Midmark’s Danielle Heberle, CVT, VTSH (Dentistry), provides sound reasoning for total clinic team dentistry training in this SPARK video. She discusses the practice development opportunities as well as Midmark’s training services.
Traditionally we have seen that the client care people get left out of the education process. It is sad considering how integral these staff members are to the education of clients.
Source: NAVC SPARK, March 6, 2020. Link. A recent study shows that institutional training on dentistry for veterinarians is often limited to 4 hours. Veterinary technicians receive basic instruction in school. So post- graduation training is essential to practice proficiencies, opportunities and the support of patients’ health.
INSIGHTS: There’s a chicken or egg first aspect to this topic. We’ve focused heavily on building dentistry services and dental care in animal clinics over the past three or more decades. Ultimately, dentistry is a component of oral care which begins in the home and supports the overall health of the animal and its teeth. We applaud Midmark’s work in the dentistry area.
Personally, I urge practices and our industry to promote oral care assertively as primary health care messages and dentistry as a supporting second messaging. Oral care always starts at home. Its failures come to the practice as bad breath and nasty teeth.
Also see: Treating periodontal disease in general practice, Today’s Veterinary Business, March/April 2020. Link. Lifelong periodontal care benefits the patient, the client, and the practice. Performing regular (and early) professional dental cleanings, training staff in the proper performance of periodontal care, and establishing the value of homecare early in a pet’s life through client education allow the maximal benefit of this lifelong effort to be achieved.