Award-winning orthodontic therapist Chrystal Sharp shares her top 10 tips for maximising your full potential and achieving success in the field.
After qualifying in 2012 with a diploma in orthodontic therapy from Warwick University, I have worked exclusively in private practice for both specialist orthodontists and general dentists.
As orthodontic therapists, we are a niche role within the DCP (dental care professional) sector with only around 1,022 registered orthodontic therapists to date. This is despite being an integral part of orthodontic workflow across private and NHS clinics that offer orthodontic treatment.
With both specialists and general dentists providing orthodontic treatment, utilising an orthodontic therapist offers huge potential in business growth if the workflow is set up efficiently and effectively.
Being an essential part of the patient journey, I’m always looking to enhance my daily practice by working to my top potential and utilising my full scope of practice. In turn, this can create more time in the prescribing clinician’s diary and accelerate business growth and profitability, therefore increasing remuneration.
Here are my top 10 tips for working to your full scope and securing a mutually beneficial agreement as an orthodontic therapist.
1. Confidence: working to a high standard
You should have confidence in carrying out all procedures in the orthodontic therapist scope of practice to a high standard, establishing any areas that you may need more support with or exposure to. You should also create a professional development plan to achieve this.
One example would be the placement of bonded retainers at this is less likely to be offered within the NHS as it is not within the funding for retention at the end of treatment.
2. Ambition: a drive to become better at what you do
Orthodontics and dentistry are constantly evolving. Therefore, staying ahead of the curve is essential.
Be willing to adapt and learn as the science, technology and equipment evolve. An example of this is the integration of digital scanners over taking impressions.
Establish areas within technology that can enhance your clinical practice by making a procedure more efficient. If your clinic doesn’t already offer it, an open conversation with your manager or principal could always lead to change.
3. Niche: finding enjoyment within your scope
Because orthodontics is as a specialised area of dentistry, as an orthodontic therapist, the scope of what we can provide along with the large amount of orthodontic appliances available on the market allows for variety within our clinical diary.
By formulating a list of the appliances you enjoy working with, you can create your niche and become a master of that skill.
Have a discussion with your prescribing dentist and see if more of this can be allocated into your diary. If there is a specific appliance you have an interest in but are not using, go back to your professional development plan.
4. Upskilling: adapting your skills to stand out
Your professional development plan is the core of achieving your full scope of practice. With the evolving world of technology, science and product development, you need to be ready and willing to adapt and refresh your skill set.
This can often be through self development, attending courses and, most importantly, working in like-minded clinics that are at the forefront of adopting the latest technology.
5. Autonomy: creating control of your clinical diary
As a clinician, we have a duty of care to provide the best service we can to our patients. Having discussions with management and the prescribing dentists about treatment times will allow us to provide this.
There are many factors to an appointment time and we should be able to adapt them as needed, perhaps requesting additional time to accommodate patients that have phobias or for particular appliances that take longer to fit. For example, a lingual appliance would usually take longer to fit than a buccal appliance.
6. Remuneration: recognising your worth
Remuneration is highly varied within our sector and dependent on location, experience and employment status.
Your remuneration should reflect your skills and experience. It’s common for other DCPs such as hygienists or dental therapists to work on a percentage.
Remuneration should also take into consideration your contribution.
For example, if you are upskilling to offer a more expensive appliance which in turn creates a larger profit for the clinic, or taking lead on upselling, eg offering retainer additions such as fixed retainers that are not included in the overall treatment package, then a discussion of incentivised commission or percentage could be a positive way to increase your remuneration.
7. Investment: honing your skills
The more clinical practice we have, the more polished our skills become. Investing time to learn by attending dental courses and expanding our skills and knowledge is key.
However, my top investment is a set of dental loupes which I have been using since qualifying. Enhancing the field of clinical vision allows the procedure to become more efficient with your work being precise, accurate and a higher standard overall.
The more investment you place on your clinical development, the more conversations you can have about the opportunity for pathways to extend your services. For example, you could offer consultations which will allow for practice growth and positive remuneration.
8. Support: create change and enhance your development
You should annually assess your personal development plan and request a time to sit with your practice manager and prescribing dentist to share this plan.
Having an open line of communication and situational understanding will ensure that you have the best opportunities and possibilities to achieve your development plan and allow discussions related to remuneration as associated.
You will then understand what areas of your development plan are in line with the practice development plan and growth, and what areas you may need to focus on additionally in your own time.
9. Variety maintaining the fundamentals
As an orthodontic therapist we are an integral part of the orthodontic journey. If we are encompassing our full scope of practice, we should be part of the patient journey from the start of their treatment to the end.
There is a risk of deskilling if we are only carrying out the same procedure, such as consecutive brace fitting appointments – I would personally avoid doing this.
Once we have honed our skills we can establish our niche, which may be to work in clinics that only offer one brace type, such as aligners, though the workflow should enhance our clinical practice, not demote.
10. Gratification: loving what you do
Finding fulfilment in your job will occur once you have become confident in the services you provide and feel appreciated.
This will come from a multitude of factors, such as having autonomy of your diary, aligning yourself within the right clinic, working within a like-minded team, establishing your niche and being remunerated accordingly.
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