Creating chatter about great dental health starts with your practice team. And one way to drive home the benefit of regular dental prophys is to offer them to your staff members' pets, says Veterinary Economics Hospital Management Editor Mark Opperman, CVPM.

"At one hospital I consulted with, the doctors gave all employees' pets dental prophys in January. Suddenly team members could see and smell the advantages of appropriate dental care, so they were great advocates during National Pet Dental Health Month in February," Opperman says. "The veterinary practice more than doubled its usual number of dental services."

That's a big win for pet health when you consider that periodontal disease affects nearly 80 percent of all cats and dogs over the age of 3. And clearly, giving team members personal experience with a service is a great way to arm them for client education. Also consider these strategies to stress the importance of dental care:

• Try a personal approach with your clients. Opperman says, "Ask, 'How would you feel if you hadn't brushed your teeth in five years?'"

• Provide your clients with educational materials such as vendor brochures with pictures of periodontal disease stages. Then ask clients to grade their pets' teeth.

• Suggest dental procedures when the pet will be anesthetized for other procedures. "Chances are, a client will continue professional dental care throughout the pet's lifetime after the first procedure," says Dr. Ronald Whitford, owner of St. Bethlehem Animal Clinic in Clarksville, Tenn. "So recommend a dental prophy when you schedule a spay or neuter, remove growths, or perform another surgery."

• Give clients payment options. If you think the cost of care could be holding clients back, Dr. Whitford suggests you tell clients about other options, including pet health insurance, medical credit cards, and bundled services for preventive or expensive procedures.

• Send clients home with a toothbrush, toothpaste, and home-care instructions. A technician can demonstrate brushing techniques on a hospital pet or a dental model.

Target pets that need care

You'll also want to set up your computer system so you can track all clients whose pets need dentals. Target clients whose pets are older than 4 or 5 years and visited within the last year but didn't receive a dental prophy, Opperman says.

When it comes to cost, be upfront with your clients. Dr. Whitford hands out a dental prophy admitting form that clearly communicates the estimate. Plus, it helps team members gather a thorough patient history and educate owners about additional services, such as a nail trimming or flea preventive. Lastly, this tool educates owners about preanesthetic testing and serves as a consent form.