Aurora Graves DeMarco, BA, RDH, CDA
Aurora Graves DeMarco, BA, RDH, CDA, has been in the dental field since 2000 when she started as an on-the-job trained dental assistant. In 2006, she obtained her bachelor’s degree in English from Florida State University, and the following year received her certificate in dental assisting. Two years later, Aurora completed an associate’s degree in dental hygiene. Throughout her career, she has taken every opportunity to engage in the field of dentistry through clinical practice, volunteering, and education. For two years she served as President for the Greater Orlando Dental Hygienists’ Association (now the Central Florida Dental Hygienists’ Association) and enjoys being an active part in the promotion and progression of the field of dental hygiene. In addition to writing articles, Aurora has worked on updating two dental hygiene textbooks to new editions and looks forward to more projects that combine her love of writing with her love of teeth. She spends her free time chasing her dog, two cats, two kids, and her husband around their Florida home.
How to Spot a Toxic Dental Office During a Job Interview
Over a decade ago, I picked up my license, walked out of my employer’s office midday, and never looked back. I don’t regret it. What I do regret is not noticing the red flags sooner. Working in a toxic office is not something every hygienist will encounter in their careers, but many will. So, here is a discussion of...
New to the Office: A Guide to Asking the Right Questions
Hygiene school felt like it would never end. Two years of learning skill after skill, preparing for an insane number of exams, learning more facts than seemed possible to fit into a single human brain, and having to apply it all to pass board exams have all culminated in one thing: a new wave of graduated dental hygienists.
So, what...
Graduated and Job Hunting: How to Stand Out as a New Hygienist
It’s here: the time is approaching to move that tassel from right to left. Dental hygiene school has been filled with long days of clinic and long nights of studying, but now it is time to start looking for that first job. While the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics cites a shortage of dental health care professionals, it can...
5 Steps Hygienists Can Take to Boost Oral Health Compliance
Think about something for a moment. How would you feel if there was something everybody else seemed to have, seemed to be able to do, and you couldn’t? What if you practiced it every single day of your life? What if, twice a year like clockwork, you were told that your best efforts to do this thing that everyone...
Disposal of Opioids: How Hygienists Can Prevent Abuse through Education
Dental hygienists are acutely aware that the opioid crisis exists. However, we do not always put ourselves on the front lines of curbing dangerous practices that contribute to the misuse or unlawful distribution of these medicines.
Years ago, when I was a dental hygiene student, I remember throwing my back out of place. I was given two prescriptions − one...
Radiology Guidelines: Are Your Patients Over-Exposed?
Dental hygienists often fight against allowing health insurance companies to dictate treatment plans. They document, chart, probe, and appeal to get properly timed recall appointments covered for their patients. So, why do many offices allow the once per year insurance coverage on most dental plans to dictate the frequency of dental radiographs?
The ADA, in conjunction with the FDA, recently...
The Magic of Ethics when Patients Decline Fluoride
Once upon a dental chair, a magical hygienist once turned every quick “no” on fluoride into a golden and exuberant “YES!” At least in fairy tales… In reality, patients don’t always say “yes,” and hygienists are often faced with some who are emphatic in their “no” response. So, what magic exists to break through the spell of such a...
Dental Hygienists on Father’s Day: Give the Ideal Oral Health Gift
This year, something special is happening on Sunday, June 20th: The first day of summer coincides with Father’s Day. The official start of high temperatures and unspeakable humidity (if you live in Florida as I do) combines the promise of summer fun with honoring the fathers (and father figures) in our lives.
If you are like me, finding the right...
COVID-19: Social Distancing for the Dental Hygienist
Editor's Note: Information about COVID-19 is changing on a daily, sometimes hourly, basis. We have made every attempt to ensure this article is up-to-date at the time of publication, but with the rapid changes occurring, some information may have changed since publication. Please visit https://www.coronavirus.gov/ for the latest news and information on COVID-19.
COVID-19 is officially taking over our lives. More so...
A Practical Look at Silver Diamine Fluoride
As a practicing dental hygienist, I know every day I will fail to perfectly communicate the importance of diligent daily oral health care to a patient. I would like to believe that every single instance where a patient presents with gingivitis or incipient decay, I would be able to impress upon them the need to clean interdentally once, brush...
Good News You Might Have Missed: A Dental Hygiene Update
News is everywhere. Without even realizing it, we hop from story to story thanks to the ever-increasing availability of sources – radio, television, print, smartphone apps, social media, and more. Gone is the time of a family sitting down around the TV watching the six o’clock news, and the nation getting the same stories at the same time.
Smartphones tailor...
Health History Update: How to Keep from Getting Stuck in “The Script”
Treating a patient in the clinical setting is so much more than just sitting down and scaling teeth. There are pockets to measure, small talk to be made, infection control protocol to maintain, educational information to pass along, a bit of detective work/patient assessment, radiographs to expose, treatment plans to discuss, consent to obtain for additional services, and that’s...