© 2021 MJH Life Sciences and dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinary Insights, Medicine, Pet Care. all rights reserved.

© 2021 MJH Life Sciences™ and dvm360 | Veterinary News, Veterinary Insights, Medicine, Pet Care. all rights reserved.

In this episode of The Vet Blast Podcast, Mary L. Berg, BS, RVT, RLATG, VTS (dentistry) provided important insights to help veterinary professionals educate and encourage customers to prioritize the dental health of pets. (Sponsored by Virbac)

Adam Christman, DVM, MBA: Hey, friends, welcome back to The Vet Blast podcast. I am happy to talk about dentistry. The audience was thinking, "Wait, we've heard of this before," we will discuss the teamwork approach of dental care, because it's not just one person, we have a large number of people who need to make sure we are online. So, Dr. Mary Berg is joining us today. How are you my friend?

Mary L. Berg, BS, RVT, RLATG, VTS (dentistry): I did a good job. Thank you for having me.

Adam Christman, DVM, MBA: I am very happy. We are really happy that we will chat with all healthcare teams and improve dental conversations to promote dental health. This has always been such a large and important topic, especially now more than ever. So, I just think we are very happy that you are here, we will join us, and we will do our best. Therefore, we must especially thank Virbac's friends for sponsoring today's podcast. Okay, so for our listeners, who may or may not know our friend Mary Berg, my goodness, where have you been?

Mary is a member of the Society of Veterinary Dental Technicians. She received a bachelor's degree in biology and microbiology from South Dakota State University, an associate degree in laboratory animal science from Redlands Community College, and another associate degree in veterinary technology from St. Petersburg College. She obtained a degree in dental veterinary technology in 2006. For nearly 30 years, Mary has been engaged in research work, specializing in products designed to improve the oral health of companion animals.

She has also served as a practicing manager and dental expert in a general practice clinic. She teaches veterinary technology and is the president of Beyond The Crown Veterinary Education, a veterinary dental consulting service. Mary is actively involved in NAVTA, tAVDT and KVTA. She has served on the committees of AVMA and AAVSB. She has authored or co-authored more than 70 publications. So, I can't think of anyone better than you to talk about dental care, my friend. So let's get started. We know that dental care is very important to keep pets healthy. We know that we should discuss with pet owners as early as possible and often about ways that require teamwork. So, what is the role of each team member? (For role members, we are talking about CSR, technicians, assistants, and [and] the veterinarian in the pet dental care discussion.)

Mary L. Berg, BS, RVT, RLATG, VTS (dentistry): I think everyone on the team must be excited about this, because if one has an "er" attitude towards dentistry, it will be a client. So let's start with CSR. I really believe that we all know that they are the first line-[they are] the first and last person a client sees when they walk into the clinic. Therefore, [CSRs] really have to join dentistry, which means they have some good opportunities to gain more knowledge about dentistry. [CSR] They don’t have to be omniscient, but they must be positive about it, and they understand that good home care and regular tooth cleaning will make pets healthier.

The next one might be your veterinary assistant and technician. They are really pet advocates and customer educators. Therefore, they not only have to perform many procedures themselves, but also talk to clients and involve them in dental procedures. In addition, you know that technicians can almost take ownership of dentistry in their practice, except for diagnosis and oral surgery. Therefore, you know that they can be the "first choice" staff in veterinary hospitals when performing dental operations.

Of course, we also have veterinarians, you know, they are the leaders of the team, right? They will ensure that all their teams are educated, get the best education in dentistry, and provide pet owners with quality and good information. Of course, they will be the bottom line for some of the questions that customers may ask. So, it really becomes a real team effort. If you are a practice that may even still do some boarding, even your kennel assistant should have at least a working knowledge of dentistry and may lift that lip when the pet is sent to boarding and provide it to the pet when it leaves It brushes teeth there. Or go on, you know the mention of "Hey, you know I saw a lot of tartar in his mouth. Are you okay? When he is here, do you want one of our technicians to see him? Maybe we Can you help him clean up while he is boarding?" So, we have all these different things and everyone must be excited about it. They don’t have to be cheerleader dental queens like me, but they still have to be excited about dentistry.

Adam Christman, DVM, MBA: Yes, they do. There is nothing more annoying than me. Sometimes when I hear these stories you know, the pet owner will be in the examination room-I will leave and let my recommendation go to the next date, and then they will go to the veterinary technician and say, "I really need help. Does he wash his teeth?" Then you might have a technician who might say, "Hmm."

Mary L. Berg, BS, RVT, RLATG, VTS (dentistry): Maybe, maybe not. Yes, I mean, this happened not only to the technicians, but even to the front desk, you know. So it’s like, “Oh, I’ll never give my pet anesthesia for this.” So everyone has to understand its value, and I think there’s a question about animals suddenly behaving like a pet again 3 days after dental surgery Puppy stories are always good. Even if it is-especially if it is one of the front desk staff's pets, they may really be the real cheerleaders of the program.

Adam Christman, DVM, MBA: Yes, they really are. Then change gears. Therefore, from the conversation of the veterinarian team, of course we must also talk to pet parents. So what do you think about talking to them about dental care? More specifically, I'm sure that when we talk about it with the new puppy, the dialogue will be different, maybe even the old new rescue. So you know, how do we have this kind of dialogue with them?

Mary L. Berg, BS, RVT, RLATG, VTS (dentistry): Well, I am a loyal believer. We started early, of course, from those puppy visits. Now, I once said, let's start with the first time we saw puppies, and then I, you know, a little bit dull eyes when seeing them. We’re talking about all vaccine protocols, crate training, potty training, diet, nutrition, all of this, soon, you know, it’s like, “Oh my God, I can’t absorb one more thing.” So let We brought [dental care] on the second or third puppy visit and really started talking about the importance of letting pets allow you to touch their teeth and work with their mouths. Explain that this is a slow process, pets accept brushing their teeth or anything they might use for pets requires a lot of time and a lot of rewards, but they need to be able to lift their lips and look.

For older pets, or newly adopted pets that you know, you have to really assess where their mouths are before we can get too involved. I don't want to bring an older pet with a serious illness to start using a toothbrush, because it will be very painful and the pet will be a little unhappy with you and may never let you touch their mouth again. Therefore, we must make sure that we conduct these conversations based on the oral condition and really help pet owners understand if we can keep the mouth clean-I know this is an anecdote, no research proves this-but we might live more for that pet 1 to 2 years, maybe 3 years, because they do have a healthy mouth.

Adam Christman, DVM, MBA: Right? Yes. Then, when communicating with pet owners about dental care, you will definitely encounter some challenges-this applies to both dog parents and cat parents. So, what challenges have you heard?

Mary L. Berg, BS, RVT, RLATG, VTS (dental): Well, many times, you know, when we are in the exam room, we tend to dump a lot of data. I have seen you know that veterinarians do this, I have done this, and the result is that we tend to overwhelm pet owners. Therefore, I think it is more important to have a conversation with them than to dump all the data we can provide to them. We really need to know what [owners] know about dentistry and whether they are already doing anything. Have they washed their pets' teeth? If they are worried about tooth cleaning, we have to prove their fear to some extent, but we want to educate them on how they are doing now-what have we done in this practice so that we can accept our advice?

In addition, we want to realize that sometimes we as veterinary professionals get tired of repeating the same words day after day, hour after hour, we often sound a bit boring, or we assume that our customers already know this thing. We must always keep in mind that this may be the first time this customer has heard what we are talking about-this applies to dentistry, applies to flea and tick protection, [and] applies to any type of preventive measures we are working on for them Pets do. So, we realized that they may not have heard of it before, which is very important. Another thing that really helps when communicating with pet owners is assuming that you have recommended a dental procedure and summarized treatment plan estimates. You can’t just give it to the owner, they will look at it, you know, like "Gosh, what is this?" Through it, sit down with them and understand why every step is important, and then they will be more It is possible to undergo dental surgery. So, it is really engaged in that kind of dialogue. I think another thing we often do is that we tend to use the medical terminology or jargon we learn, and sometimes the owners don’t understand what we’re talking about. Think about it maybe the first time you are in a veterinary school or a veterinary technical school, they are taking a terminology course, and you are like, "Oh my God, what is this language we speak," right? We forget that pet owners may not know this. So, many times, when it comes to any kind of very serious dental disease, I will use the words "pain" and "infection" because the client knows these better than periodontal disease. So, these are the ways I like to communicate with my pet owners.

Adam Christman, DVM, MBA: Yes, no, that would be great. I always feel that as a veterinarian, I find that the unknown is a bit scary for pet owners. So what we learned to do is we have shown them. We actually took them to the back, and we showed them the treatment from start to finish-what everything is like. So, [we] showing them the tracheal intubation is [and] the reason they might cough from the intubation after the operation. Because when [owner] heard "anesthesia", they just thought [their pet] was just knocked down-they didn't realize that there might be a tube. Then we show them the technicians [are] monitoring dental radiography, we show them "why", and then show them the price. We show them where they are restoring, we will send you photos after they are done, we will show you the photos before and after, because I am sure of your point of view, this may be one of the biggest problems at the bottom the price of.

So, do you know which talking points can express the value of tooth cleaning procedures?

Mary L. Berg, BS, RVT, RLATG, VTS (dentistry): Actually, I think this is indeed a misunderstanding. We all think that because no matter how many lectures I give, when I say "What are your obstacles to dental surgery?" the first thing. Cost is the first issue that arises. But some studies that have been done actually show that the cost on the list is much lower than we thought. Part of the reason is because most pet owners today [are] paying for advanced dental care because they know what is important to their pets, because pets are no longer a dog in the backyard, it has become the core of the family. So part of the reason is that they do not advance these procedures, which we think are costly, but this is because they do not understand. So, what you say, bring them back, have a conversation, show them what happened, create a video that you can play for them in the examination room from the day of your dental surgery, so the unknown is kindly taken away A little bit. But we really need to explain why every step is so important, and use the correct language when talking to them.

When I hear the word "dentistry", one of the reasons that makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up and crawl. "Now, you know that your dog needs to see his teeth," I know this is what I started using in this field a long time ago, but it doesn't explain what we are doing. You know, dental is an adjective, a dental instrument, a gum, a dental machine, but it has no meaning to pet owners. Therefore, it helps a lot to use terms that can really help pet owners understand what we are going to do. Therefore, my favorite term is COHAT, which stands for comprehensive oral health assessment and treatment. Yes, it is a bite, but it does tell the pet owner what we are doing, we will perform a full oral examination, we will check every tooth, we will take an x-ray, we will assess what is happening, and then Hope to treat the same disease at the same time at that time. I also like to compare almost everything we do with animals related to dentistry and what they might do with human dentists, because so many of the same things happen. So, when they talk, "Well, why do I need a dental X-ray?" Well, you know, your pet can't tell me where it hurts. You take X-rays every year. You can tell the dentist where it hurts. Therefore, having these types of conversations with them can make a big difference.

Adam Christman, DVM, MBA: Yes, I like the video you said. To the audience there, I really want to emphasize this point, because you are right, Mary. When you work 13 hours a day, you are talking about dentistry, just saying "dentistry"-again I feel like I will start using COHAT a lot-but when you are talking about tooth cleaning, you can actually postpone [customer] watching you Also have the video, because your appointment may take 20 to 30 minutes, and we know how busy you are, you can actually link it to your invoice item, it can be an item sent by email, you can give They watch your video-from your veterinary hospital and show you the procedure. So you know, a clinic in Florida said that they said, “So, we heard that you were told that you need to have your teeth cleaned. This is what you can expect,” they showed you the process. It's like a two-minute video, but it's enough to provide them with information and lift the curtain to gain greater compliance. So, I like that you mentioned this. So this is great. Thank you so much for sharing.

And then another thing we often hear is that after [pet’s] teeth are professionally cleaned and look great, you and I keep hearing, "Oh my goodness, what can I do to stop us See each other often?" So, what are the most important things to communicate in order to help pet parents maintain preventive care?

Mary L. Berg, BS, RVT, RLATG, VTS (dentistry): Well, I think this is one of the places where I am very confident in the utilization of technicians. Therefore, this is indeed one of the areas where you can make a technical appointment, which can be discharge on the day of dental surgery, and then even a follow-up appointment within a week or two, just to see how things are going. But through everything [owners] can do for their pets, or find out what they are already doing, look at their level of interest, because if they are not interested in brushing their teeth, why discuss it, right? You know, what are they willing to do? What can they do for that pet? But then I want to pass. Not only do you know if they are interested in brushing their teeth-in fact only about 2% of Americans do it-I don't just hand them toothpaste and toothbrushes, I want to explain how to do it. Again, this may be another place to play great videos, but it will take a few weeks before pets can actually accept it. Browse through the different options and explain why the bone you let your dog chew is not the best option, it can cause fractures and possibly more unnecessary problems. What is a good toy? What toy is not fun? What is a good treat or chew, you know, something that can really help pet owners understand.

I [also] a huge college basketball fan. So, I always say, "Well, now I'm going to put the ball on your court. We have completed the procedure. Now it is your turn to really master all of this." So, we will have to clean them again . But maybe we can increase the length of time between the next tooth cleaning.

Adam Christman, DVM, MBA: Yes. Of course, as we as veterinary professionals know, there is a difference, but pet owners may not know the difference between saying "routine tooth cleaning" and "complete periodontal". So, some extractions have been done, and you know, how do you communicate some options, because maybe pet parents may feel scared if they know they may feel pain or something. So, what suggestions or soundtracks would you recommend?

Mary L. Berg, BS, RVT, RLATG, VTS (dentistry): We want to make sure before they go home. Initially after COHAT, you know, they performed multiple tooth extractions. You know, we must emphasize that we don’t chew. Importance, soft diet-we must ensure that pet owners truly understand all these things. But then we can continue to discuss whether they feed every day or how they will do home care to keep the pet's teeth clean.

Yes, you are right, they are scared. [Owner] wouldn't raise his lips to look, "Oh my God, what did they do these extractions?" They didn't want to see. So, I will actually put it on a discharge form with a mouth diagram, and I will note the extracted tooth there so they don’t have to remember [whether it is] the right side of the left or what tooth it is . But I hope they know that I will do my best in practice, so they don't have to worry about it in the first two weeks.

Adam Christman, DVM, MBA: Yes, I like that. I know they asked a lot about the type of toothpaste, do you know whether it is like enzyme toothpaste and something that does not contain xylitol. What are your thoughts on this? If they could brush their teeth, what advice would you recommend?

Mary L. Berg, BS, RVT, RLATG, VTS (dentistry): Well, toothpaste is often used, I really hope they have something that dogs like. So it smells. That's why you know that our pet dog or cat sauce has these, you know, it makes us cringe, you know, beef, chicken. But you know, we want it to be something pets love. Enzymatic action will help to some extent help break down some dental calculus in the mouth. But this is mainly the role of the toothbrush and the abrasion that removes most of the plaque on the teeth. It is very important to explain to our pet owners that plaque is formed very quickly, and you know that within an hour or two after cleaning, plaque will appear on our teeth. But every 48 hours or so, it will calcify into tartar, the annoying thing we see on teeth, and dental plaque is the cause of this disease. Therefore, it is important that we always maintain dental bacteria The spots are not removed. This is why it is so important for us to brush our teeth every day. Brushing once a week, once a month, or going to a beautician every 6 weeks will not do any good to their pets.

Adam Christman, DVM, MBA: Right? Absolutely. Consistency and frequent consistency are the key. So, what good resources would you recommend to veterinary professionals to help communicate with customers about the available options and the value of pet dental care?

Mary L. Berg, BS, RVT, RLATG, VTS (dentistry): Well, I am working with Virbac to create what we call the CET Dental Authority Program. What is this, it is a resource that can help enhance the capabilities of the entire medical team so that they can better educate clients about the need for regular preventive dental care. There is a link on cetambassador.virbac.com, which is basically a 4-session course explaining the importance of preventive care to the overall health of the patient. This is good because it matches your rhythm. You don’t have to do everything at once. It's free for veterinarian team members, easy to digest and very short small parts, asynchronous, so you can do it on your own time, start when you need it [and] finish when you need it, dental ambassador certificate, and there will be a lapel pin—— Everyone likes pins. This will help start a conversation with the pet owner. So, you know, it also contains a Dental Authority Clinic Kit. Therefore, there are many good choices and many good materials in the CET Ambassador Program.

Adam Christman, DVM, MBA: I like that you will also get a certificate, how cool is this?

Mary L. Berg, BS, RVT, RLATG, VTS (dentistry): Yes.

Adam Christman, DVM, MBA: Very good. Well, this is really interesting. Thank you very much, Mary, for listening with us. And thank our friends at Virbac for sponsoring this conference and all they have done for us in the veterinary industry. This is already great.

Mary L. Berg, BS, RVT, RLATG, VTS (dentistry): Thank you.

Adam Christman, DVM, MBA: If [listeners] are interested in learning more about you, can we find out more about you?

Mary L. Berg, BS, RVT, RLATG, VTS (dental): Yes, I have a Facebook page about Beyond The Crown Veterinary Education-it is my Facebook page. You can also visit my website, btcveted.com, but please make sure you add Beyond The Crown Veterinary Education on your Facebook page, otherwise you will only get a lot of beauty contests. I didn’t expect that I came up with this name. .

Adam Christman, DVM, MBA: I mean, yes, you know, if I want to know the origin of some crowns, I think we can do it too. That's great. Well, Mary Berg, thank you very much for joining us today, it is very helpful.

Mary L. Berg, BS, RVT, RLATG, VTS (dentistry): Okay, thank you very much. I appreciate it.

Adam Christman, DVM, MBA: You're welcome, thank our listeners for listening all the time. We always thank you for taking your time, and please friends to be safe. Thank you for your hard work, and continue to keep everyone in shape, take care.

Transcribed from https://otter.ai