Spring Hatfield, RDH
Spring Hayes Hatfield, RDH, is a graduate of Florida State College at Jacksonville. She practices clinically in Denham Springs, Louisiana. She is Dental Hygiene Board Certified in Florida and Louisiana. She is a member of the American Academy for Oral Systemic Health and the Foundation for Airway and Craniofacial Excellence. Her passion is helping her patients better understand the oral-systemic disease connection. In her free time, she enjoys traveling with her husband and two children. She can be reached via email at SpringHatfieldRDH@gmail.com.
4 Ways Pregnancy Affects Oral Health
A woman goes through many changes during the nine months of pregnancy. It is always exciting to see the first signs of a baby bump, and most moms-to-be are concerned about the health of their growing baby. Unfortunately, these women can be misinformed or not informed at all about how pregnancy can affect oral health and how their oral...
Is Saliva the Future of Diagnostics?
During dental treatment, saliva is generally not our friend. We fight with it to keep patients from feeling like they are drowning, it is always interfering with sealant placement and other restorative procedures, but what if that saliva we loathe could help our patients with early disease diagnosis? The ability to utilize saliva to monitor the health and disease...
6 Ways You Get More Radiation than From Dental X-rays
Several years ago, a popular talk show informed the public that dental X-rays could be a contributing factor in thyroid cancer. This was shared via emails and social media and incited fear in many people. People began declining dental X-rays and made dental professionals jobs quite difficult. Since that time, I still encounter patients that decline X-rays due to...
Should Dental Hygienists be Independent Contractors or Employees?
At the end of every year, dental hygiene groups and forums are blowing up with questions concerning the 1099 they received from a dentist they worked for at some point that year. Most of these questions are regarding dentists that hired the hygienist on a temporary basis. Many of the responses focus on the legality of being paid with...
Could Periodontal Disease have an Autoimmune Component?
Periodontal disease causes chronic inflammation, tissue destruction, and cannot be cured only maintained. Periodontal disease has some genetic qualities, and if left untreated can wreak havoc on other organs. It has been associated with heart disease, stroke, and some cancers. All the traits I used to describe periodontal disease could be used to describe several other diseases, all of...
The Medical History Mystery: Getting Patients to Understand the Importance of Medical History
I’m sure I’m not the only hygienist that has pondered why patients are so reluctant to provide complete disclosure of their medical history before dental treatment. More times than I would like to admit I’ve asked a patient “Have you had any changes in your medical history?” To which they would promptly reply “No.” Only then, to disclose a...
The Importance of Screening Pediatric Patients for Sleep Related Breathing Disorders
“Scientists have discovered a revolutionary new treatment that makes you live longer. It enhances your memory, makes you more attractive. It keeps you slim and lowers food cravings. It protects you from cancer and dementia. It wards off colds and flu. It lowers your risk of heart attacks and stroke, not to mention diabetes. You’ll even feel happier, less...
Networking to Achieve Overall Health for Patients
Recently, at my annual well visit with my primary care physician, after the usual weight and blood pressure check, I was asked when I last had my eyes checked, when I last saw a dermatologist, when I last had a mammogram and so on. The one thing that was missing from these interview questions was when was my last...