Mandy Macachor, RDH, BS
Mandy Macachor, RDH, BS, is a practicing clinician in San Diego, California, with experience in cosmetic and general practices. Mandy graduated from Milwaukee Area Technical College in 2017, where she was the president of her Student American Dental Hygienists' Association. She continued her studies and earned a bachelor's degree in Allied Health at Northern Arizona University. She was honored to be a recipient of Today's RDH Honor Awards in 2019. Mandy has a passion for dental mission work and has participated in local charities such as Mission of Mercy and Team Smiles; more recently, she's an active volunteer for The Rise Above Cebu Foundation located in the Philippines.
Psychoneuroimmunology: Insights Can Lead to a Better Understanding of Dental Patients
Established research demonstrates a connection between the mind and the body. Within medicine, the mind and the body connection is not fully accepted by all, but much of its evidence is respected and considered in many aspects.
The contributions of many intellectual and innovative researchers have proved evidence of the connection between the two. The mind and the body connection...
Pediatric Care: How Breastfeeding Affects an Infant’s Oral Health
Dental hygienists provide care to patients in varying life stages, often tailoring recommendations based on a patient's current stage of life. It is essential to ensure that personalized care and advice are given to each patient. A dental hygienist may often provide care for a pregnant mother or newly postpartum mother, each of which will require unique care to...
7 Signs of a Healthy Workplace Culture for Dental Hygienists
Dental hygienists often spend more hours of the week working at the dental office than at home with their loved ones. With so much of our lives being spent at work, it would be best if we could all work within a healthy work environment. Although it may seem daunting to find a perfect work environment at a dental...
Radiation Protection: Ensuring Low Risks with Dental Exposures
Substantial evidence demonstrates a significant increase in the use of medical imaging. Computerized tomography and ionizing radiation imaging have improved medicine and dentistry in many ways. The ability to use digital imaging has eliminated many invasive exploratory procedures. Medical professionals can more easily diagnose many conditions and diseases.
A statement by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) declared, “The...
LoupeSaver: Product Encourages Dental Hygienists to Comfortably use Face Shields
Disclaimer: This article is sponsored content from LoupeSaver.
Personal protective equipment (PPE) is essential for dental professionals and is defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as "special coverings designed to protect dental health care personnel from exposure to or contact with infectious agents."
The CDC elaborates, "These include gloves, face masks, protective eyewear, face shields, and...
Fitness Ideas for Dental Hygienists to Relieve Stress, Aches, and Pain
Working as a clinical dental hygienist can lead to aches, stress, and occasional pain. It’s fairly common that a dental hygienist may encounter these discomforts throughout his or her career. Dental professionals are more susceptible to musculoskeletal disorders and often cope with these occupational hazards.
Fortunately, there are many ways to relieve and prevent the aches and pains associated with...
Infant Oral Care: Recommendations Dental Hygienists Can Give Parents
Dental hygienists often provide dental care for expectant mothers and new parents, and it is important to educate expectant mothers on how their oral health may affect a baby's health. Upon providing each pregnant patient with adequate education about her own oral health needs, expectant mothers and new mothers will often ask, "How should I care for my infant's...
3 Factors that Impact Successful Co-Diagnosis between Hygienist & Doctor
In an ideal world, the relationship between the dental hygienist and the dentist is one that is in sync and well-calibrated. If the dental hygienist and dentist can truly rely on one another, it allows for seamless and successful diagnosis and treatment planning, and patients will better understand treatment recommendations.
The dental hygienist and dentist can help to influence successful...
Relocating to California: Obtaining Dental Hygiene Re-licensure in the Golden State
Sunny sky, ocean breezes, and palm trees − that is what you can look forward to when you decide to relocate to southern California. The part you may not look forward to is the detailed and time-consuming process to obtain your California dental hygiene license.
In my experience, “time-consuming” consisted of a great deal of wait time, much of it...
Degree Completion: A Bachelor’s Can Unlock Opportunities for Dental Hygienists
Graduation from dental hygiene school is an impressive and rewarding accomplishment. For many, it meant overcoming numerous challenges and obstacles to ultimately achieve the dream of working as a dental hygienist.
If you're like me, it means that ─ even after several years of a commitment to prerequisite courses and hygiene courses ─ at the end of it all, you're...
Feeling Blue: How Dental Hygienists Say Goodbye to Offices They Love
Quitting your job is never easy, but it’s even more difficult to leave a position that you love. If you’re employed by an office that hasn’t met your expectations, even then the decision to leave can be difficult. However, in that case, it may lead to eventual relief.
On the other hand, if you’re part of a dental team with...
Dental Hygiene CE: 5 Options for Expanding Professional Knowledge
It doesn’t have to be a mentally draining process to obtain continuing education credits. The evolution of technology within our dental careers has allowed for easier access to continuing education opportunities, including blended learning experiences.
Many states allow dental hygienists to receive CE via reading, online education, and home-study platforms. Live seminars remain an excellent way to enhance your knowledge...