Dental offices are busy, sometimes hectic buildings. Every staff member in the office has a different daily schedule and different tasks to check off their dental office daily task sheet. Additionally, this schedule can look different from day to day as various types of patients come in for appointments.

Staying organized within your dental practice is essential to ensuring the best patient experience and profitability. Read on to learn more about managing a busy schedule, the daily routines of different dental professionals, and tips to stay organized in your dental office.

Then check out how Weave’s Dental Software can improve office efficiency while attracting, retaining, and delighting patients, (click here to learn more).

Managing a Dental Office Schedule

Creating an efficient, optimized dental office schedule is a task that requires careful planning and consideration. Your treatment coordinator team should have a detailed plan that they can follow to schedule patients in specific time slots and minimize scheduling gaps. If you do not currently have this plan in place, you can create it by following these steps:

  1. Set a daily appointment and production goal.
  2. Determine the procedures to include in your day to meet this goal (substantial cases, restorative dentistry appointments, and miscellaneous exams).
  3. Create a monthly schedule with practice management software that designates time for each type of procedure.
  4. Track your daily goal each morning and adjust the schedule as needed.
  5. Ensure that your dental team keeps the daily goal at the forefront when scheduling patient appointments.

What Is the Daily Routine Like for a Dentist?

While every day looks a little different for dental professionals, many follow the same general schedule from week to week. Using an office daily task list for dentists allows these professionals to stay organized and know what to expect from day to day, reducing downtime and enhancing patient care.

Here is a typical daily routine for dental healthcare providers:

  1. Morning meeting: First, the dentist meets with their team each morning to discuss each patient on the schedule and their dental treatment plan.
  2. Begin patient treatment: Typically, dentists see patients once they are already seated in treatment rooms. However, if they have several patients in one time slot, they may first give the anesthetic to each patient, then return to perform the dental procedure.
  3. Work through the daily schedule: The dentist will see each patient on their daily schedule, typically spending a few minutes in maintenance treatments and dedicating longer periods to restorative or substantial cases.

What Is the Daily Routine Like for a Dental Office Manager?

Dental office managers perform a wide range of daily tasks to keep the dental practice organized, oversee the dental receptionist team, and assist with patient scheduling. Here is the typical daily routine of an office manager in the dental industry:

  1. Morning meeting: Assist with or run the morning meeting to keep the entire dental team in the loop about the day’s schedule
  2. Oversee scheduling: Assist treatment coordinators with patient scheduling and dental hygiene reactivation while keeping the daily revenue and appointment goals in mind.
  3. Manage insurance claims: Contact dental insurance providers to discuss patient balances
  4. Oversee marketing and public relations: Implement marketing strategies or manage a partnership with a marketing agency
  5. Manage payroll: Oversee the hours worked by the dental team and send the payroll information to an accountant or bookkeeper
  6. Close the office: Shut down the office at the end of the day

The office manager typically accomplishes several tasks each day to keep the office organized and profitable.

What Is the Daily Routine Like for a Dental Assistant?

Dental assistants help with many tasks in dental settings. These professionals often spend more time on direct patient care than any other staff member in the dental practice.

Here is the typical daily routine of a dental assistant:

  1. Morning meeting: Attend the morning meeting to learn about the patients they will see that day.
  2. Prepare patients for treatment: Bring patients to treatment rooms, prepare them for dental care, and answer any patient questions.
  3. Assist the dentist: Sterilize and position instruments and provide other assistance during dental procedures
  4. Reset treatment rooms: Prepare treatment rooms for new patients and replace personal protective equipment to eliminate contamination and exposure and ensure disease control.

The dental assistant may also schedule new patient appointments after each visit and assist with billing tasks as needed.

Wondering about more techniques or tools to make your dental office life easier, check out these additional tips from Dr. Ankur Gupta of North Ridgeville Family Dentistry.

What Is the Daily Routine Like for a Dental Hygienist?

Dental hygienists spend most of their day providing commercial cleaning services to patients. Here is the typical schedule of a hygienist:

  1. Morning meeting: Attend the morning meeting to learn what to expect for the day
  2. Meet with the dental assistant: Discuss the appointments scheduled for the day with the dental assistant
  3. See patients: Perform cleanings, tooth whitenings, treatments for gums, and other procedures for eight to ten patients each day
  4. Prepare for the next day: Spend the last part of the day implementing infection control measures and filling out clinical notes to prepare for the next day

FAQ

How Do I Keep My Dental Office Organized?

Staying organized within a dentistry practice is essential to optimizing patient care. Here are a few tips to keep your dental office organized:

  • Store tools and equipment in labeled containers
  • Label all instruments and supplies
  • Keep your practice well stocked
  • Put tools in their designated areas after each use
  • Invite each dental assistant and hygienist to tidy their treatment rooms at the end of the day
  • Create a checklist of organization tasks for the office staff to complete each day and week

What Should Be Included in a Dental Office Manual?

Your dental practice should have a comprehensive manual with instructions for all new employees. Here are the types of information that should be included in this resource:

  • Daily goals for each type of staff member
  • How to clock in and out
  • How to use any software
  • Step-by-step instructions for daily tasks

How to Find Examples of a Dental Front Desk Training Manual?

You can find examples of front desk training manuals across the internet. However, we recommend choosing a manual from a reliable, professional source. For example, this training manual comes from the Galveston County Community Health Center.

How to Create a Dental Office Monthly Checklist?

Your dental office should stick to a monthly maintenance checklist detailing all tasks to keep your office clean, tidy, and professional-looking. Here are our tips for creating a comprehensive dental office checklist:

  • List the cleaning tasks you must complete every day
  • Brainstorm larger cleaning tasks that you must complete each month
  • List every task to include on your checklist
  • Divide the tasks into daily, weekly, and monthly subsections
  • Assign specific tasks to specific days

If you’re looking for an innovative solution to keep your dental office organized, Weave can help. Contact us today to request your free Weave demo and learn how this patient automation software can enhance your dentistry practice.