Kim Kiser, RDH
Kim Kiser, RDH, whose career spans over 30 years, looks forward to sharing tips and topics that other fellow hygienist may find helpful, funny, and educational in their pursuit of ultimate care of their patients. A 1992 graduate of Trident College, Kim has a passion for educating patients with the best and most up to date products and techniques available, so patients fully understand how to properly be the best advocate in the care of their own oral health. Kim is a mother of 2, with one granddaughter, and resides in the beautiful North Georgia mountains with her husband, Mark. Outside of her love for dentistry, Kim also enjoys baking, gardening, painting, and enjoying all the beauty North Georgia has to offer.
Lip Tattoos: Help Dental Patients Think before They Ink
Humans have marked their bodies with tattoos for thousands of years, and these permanent designs are always personal, serving as status symbols, signs of religious beliefs, amulets, declarations of love, adornments, and even as forms of punishment. People tattoo every part of their bodies, including their inner labial mucosa, gingiva, and hard palate as a form of self-expression.
Celebrities such...
Teething Necklaces: Are They Worth the Risk?
I am a seasoned dental hygienist. I am also a mother and a grandmother, and I like the title of “Memaw” much better. I know exactly how parents feel when a child is experiencing pain or discomfort. Parents want solutions and answers on how to alleviate or prevent the pain, especially when infants and small children are unable to...
8 Types of Patients that Make Hygienists Feel Like Rockstars
Dental hygienists have their share of ups and downs ─ something that is probably true of most professions. Most days are typically good and glide along smoothly. Occasionally, a hygienist will have one of those days when everything that can go wrong does.
Dental patients inevitably can have an impact on the way the workday unfolds. For example, are they...
An Ethical Question: Should Hygienists be Facebook Friends with Patients?
It is no surprise to anyone in the modern world that in 2020 we live in a very high tech, social network type of world. We can be connected to gaming sites, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Snapchat, and so many more with just the tap of a finger or a single voice command.
While I strongly believe that there are...
Let’s Get to The Point: Factors in Sharpening Hygiene Instruments
I hope I am not the only dental hygienist who has ever found herself trying to scale tenacious (or even not so tenacious) calculus with instruments that feel like dull kitchen spoons that arrived in 1620 on the Mayflower. It can be so defeating and frustrating to try and do your dental hygiene job with inadequate instruments.
I compare it...
The Authentic RDH: With New Challenges, Hygienists Should Stay True to Themselves
Ah, January ‒ the beginning of a brand-new year. The new year brings a sense of hope, purpose, and possibilities for people, a fresh start. The previous year is behind us, and whatever mistakes dental hygienists have made or tasks they didn't accomplish or even attempt is history now. In January, resolutions have been made, new diets and workout...
Systemic Diseases: Oral Signs to Watch for in Dental Patients
Some people claim that the eyes are the window to the soul. As a dental professional, have you ever thought that the tongue and mouth are the window to your patient's health? We can gain quite a bit of insight and information about our dental patients just by a thorough exam of the tongue, mucosa, and surrounding structures of...
10 Things Dental Patients Want When Choosing a Dental Provider
Have you ever wondered what really matters to patients when they are choosing a dental provider? In this highly competitive dental market, knowing what your patients really care about and being able to deliver that can be a simple key to achieving patient satisfaction.
Dental patients have all types of different reasons for choosing you or your dental office. It...
7 Things Your Dental Hygienist Wish You Knew
Dental hygienists are very grateful to their patients, and they realize patients have chosen a dental office for assistance during the journey of keeping their teeth for a lifetime. It is a hard task for some patients to even show up for appointments due to perhaps anxiety or a dental phobia, a demanding work schedule, or daily life responsibilities.
So,...
20 Ways Dental Patients Drive Dental Hygienists Crazy
Dental hygienists adore their patients and look forward to treating them every day. Here are 20 actions by dental patients, though, that are sure to test the benevolent patience of any dental hygienist.
1) Being habitually late
We value your time as a patient and make that appointment specifically for you! I understand that sometimes things can't be helped, such as...
5 Reasons Why I Love Being a Dental Hygienist
So many career options are available to people. Do you ever find yourself wondering how someone ended up doing what they do for a living? Some people know from a young age what career they want and gear their playtime, education, and training toward that for most of their lives and end up ecstatic with their choice! Not all...
10 Tips for Dental Hygienists to Get through a Long Work Day
Let’s face it, clinical hygiene is hard on your body, your brain, and sometimes your psyche. A patient who has some limitations and is unable to lie back or turn in the direction we need them to for proper ergonomics causes dental hygienists to bend, contort, and twist bodies in ways we should not just to accomplish our job.
Dental...
Keeping the Schedule Filled: Battling the Saga of Appointment No Shows
I think since the dawn of civilization, there has been a problem in dental offices that has yet to be solved. Come on! You know what I’m talking about! Keeping the dental hygiene schedules full and productive!
You can seemingly have the perfect day scheduled when you begin the day fresh-faced at 8 a.m. But, by 9 o’clock, you have...
Dental Sealants: Making a Choice in Etching
We are all very aware of how effective dental sealants are against caries. The thin, little barriers placed in the pits and fissures of molar and premolar teeth have been around in one form or another since 1966. They have acted as a formidable defense in the fight against plaque and bacteria that would normally cause carious lesions.
You may have...
New Dental Hygiene Grads: 10 Tips for Transitioning to Practice
New graduate, I know the past few years probably seem like a blur to you. You've endured many hours of studying, mock boards, clinicals, taking tests, meeting proficiencies, late-night cram sessions, searching for that perfect board patient, and now it has finally paid off!
Be proud of your dental hygiene school accomplishments. You really have done so much in a...
National Dental Hygiene Month: Even in 2020, Time to Celebrate!
October is finally here, and it is absolutely my favorite time of year. The leaves are beginning to show their beautiful orange, red, and yellow colors. Temperatures are dropping, and bonfires and pumpkins are a regular sight. The carved pumpkins with the big toothy grins are my favorite! October is also National Dental Hygiene Month, a whole month dedicated...
How COVID-19 May Have Made Dental Professionals Stronger
It is no surprise to anyone that our world is a much different place than it was just a few short months ago. Some businesses are still closed. Some restaurants are still only doing curbside service. Some of us were introduced to unemployment benefits for the first time. Masked individuals are a normal part of our everyday lives, and...
Got the Quarantined Blues? Boredom Busters for Homebound Hygienists
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.
The world as we know it is very different...
Revisiting Standard Precautions to be Prepared for COVID-19 Advisories
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.
If you have watched TV, listened to the radio,...
Coronavirus: What Dental Professionals Need to Know about COVID-19
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.
On February 11, 2020, the World Health Organization announced...