Dental office receptionists
Background.—The role your receptionist has can make
the difference between whether a patient decides to visit
your office or seeks out 1 of your competitors. The recep-
tionist is the first person who interacts with patients or pro-
spective patients and the impression made has a lasting
effect. Included in the duties of the receptionist are patient
scheduling, speaking to patients on the telephone, han-
dling insurance inquiries accurately and in a timely fashion,
arranging for unscheduled treatment, and encouraging
patient retention.
Communication.—Patients hear not just the words of
your receptionist but also the tone, pace, and speech habits
when they call your office. All these factors help the patient
form an opinion of whether this is a professional office or
something less. Telephone etiquette is vital in all business
offices. College-level courses teach students to speak
clearly and to use phrases such as ‘‘One moment please,’’
‘‘Yes,’’ ‘‘All right,’’ ‘‘She’s not available now,’’ and ‘‘Good-
bye’’ rather than less professional phrases such as ‘‘Hang
on,’’ ‘‘Yeah,’’ ‘‘Okey-Dokey,’’ and ‘‘Uh, dunno where he is.’’
Special Skills.—To fulfill all their duties, receptionists
must understand the workings of the dental business.
They must be able to communicate with callers in a way
that encourages them to become new patients for the prac-
tice. This includes treating each caller as if he or she were
personally referred to the office. Sometimes using a script
can facilitate these interactions and ensure that all the
needed information is gathered and conveyed. Regardless
of the approach, each new patient must be treated in a
professional manner.
Receptionists should be trained about the workings of
the office itself. Some management consultants recom-
mend a receptionist not answer telephones until he or
Restorative Dentistry
Advances in provisional materials
Background.—In an attempt to maintain a healthy, in-
tact dentition throughout life, endodontic and restorative
options are being selected over extractions and removable
prosthetics. Indirect restorative procedures are usually per-
formed over 2 or more appointments covering a week or
months and require provisional restorations. The materials
278 Dental Abstracts
she has had 30 days of training in the office. This training
should include how to greet and check patients in, how
to use the computer and software, and how to maintain
and file patient records. Only 3 to 4 weeks into the job
should the receptionist be trained in more complex tasks,
such as invoicing and scheduling.
Feedback is an important part of the training process.
Not only should the receptionist be given feedback on job
performance, but he or she should also be assigned to an
in-office mentor who can help in orientation and build
the new employee’s understanding of what is expected.
Discussion.—Having a good receptionist can encour-
age callers to become patients and established patients to
remain with the practice. The impression made by the
receptionist influences the entire dental practice.
Clinical Significance.—Receptionists usually
do what they do well out of your sight and hear-
ing. You can easily have little first-hand knowl-
edge of what they say or do and how it impacts
patients’ perception of you and your office.
While every member of your team is important,
don’t underestimate the impact of having the
right person represent you up front.
Lynch K: Is your office’s front line prepared? AGD Impact December
2006, pp 34-35
Reprints available from the Academy of General Dentistry. Fax your
request to Jo Posselt (312/440-4162) or e-mail AGDJournal@
agd.org
offering the most efficient and time-saving methods for
provisional restorations were reviewed.
Ease of Use.—Materials are judged for their ease of use
based on 4 factors: ease of mixing and dispensing, accuracy
of the provisional composite, ratio of provisional composite
Fig 13.—Automixed provisional is injected into the analogue of
the prepared tooth. (Courtesy of Freedman G: Polishing provi-
sionals: Better, faster and easier. J Can Dental Assoc 72:809-812,
2006.)
material, and ease of repair. Generally automixing is accu-
rate and economical, so it is preferred to pad mixing (Fig
13). Directly dispensing the automixed provisional material
into the impression template is also preferred. The mate-
rials now available for provisional restorations are precise
in occlusion and at the margins.
Three ratios are available in provisional composite ma-
terials. With reduced catalyst content, you get increased sta-
bility and repairability. The hard part is obtaining complete
activation of the base with minimal setting time. With a
reduction in the ratio, setting time and porosity decrease
and strength of the restoration and its surface properties
increase. Current products have a 10:1 ratio.
Provisional materials can be repaired by adding more
composite. If the porosity increases or the margin is short,
the defect can be fixed with more flowable composite and
light curing. Margins can be managed directly on the tooth
(Fig 14).
Polishing.—The number of steps in the process, the du-
ration of each step, technique sensitivity, and color match-
ing and whitening are all important in polishing. Even
though they are used for a short time, provisional restora-
tions should have the form, function, and esthetic appear-
ance of natural teeth as much as possible. The surface
should be smooth and function well with the rest of the
teeth, not irritate the soft tissues of the oral cavity. Going
Fig 14.—The provisional restoration self-cures in situ. (Courtesy of
Freedman G: Polishing provisionals: Better, faster and easier.
J Can Dental Assoc 72:809-812, 2006.)
through several steps increases the smoothness and natural
appearance of the external surface of the provisional resto-
ration. Polishing takes 5 to 15 minutes of chair time for the
currently available 10:1 provisional materials. Use of resin
glazes can shorten the number of steps required. These
glazes are painted onto the external surface of the restora-
tion and light-cured, taking less than 30 seconds.
Discussion.—Provisional restorations should be re-
garded as important in the restorative procedure. The
materials available today have eliminated many of the prob-
lems in producing accurate, functional, and attractive provi-
sional restorations.
Clinical Significance.—Provisional restora-
tions are not merely temps. They should, as
accurately as possible, replicate the final resto-
ration, reproducing anatomy and occlusion,
and be comfortable and nonirritating. Newer
composite materials are more accurate and
easier to use than those previously available.
Freedman G: Polishing provisionals: Better, faster and easier.
J Can Dental Assoc 72:809-812, 2006
Reprints available from G Freedman; e-mail: epdot@rogers.com
Volume 52  Issue 5  2007 279