At-home patient regime recommendations achieve better oral hygiene

At-home patient regime recommendations achieve better oral hygiene

Marissa Bell, Sulaman Anwar and Anna Middleton explain how they utilise product recommendations to help patients achieve better oral health outcomes.

Customised home dental hygiene recommendations form an essential part of post treatment aftercare. In an ideal world patients should leave the practice armed with the knowledge and, when possible, the tools they need to maintain good oral health.

This is not an ideal world however. Statistics on the percentage of dental patients in the UK who fail to adhere to aftercare recommendations are limited, but studies indicate that patient understanding and application of dental advice varies significantly.

A study reported in Dentistry showed that a third of oral health professionals consistently provide preventative care advice, however adherence depends on so many factors including patient education and the availability of follow-up support​. NHS England reports that general trends show that while most patients value dental health guidance, barriers such as time constraints for practitioners, limited follow-up, and patient misconceptions about care often hinder adherence to recommendations. 

Product recommendations

Giving patients product recommendations in practice along with personal guidance should be an essential part of their treatment journey. Dr Marissa Bell, Dr Sulaman Anwar and Anna Middleton actively provide bathroom cabinet staples such as dental floss and interdental brushes, as well as the latest in oral hygiene technology such as electric toothbrushes and power flossers.

‘I provide oral hygiene starter packs for all my patients bespoke to their orthodontic appliance. For instance, I recommend a Sonicare toothbrush and two different types of interdental brush for patients with fixed appliances.’
Marissa Bell
Orthodontist

Dr Bell also touched on the education she delivers during and after appointments. She said: ‘I also give them specific, customised, oral hygiene instructions, both verbally in clinic with a demonstration, which is enforced via email – sending them videos.’

‘I recommend products because there are a few things I want my patients to focus on. An electric toothbrush is a very good starting point, but patients also need additional adjuncts, so I also recommend an interproximal brush – either a single or compact tuft that engages the distal of the molars in all four quadrants. I also recommend a power flosser, telling patients to dislodge large particles and then use the Power Flosser to flush out the bits they can’t get to with the brush.’
Sulaman Anwar
Periodontist

Dr Anwar added: ‘The other recommendation I make is brushing the gums, which I know you can with the new Sonicare toothbrush because it’s designed to adapt to the gum and not create trauma because it also has a very soft brush head. This isn’t possible with other electric toothbrushes.’

‘I think it’s really important to appreciate that one size does not fit all. We marry up products not only to patients’ oral hygiene needs, but also to their lifestyle, ability and preferences. For instance, I can’t keep saying ‘you need to floss and use interdental brushes’ if the patients aren’t using them. So I have to consider what else I can recommend.’
Anna Middleton
Dental hygienist and therapist

Anna Middleton continued: ‘For those patients who can’t or won’t floss I recommend a Power Flosser and then we discuss how they’re going to use it and how often; working with the patient to choose their own routine that’s going to meet their health needs. Also, I like to show patients the most up to date powered toothbrushes that meet their oral hygiene needs and budget.

‘I even advise on the preferred brush head that’s right for them. A lot of patients are worried about using an electric toothbrush because of their gum recession. I guide them and show them the brushes and sensitive heads available that offer the best clean and whitening.’

Closing the loop between recommendations and purchase

Philips recently embarked on a collaboration with FollowApp.Care to pilot an automated notification system to provide post-appointment follow-up. The pre-emptive technology checks how patients are feeling after their appointment and provides post-procedural advice – which includes the Philips products the clinician recommends for them, so that they can buy the right products with one click from a practice-branded website shop.

David Holmes, a dentist himself who founded FollowApp.Care commented: ‘Patients want to follow their dentist’s recommendations, they just want an easy way to do so. They are told verbally what to purchase, but can forget what they are specifically recommended, and can be overwhelmed by choice when out shopping. We know that patients benefit from better oral health through having the right products, and via this partnership, we have evidence that dentists benefit from seeing a financial return from their recommendations.’

David highlights that the streamlined patient journey is reflected in increased efficiency for the clinician too. ‘The dental practice doesn’t have to do anything differently. We at FollowApp.Care deal with all the logistics; responding to orders, stock keeping, packing, postage and returns.’

For more information visit www.philips.co.uk/c-m-pe/dental-professionals.

This article is sponsored by Philips.

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