Prioritize Hygiene Downtime Responsibilities
Patient-related tasks are always the first priority but it’s important to prioritize responsibilities for downtime in the hygiene team.
Hygienist-Only Tasks
- Assist additional hygienists with charting needs
- Provide anesthetic (where allowed) for the Doctor
- Complete chart notes for patients seen within the same day
- Confirm posted hygiene treatment matches treatment provided for the day
- Review charts for next day (outstanding restorative and periodontal treatment, periodontal charting, radiographs)
- Call outstanding periodontally-involved recare patients to schedule a hygiene appointment
- Make post-op calls for periodontal therapy patients treated within the week
- Assist in sterilization
- Manage hygiene instrument ordering system
- Oversee hygiene home-care aid supply ordering
- Sharpen instruments, including curettes on Doctor’s crown seat trays
- Manage hygiene quality control systems
Hygiene-Delegated Tasks
- Expose digital images (where allowed)
- Operatory set up/room turnover
- Polish/floss/home-care instructions (where allowed)
- Sterilization
- Restock operatories
- Equipment maintenance
- Maintain supply tag system
- Process new orders as they arrive, restock, and update the tag system