Award-winning orthodontic therapist Chrystal Sharp shares her top 10 tips for maximizing your full potential and achieving success in the field.
After graduating in 2012 with a Diploma in Orthodontics from Warwick University, I have worked exclusively in private practice for both specialist orthodontists and general dentists.
As orthodontic therapists, we hold a specialized role in the DCP (dental care professional) sector with only around 1,022 registered orthodontic therapists to date. This is despite being an integral part of the orthodontic workflow in private and NHS clinics offering orthodontic treatment.
Both specialists and general dentists provide orthodontic treatment, using an orthodontic therapist offers huge potential for business growth if the workflow is set up effectively and efficiently.
Being an essential part of the patient journey, I always strive to improve my daily practice by working to the best of my ability and utilizing the full scope of my practice. In turn, this can create more time in the prescribing clinician’s calendar and accelerate business growth and profitability, thereby increasing remuneration.
Here are my top 10 tips for working to the best of your ability and ensuring a mutually beneficial arrangement as an orthodontist.
1. Confidence: high standard work
You should be confident in carrying out all procedures within the orthodontic therapist’s scope of practice to a high standard, establishing any areas you may need more support or exposure to. You should also create a professional development plan to achieve this.
An example would be the placement of committed retainers in this is less likely to be offered within the NHS as it does not fall under funding for end-of-care maintenance.
2. Ambition: an effort to become better at what you do
Orthodontics and Dentistry are constantly evolving. Therefore, staying ahead of the curve is essential.
Be willing to adapt and learn as science, technology and equipment evolve. An example of this is the incorporation of digital scanners to take impressions.
Establish areas within technology that can improve your clinical practice by making a process more efficient. If your clinic doesn’t already offer this, an open discussion with your manager or supervisor could always lead to change.
3. Niche: finding enjoyment in your scope
Because orthodontics is a specialized area of dentistry, as an orthodontic therapist, the breadth of what we can provide along with the large amount of orthodontic appliances available on the market allows for variety in our clinical calendar.
By making a list of the devices you enjoy working with, you can build your niche and become a master of this skill.
Talk to your prescribing dentist and see if more of these can fit into your schedule. If there’s a particular device you’re interested in but don’t use, go back to your professional development plan.
4. Skill Upgrade: adapting your skills to stand out
Your professional development plan is the core to achieving your full scope of practice. With the evolving world of technology, science and product development, you need to be ready and willing to adapt and refresh your skill set.
This can often be done through self-development, taking classes and, most importantly, working in clinics with like-minded people who are at the forefront of adopting the latest technology.
5. Autonomy: creating control of your clinical calendar
As a clinician, we have a duty of care to provide the best service we can to our patients. Discussions with management and prescribing dentists about treatment times will enable us to provide this.
There are many factors to the appointment time and we should be able to adjust them as needed, perhaps asking for extra time to accommodate patients who have phobias or for certain devices that take longer to fit. For example, a lingual appliance would usually take longer to fit than an oral appliance.
6. Remuneration: recognizing your worth
Salary varies widely in our field and depends on location, experience and employment status.
Your pay should reflect your skills and experience. It is common for other DCPs such as hygienists or dental therapists to work on a percentage basis.
The pay should also take into account your contribution.
For example, if you are able to offer a more expensive device which in turn generates more profit for the clinic, or if you have a lead in sales, e.g. offer retainer add-ons such as fixed retainers that are not included in the overall treatment package, then Negotiating the commission or incentive rate could be a positive way to increase your fee.
7. Investment: sharpen your skills
The more clinical practice we have, the more refined our skills become. Investing time to learn by taking dental courses and expanding our skills and knowledge is key.
However, my top investment is a set of dental loupes that I’ve been using since I qualified. Enhancing the clinical field of vision allows the process to become more efficient with your work being accurate, precise and overall of a higher standard.
The more investment you put into your clinical development, the more conversations you can have about the opportunity for service expansion paths. For example, you could offer advice that will enable practical growth and positive pay.
8. Support: create change and boost your growth
You should review your personal growth plan annually and ask for time to sit down with your practice manager and prescribing dentist to share that plan.
Having an open line of communication and understanding of the situation will ensure that you have the best opportunities and potential to achieve your growth plan and enable discussions about the remuneration involved.
You will then understand which areas of your development plan align with your practice development and growth plan and which areas you may need to focus on in your own time.
9. Variety maintaining the fundamentals
As an orthodontic therapist we are an integral part of the orthodontic journey. If we cover the full spectrum of our practice, we should be part of the patients’ journey from the beginning of treatment to the end.
There is a risk of de-skilling if we only perform the same procedure, such as back-to-back splinting appointments – I would personally avoid doing that.
Once we finish our skills, we can create our niche, which may be working in clinics that only offer one type of brace, such as aligners, although the workflow should enhance our clinical practice, not detract.
10. Satisfaction: loving what you do
Finding fulfillment in your work will happen once you become confident in the services you provide and feel valued.
This will come from many factors, including your schedule autonomy, alignment with the right clinic, working in a like-minded team, establishing your position, and commensurate pay.
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