The Power of Pre-Gaming: How Dental Monitoring Redefines Clinic Flow
In our practice, I see 70–75 patients on a typical clinic day. That kind of pace demands precision. But what makes that efficiency possible isn’t chaos or rushed decision-making—it’s preparation. And one of the most powerful tools I use to prepare is Dental Monitoring (DM).
Why I Pre-Game the Clinic Day
Every clinic day, I carve out around 45 minutes the day before to pre-game: I go through each scheduled patient and review their most recent DM scan, making clinical notes that set the game plan for the next day's visit. This isn't just a habit—it's a system designed to eliminate the “unknowns” from the clinic floor.
And to make sure my team has clear direction, I enter these plans as a separate chart entry in our practice management system (PMS). This pre-game note lives independently from the day-of charting and clearly outlines exactly what I want accomplished for each patient visit.
From Reactive to Ready: A Better Workflow
Traditionally, a patient would be seated, the doctor would arrive, assess progress, decide the next steps, communicate that to the assistant, and only then would the execution begin. It's reactive.
Now? The moment a patient is seated, the plan is already in motion. DM allows me to make clinical decisions after the changes from the last appointment have occurred—rather than just hoping those changes landed us where we expected.
When I Visited a Non-DM Office
Recently, I visited an impressive orthodontic practice that didn’t use DM. Instead, they had developed a highly detailed coding system to pre-plan appointments 6–8 weeks in advance. It was methodical and allowed clinical assistants to execute without waiting on a doctor. It was extremely impressive. I am always amazed and inspired by the ingenuity of offices to create novel systems.
But here’s the problem: all of it was built on assumptions—assumptions that a patient’s teeth would move according to plan, elastics would be worn as prescribed, and nothing unexpected would arise between appointments. It's a solid system—but inherently vulnerable.
DM removes that guesswork. I’m not relying on a code or a theoretical path. I’m responding to real-time data, with eyes on the patient's actual progress. That’s the difference.
The Hidden Benefit: Smarter, Single-Touch Oversight
One of the most underrated advantages of this system is how it shifts my chairside presence to the most valuable moment.
Because my plan has already been communicated—and executed—I can enter the clinic once per patient, after the assistant has completed the tasks I outlined. That means I’m not interrupting their flow or trying to assess and decide while the visit unfolds. Instead, I step in with clarity, double-check the work, make any refinements, and move on.
It’s oversight with purpose. It gives me peace of mind that our protocols are being followed and allows for high-level quality control—without adding friction to the appointment.
Conclusion: The DM Advantage No One Talks About
We often talk about Dental Monitoring in terms of fewer visits, better compliance, or patient convenience. But one of its greatest, most underappreciated advantages is this: pre-gaming.
It transforms your entire clinical flow from reactive to proactive. It allows for precise direction, empowers your team, and reduces decision fatigue. And it places the doctor exactly where they should be—after the work is done, ensuring the outcome meets expectations.
It’s a small shift that completely changes the game.
