Kendra Pierce, RDH
Kendra R. Pierce, RDH, began her dental career as a Dental Assistant. She was a student at the Branch Area Careers Center in Coldwater, Michigan, and worked her senior year of high school as a part-time Dental Assistant to save money for college. In 1992, she graduated from Kellogg Community College in Battle Creek, Michigan, with her Associate in Applied Science in Dental Hygiene.
Kendra has worked in Sturgis, Michigan, for the majority of her 25-year hygiene career. She currently lives in Sturgis with her husband, Craig. They have one son, Matthew. Kendra plays golf, and she is president of a ladies’ golf league. She also enjoys photography and spending time with her family. She enjoys helping others in her free time and volunteers at bone marrow donor drives and in the kids’ ministry at church.
Magnification: Are You in the Loupe?
Wanting to provide excellent care for our dental patients, as well as comfort and longevity in our chosen careers, are most likely the highest priorities for dental professionals. One of the most successful ways to assist ourselves as dental hygienists are with the use of dental loupes. Keeping in mind that purchasing the wrong loupes for your needs, can...
Dental Education Should Be the Goal through All Stages of Pregnancy
Many factors are at play in a woman’s body during pregnancy, and the oral cavity has an important role in the health of the mother as well as for the developing baby. All healthcare providers serve a role in the education of the expecting mother. The dental team should be knowledgeable, as well as comfortable, in educating a patient...
Myofunctional Therapy: Expanding Dental Intervention
It seems that in the past, the main reason to refer a patient to a therapist was for a tongue thrust. We now have a wide variety of symptoms we need to be looking for which can be treated by a Myofunctional Therapist that can greatly improve our patients’ quality of life. Things such as malocclusion, long-term thumb sucking,...
All About Xylitol, the New Sugar: Sweetness with Benefits
There are only a few things in this world that people enjoy more than sweets, whether it be chocolate or even adding sugar to a daily cup of coffee. We humans just cannot seem to get enough. However, tooth decay is considered an epidemic in children in the USA. Further, sugar, and the inflammation caused by it, feeds many...
Halting the Decay Process: Silver Diamine Fluoride
As Dental Professionals, we always seem to be looking for more options to assist our patients in achieving the best oral health. This is what I feel makes us so good at our jobs, how much we really care. Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF) is an FDA-cleared liquid that has been shown to kill pathogenic organisms in decaying dentin and...
A Peek into the Link between the Oral Cavity and other Health Conditions
As dental professionals, one of the first things we review with our patients is their health history. Many patients are honest and will advise you up-front of all their currents conditions and diagnoses, as well as a give you a current medication list, including supplements. However, there are patients who tell you something like, “Nothing has changed that has...