Periodontal disease is common, but many dental practices still underdiagnose it, undertreat it, and perform difficult prophies that do not address the patient’s condition. In this episode, Kirk Behrendt speaks with Carlie Einarson, ACT Dental coach and former dental hygienist, about the hidden clinical and financial costs of low periodontal diagnosis, visit, and treatment acceptance percentages.
You will learn how to evaluate these metrics, identify gaps in your periodontal process, improve patient communication, and create a consistent protocol across your team. To uncover missed treatment opportunities and help more patients achieve better health, listen to Episode 1075 of The Best Practices Show!
Main Takeaways:
- Perio visit percentage measures how many hygiene patients receive treatment associated with periodontal codes.
- A low perio diagnostic percentage may indicate that periodontal disease is being missed or inconsistently documented.
- A low perio visit percentage may indicate that diagnosed treatment opportunities are being left untreated.
- A low perio acceptance percentage may reflect unclear communication about the condition, recommended therapy, and value of treatment.
- Every adult patient should receive a consistent periodontal evaluation that includes appropriate radiographs, probing measurements, bleeding documentation, and clinical findings.
- Hygienists and dentists should help patients co-discover periodontal disease instead of only telling them what treatment they need.
- Chart audits and a shared periodontal protocol can help providers diagnose, document, and recommend treatment consistently.
Episode Chapters:
00:00 The hidden cost of underdiagnosed periodontal disease.
01:37 The purpose of Metric Mondays.
02:30 The three periodontal metrics practices should monitor.
04:18 How improving periodontal treatment affects the rest of the practice.
06:08 What an underperforming periodontal program looks like.
07:37 What low diagnostic, visit, and acceptance percentages reveal.
09:00 Why periodontal metrics are leading indicators of practice health.
10:11 What practices do differently when they get periodontal care right.
11:01 Helping patients understand periodontal disease through co-discovery.
12:00 Why “gum infection therapy” communicates more value than “deep cleaning.”
13:15 The importance of a consistent periodontal protocol.
14:08 How to review periodontal metrics and conduct chart audits.
15:44 ACT Dental’s periodontal protocol resources and coaching support.
Guest Bio/Guest Resources:
Carlie Einarson is a lead practice coach who has a passion for helping others succeed in the dental field. She loves helping to create a stable foundation for practices so both professionals and patients have a great experience every time they walk in the door!
Carlie graduated from Utah College of Dental Hygiene. She has ten years of experience in the dental field, including clinical dental hygiene, front office, and leading teams.
In her free time, she enjoys spending quality time with loved ones, traveling, skiing, playing volleyball, and golfing.
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