Katharyn Edwards, RDH
Katharyn Edwards, RDH, has been a practicing dental hygienist in the Seattle area since 1988. She is a working hygienist and practice manager three days a week in private practice. She balances her clinical career with a consulting role for Burkhart Dental. Kathy has been a consultant for Burkhart Dental since 2008. Kathy’s 21 years in dentistry, preceded by a 10-year accounting career, allows her to bring passion to both patient-centered care and sound business strategies for dental practices. Kathy was a founding member and director for the SouthShore Dental Hygiene Study Club for ten years, which now serves as a model for other dental hygiene study clubs nationwide. She has spoken on dental and business topics in the United States and internationally in Beijing, China. You can also find her kayaking, boating and jet skiing on the Puget Sound with her life love, Justin, and their two grown daughters.
What Hygienists Should Say When Patients Refuse Dental Radiographs
When a dental hygienist struggles to obtain patient consent for the basic standard of care, the frustrating experience is not often forgotten. Eyes roll across the country during morning huddles when the hygienist spots a familiar patient name with the words “Overdue for x-rays” on the schedule.
Exploring and practicing communication skills through verbal scripting strategies can make discussions about...
5 Strategies to Reduce Wait Time for Exams
It's 2:56 pm, your next patient is expecting to be seen in 4 minutes, and you are still waiting for the doctor to show up for the exam! Your heart starts to race just a bit as you realize the next patient has not had a history of flexibility. If you have never felt this angst, please thank your...
Keep Dental Hygiene Salaries Healthy by Renegotiating PPO Contracts
Hygiene wages are often set to equal a third of hygiene production. This benchmark, cited frequently in the dental industry, is a yardstick for salary discussions. What happens when the practice contracts with a number of PPO plans that pay below average for hygiene services? Is it still fair to use a below average reimbursement model when determining fair...
Dental Staff Bonus Programs: Review of 4 Incentive Plan Models
Has anyone ever participated in a bonus system in a dental office that did the exact opposite of motivating you? A bonus is extra income ‒ perhaps even unexpected ‒ you don't count on for your monthly personal budgeting.
A bonus is typically designed to complement your base pay, reward you for reaching certain milestones or achievements, or as a...
Dentistry’s Job Market: Hey, Doctor! Where Did All the Hygienists Go?
If COVID-19 wasn't enough to cause practice disruption, the shortage of registered dental hygienists certainly is. The U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics reports that, as of 2019, that there are 226,400 dental hygiene jobs in the U.S., with a projected increase in demand of 13,300 by 2029.1 This article explores the current status of the hygienist shortage as...
COVID-19 Vaccine: Will Vaccinations Be Mandatory for Dental Professionals?
After 10 long months of experiencing some of the darkest hours in world history, the calvary finally arrived – in the form of a vaccine. The pandemic brought grief to many who lost loved ones and others who suffered economic challenges. These emotions may still be a top concern to some reading this article, and my heart is with...
The Science Behind Stress and How Dental Professionals Can Cope
Among Americans who were surveyed by the American Institute of Stress, 77% reported physical symptoms as a result of stress.1 It may surprise you to learn that this 2017 survey occurred prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The stress load today, specifically for dental practice owners and employees, maybe much higher. Temporary practice closures are contributing to the stress load. According...
Taking Care of the Dental Practice During the COVID-19 Closure
Editor's Note: Information about COVID-19 is changing on a daily, sometimes hourly, basis. We have made every attempt to ensure this article is up-to-date at the time of publication, but with the rapid changes occurring, some information may have changed since publication. Please visit https://www.coronavirus.gov/ for the latest news and information on COVID-19.
This article does not discuss "new infection control protocols"...
The Coronavirus Threat: How Should Dental Offices Be Prepared?
Editor's Note: Information about COVID-19 is changing on a daily, sometimes hourly, basis. We have made every attempt to ensure this article is up-to-date at the time of publication, but with the rapid changes occurring, some information may have changed since publication. Please visit https://www.coronavirus.gov/ for the latest news and information on COVID-19.
Declared a “public health emergency of international concern” on...