Resources for dental hygienists
Good communication is an important part of a dental hygienist’s job. It helps put patients at ease, builds trust, and makes treatment explanations clearer. While clinical skills are important, how you communicate can turn a single visit into ongoing care. This guide covers eight communication skills that improve your interactions with patients, focusing on the everyday conversations that make a difference.
Jun 2, 2025
1. Listen Actively to Your Patients
Active listening helps you identify patient concerns that technical assessments might miss. Beyond being a clinical tool, it creates the foundation of trust needed for successful dental care.
Focus entirely on your patient during conversations. Maintain eye contact and let them speak without interruption. Small gestures like nodding show you're engaged and processing their concerns.
Reflect back what you hear: "You notice sensitivity with cold drinks?" This simple confirmation shows you understand their experience and gives them a chance to clarify any misunderstandings.
Patients stick with practices where they feel understood. Strong patient-provider relationships built on active listening drive better treatment compliance and outcomes, transforming occasional visitors into loyal patients.
2. Replace Dental Jargon With Words Your Patients Understand
Technical dental terms can create barriers between you and your patients. When you use simpler language, you help patients grasp their oral health situation and treatment options.
Here are clear alternatives to common technical terms:
"Chewing surface" instead of "occlusal surface"
"Tartar buildup" instead of "calculus"
"Gum disease" instead of "periodontal disease"
Patients make better treatment decisions when they understand their options. Also, dental patient education can boost patient satisfaction and treatment compliance.
Support your simplified explanations with visual aids and diagrams to help patients fully grasp complex concepts.
3. Build Patient Trust Through Empathy
Genuine empathy transforms anxious patients into active partners in their oral health journey. It involves building patient relationships based on understanding and trust.
Effective empathy in dental care requires attentive listening to concerns, processing perspectives without judgment, and building emotional connections that validate patient feelings.
Here's how to demonstrate empathy during patient interactions:
Address emotions and fears directly. Many patients carry dental trauma from past experiences. A simple "I understand this is difficult" validates their feelings.
Share relevant personal experiences. When you tell patients about your own dental procedures, including anxieties and recovery, you provide realistic expectations while offering reassurance. This approach shows their concerns are valid.
Use supportive body language. Keep an open posture, sit at eye level during discussions, and offer appropriate comfort through gentle touch. These nonverbal cues often speak louder than words.
Honor patient autonomy. Present treatment options clearly and support informed decision-making, even when patients choose differently than you recommend. Genuine empathy means respecting their choices about their oral health.
Patients who experience empathy show reduced anxiety, increased trust, better treatment compliance, and improved oral health outcomes. They return for regular care and refer others to your practice.
4. Ask Open-Ended Questions That Get Patients Talking
The difference between "Do you floss daily?" and "Tell me about your flossing routine" shapes your patient interaction. Open-ended questions reveal details about patient habits, concerns, and barriers to care that yes/no questions miss.
Simple shifts in phrasing uncover deeper insights. Replace "Any concerns today?" with "What concerns do you have about your oral health?" Try these conversation starters:
"How would you describe your daily oral care routine?"
"What makes flossing challenging for you?"
"What dental experiences have shaped your view of treatment?"
These questions build rapport with patients and trust while revealing the real obstacles in your patients' lives. When you understand these barriers, you can create care plans that patients follow, improving case acceptance.
5. Improve Patient Understanding with Teach-Back Methods
The teach-back method eliminates assumptions: ask patients to explain their care instructions in their own words. A simple "Walk me through how you'll care for your gums at home" quickly reveals any misunderstandings.
Divide information into small, manageable portions for complex procedures using the chunk-and-check approach. Each step builds on confirmed understanding: "Before we move on, what questions do you have about this part?"
Patients who fully grasp their treatment plans stick to them. These verification methods transform apparent agreement into genuine comprehension and better health outcomes.
6. Nonverbal Communication: What Your Body Language Says
According to research, a first impression happens quickly, within seconds. During this brief window, your nonverbal signals communicate more about your competence and empathy than your words.
Eye contact establishes trust. When explaining procedures or listening to concerns, look directly at your patient instead of your instruments or computer screen. This simple act signals your full attention and authenticity.
Face patients directly, keep your arms uncrossed, and lean slightly forward to show engagement. Quick movements, clock-watching, or physical distance create psychological barriers that patients immediately notice.
Though masks may hide your smile, patients read your emotions through your eyes. Make your eyes "smile" and use your eyebrows expressively to convey warmth. When masks limit connection, intensify your eye expressions, head nods, and engaged posture to compensate.
Your operatory environment communicates important information before you do. A clean, organized space with a comfortable temperature and proper lighting projects professionalism that builds confidence in your care.
Always match your body language to your words. When the two conflict, patients trust what they see over what they hear. Saying, "This won't hurt," while appearing tense instantly breaks trust.
Watch your patients' body language too. Crossed arms, avoided eye contact, or fidgeting reveal anxiety you can address. When you recognize and respond to these signals, you demonstrate empathy and strengthen patient relationships.
7. Build Trust with Consistent Communication
Maintain consistent communication across appointments. When your oral health guidance remains steady, patients trust your recommendations and stick to treatment plans.
Connect between visits. A quick call after complex procedures shows you care about outcomes, not just appointments. These check-ins help you identify concerns promptly and reinforce care instructions when patients feel more relaxed.
Use digital tools strategically to boost patient engagement. Patient portals and automated reminders maintain connections between visits while delivering brief, manageable oral hygiene information, which may be more effective than overwhelming patients with information during appointments.
Track conversation details in patient records. This helps your team stay aligned, especially when patients see multiple providers.
8. Collaborate with the Dental Team for Unified Patient Messaging
When dental teams communicate inconsistently, patient trust suffers. Clear, consistent communication increases patient confidence and makes your team happier.
Create consistent messaging by:
Running quick morning huddles to sync on patient needs
Sharing digital notes between team members
Creating standard scripts for routine procedures
Supporting treatment plans recommended by colleagues
This unified approach builds patient trust, drives treatment acceptance, and ensures care continuity. When everyone delivers the same message, patients feel confident in their treatment decisions.
Keep Your Communication Skills Sharp and Effective
Strong communication skills are among the hygienist skills that require time to develop, as they need consistent practice and refinement. Take advantage of specialized courses that teach proven patient communication frameworks. Your practice might also offer internal training programs focused on patient engagement and treatment acceptance.
Get fresh perspectives on your communication style from both peers and patients. Ask colleagues to observe your interactions and share specific feedback. Patient surveys and informal conversations reveal communication deficiencies you might miss.
After challenging patient interactions, pause to evaluate what resonated and what fell flat. This builds emotional intelligence, a valuable tool for authentic patient connections.
Elevate Patient Care Through Communication
Being a great dental hygienist involves excellent clinical skills and connecting with patients. When you communicate clearly, listen closely, and show empathy, you turn nervous patients into loyal ones and impact their health.
If you’re looking for a workplace where those communication skills are truly valued, Teero can help. We match dental hygienists with offices that appreciate the care and connection you bring to every appointment.