists to be the best that they can be. So they love blobs. I really want them to wake up every day, loving what they're doing, not being there and being burnt out and just clocking in, clocking out, going home back to why you became a hygienist in the first place.

I got into this because we got into healthcare and we got into healthcare. Cause why? We have heart. Right? So get back to that. Find that passion. Um, you got to have the passion, you got to love what you do and if you don't that's okay, then there's something out there for you that you'll find that you'll love.

But whatever you do, find out what you do in love it. To me, that's success. And then of course working with clients, their success is different, but that's my success.

Allison: Ah, that's so good. And it's, it truly is. I think if you have happy hygienists, you will have productive hygienists.

Valerie: Yeah. And you'll have happy patients. And I mean, again, it's happy team, right?

So it's getting back to the why and, and, um, be happy with what you do every day. It's hard work. I'm not saying it's easy. We all know it's hard work, but at the end of the day, we love what we do. It's why I'm doing it.

Allison: Exactly. Yes, you are an inspiration. You are such an inspiration. And like, I, the thing I love the most is that you really like walk your talk, you go into practices and you consult and you coach, but you also can go in and be that hygienist that has all of these tools in their tool belt and just lead the way, um, really by example.

So I want to honor you for that. And if you can just let anybody know where they can find you afterwards, if they need your support in their hygiene departments, where can they find you?

Valerie: Absolutely Allison and they can find me on Instagram. Of course. Um, so Valerie underscore RDH and they can message me there.

Allison: Amazing. Thank you so much for joining me today. It was so good to see you safe travels today, and I hope to see you guys soon. Thank you so much.

Valerie: Safe travels. Bye bye.

 

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