BB Dental

Common Dental Terms

Prophylaxis (Prophy)

Regular cleaning.

Example:
“Patient is due for a prophy.”

Exam

Dentist checks patient’s oral health.

X-Rays

Images of teeth.

Common types:

  • Bitewings

  • Panoramic (Pan)

  • Full Mouth Series (FMX)

You don’t need to know details, just recognize the names.

Filling

Repairs a cavity.

Crown

Cap placed over a damaged tooth.

Root Canal

Treatment of infected tooth nerve.

Extraction

Removing a tooth.

Deep Cleaning

Also called:

Scaling and Root Planing (SRP)

More extensive than a regular cleaning.

1. 🏥 DENTAL OFFICE OVERVIEW (BIG PICTURE)

Purpose of the office:

  • Provide full dental care (preventive → surgical)

  • Coordinate patients, insurance, and treatment

  • Keep schedule running efficiently

  • Ensure patients understand cost + care

Front desk role = “control center”

You are responsible for:

  • Scheduling

  • Insurance verification

  • Patient communication

  • Treatment plan coordination

  • Payments

  • Records management

2. 🧑‍⚕ DENTAL TEAM ROLES

Dentist

  • Diagnoses issues

  • Performs procedures (fillings, crowns, extractions)

Hygienist

  • Cleanings

  • Gum health maintenance

  • Preventive care

Dental Assistant

  • Chairside support

  • Instrument setup

  • Sterilization

  • Patient prep

Front Desk (YOU)

  • Phones

  • Scheduling

  • Insurance

  • Check-in/out

  • Treatment plans

  • Payments

3. 🦷 TREATMENT CATEGORIES (BBD SPECIFIC)

🦷 ORAL SURGERY

Includes:

  • Tooth extractions

  • Wisdom teeth removal

  • Dental implants

  • Bone grafting

Key ideas:

  • Often urgent (pain cases)

  • Higher cost procedures

  • Insurance pre-approval often needed

🪥 PERIODONTICS & PREVENTION

Includes:

  • Regular cleaning (prophy)

  • Deep cleaning (SRP)

  • Periodontal maintenance

  • Polishing

Key ideas:

  • Focus on gum health

  • Repeat patients (recall system important)

  • Prevent future disease

🦷 RESTORATIVE & PROSTHODONTIC

Includes:

  • Fillings

  • Crowns

  • Bridges

  • Dentures

  • Implants

  • Whitening

Key ideas:

  • Most common treatment plans

  • Often multiple visits

  • Insurance breakdown important

🧠 ENDODONTICS

Includes:

  • Root canal therapy

  • Infection removal

  • Canal cleaning/shaping

  • Sealing + crown restoration

Key ideas:

  • Often pain-related

  • Can be urgent appointments

  • High insurance involvement

4. 🧾 INSURANCE BASICS (VERY IMPORTANT)

Insurance companies:

  • Aetna

  • BlueCross BlueShield

  • Cigna

  • Delta Dental

  • Guardian

Key Terms:

PPO

  • Patient can choose dentist

  • Most common type

HMO / DMO

  • Must stay in network dentist

  • More rules / restrictions

  • Usually cheaper for patient

Indemnity

  • Can go anywhere

  • Patient pays first, gets reimbursed

Discount Plan (NOT insurance)

  • Membership discount

  • No claims to insurance

  • Just reduced prices

Deductible

  • Amount patient pays first

Annual Maximum

  • Yearly limit insurance pays

Coverage Percentages

  • Preventive: 100%

  • Basic: 80%

  • Major: 50%

Patient Portion

  • What patient owes after insurance

Pre-authorization

  • Insurance approval before treatment

  • Not guaranteed payment

Claim

  • Sent to insurance after treatment

Insurance Verification means:

  • Check eligibility

  • Confirm active coverage

  • Confirm benefits

  • Estimate patient cost

5. 💻 OPEN DENTAL SOFTWARE (BASICS)

What it is:

Dental management system used for:

🗓 Scheduling

  • Appointments

  • Rescheduling

  • Cancellations

👤 Patient Records

  • Contact info

  • Insurance info

  • Medical history

🦷 Treatment Plans

  • Procedures needed

  • Costs

  • Insurance estimates

  • Patient responsibility

🧾 Billing

  • Payments

  • Balances

  • Insurance claims

What YOU should say:

“I understand Open Dental is used for scheduling, patient records, treatment plans, insurance tracking, and billing.”

6. 🧼 STERILIZATION PROCESS (FROM YOUR VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE)

Instrument workflow:

  1. Used instruments collected

  2. Pre-rinsed / cleaned

  3. Ultrasonic cleaning (sometimes)

  4. Dried

  5. Packaged in sterilization pouches

  6. Autoclave sterilization (steam + heat + pressure)

  7. Stored sterile until use

Autoclave:

  • Machine that kills bacteria

  • Uses pressure + steam

Key idea:

Sterilization prevents infection and ensures patient safety

7. 🧺 TRAY ORGANIZATION / SETUP

What it means:

  • Instruments arranged for specific procedures

  • Prepared before patient enters

Example:

  • Cleaning tray = mirror, scaler, suction tools

  • Extraction tray = forceps, elevators

Why it matters:

  • Saves time during procedures

  • Keeps dentist efficient

  • Reduces errors

8. 👀 PATIENT FLOW (VERY IMPORTANT)

Flow steps:

  1. Check-in

  2. Insurance verified

  3. Waiting room

  4. Called back

  5. Procedure begins

  6. Treatment plan given

  7. Checkout

Front desk role in flow:

  • Keeps schedule on track

  • Communicates delays

  • Prepares next patients

9. 🧑‍⚕ PROCEDURES YOU MUST RECOGNIZE

Preventive:

  • Cleaning (prophy)

  • Exam

  • X-rays:

  • Bitewings

  • Panoramic (Pan)

  • Full Mouth Series (FMX)

Restorative:

  • Filling

  • Crown

  • Bridge

Surgical:

  • Extraction

  • Wisdom teeth removal

  • Bone grafting

  • Implants

Gum care:

  • Deep cleaning (SRP)

  • Periodontal maintenance

Root canal:

  • Infection removal

  • Canal sealing

  • Crown placement afterward

10. 📞 FRONT DESK PHONE FLOW

Script:

“Thank you for calling BBD Dental Care, this is ___, how may I help you?”

Call types:

  • Cleaning appointments

  • Tooth pain (urgent)

  • Insurance questions

  • Treatment scheduling

11. 🧠 HIPAA

Definition:

Protects patient health information

Rules:

  • Do not share patient info

  • Keep conversations private

  • Secure records

12. 🧠 YOUR VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE (KEY INTERVIEW VERSION)

What you should say:

“I volunteered in a dental office where I helped with instrument organization, sterilization processes, and tray setup preparation. I also observed patient flow from check-in to treatment, which helped me understand how the front desk coordinates scheduling and communication between clinical staff and patients.”

Skills you gained:

  • Infection control awareness

  • Office organization

  • Exposure to clinical workflow

  • Understanding patient flow

  • Awareness of teamwork in dental office

13. 🔥 HOW EVERYTHING CONNECTS

You should mentally connect:

  • Sterilization → safety

  • Tray setup → efficiency

  • Patient flow → scheduling importance

  • Procedures → appointment length differences

  • Insurance → treatment cost communication

  • Volunteer experience → exposure to real dental environment

14. ⚡ IF YOU DON’T KNOW SOMETHING

Use this line:

“I haven’t done that directly yet, but I understand the concept and I’m very open to learning your office’s process.”

15. 🎯 FINAL STUDY CHECKLIST

You should be able to explain:

✔ PPO insurance
✔ deductible / annual max / coverage %
✔ treatment plan meaning
✔ Open Dental purpose
✔ sterilization steps
✔ 5 procedures
✔ patient flow
✔ HIPAA
✔ your volunteer experience (smooth + confident)