Spring Hatfield, RDH, BSPH
Spring Hayes Hatfield, RDH, BSPH, is a graduate of Florida State College at Jacksonville, and she holds licensure in Florida, Louisiana, and Alabama. Spring is on the Advisory Board and holds the position of Continuing Education Manager at Today’s RDH. Her passion is elevating the dental hygiene profession through science, education, and clinical excellence. In her free time, she loves traveling, reading, and spending time with her husband, children, and the animals at her useless animal farm. She can be reached via email at Spring@TodaysRDH.com
Dissecting the Research: Elusive Causes of Black Line Stain and Hygiene Management
Black stain is “an external dental discoloration of bacterial origin, considered a special form of dental plaque.”1 The discoloration is characterized as a “dark line, or an incomplete coalescence of dark dots localized on the cervical third of the tooth.”2
Black line stain can be difficult to manage for both patients and dental professionals alike. Many patients who experience black...
Critical Thinking: How Dental Professionals Can Reboot Thought Patterns
Carl Sagan once said, "The truth may be puzzling. It may take some work to grapple with. It may be counterintuitive. It may contradict deeply held prejudices. It may not be consonant with what we desperately want to be true. But our preferences do not determine what is true."
Critical thinking does not come naturally; it takes some level of...
QUIZ: Test Your Oral Manifestations of Substance Abuse Disorders Knowledge
Are you in need of CE credits? If so, check out our peer-reviewed, self-study CE courses here.
Before you leave, check out the Today's RDH self-study CE courses. All courses are peer-reviewed and non-sponsored to focus solely on high-quality education. Click here now.
QUIZ: Test Your Osteonecrosis of the Jaw Knowledge
Are you in need of CE credits? If so, check out our peer-reviewed, self-study CE courses here.
Before you leave, check out the Today's RDH self-study CE courses. All courses are peer-reviewed and non-sponsored to focus solely on high-quality education. Click here now.
5 Things to Know about HIPAA When Patients Request Dental Records
Over the past month, I have frequently seen posts on social media about patients being denied access to their records and radiographs. This is a direct violation of HIPAA, and dental practices with any policy limiting or creating a barrier to the patient’s access to their records could lead to a steep fine.
This article aims to clarify the patient’s...
Seasonality of Immune Response: Could Gingival Inflammation Have a Seasonal Component?
The immune response is very complex as it can vary between individuals, and the response can be affected by environmental factors, among other things. This is an important concept for dental hygienists to understand, as one of the components in the development and progression of periodontal disease is the host response to the pathogenic bacterial assault.
Immune variation can occur...
Curiosity Killed the Plaque Ep. 16: Diabetes and Oral Health
In this episode of Curiosity Killed the Plaque, Spring Hatfield, RDH, BSPH, dives into diabetes and oral health.
Give it a watch, and make sure to subscribe to the Today’s RDH Dental Hygiene podcast on your favorite podcasting app or by going to https://anchor.fm/todaysrdh.
QUIZ: Test Your Radiation Safety Knowledge
Are you in need of CE credits? If so, check out our peer-reviewed, self-study CE courses here.
Before you leave, check out the Today's RDH self-study CE courses. All courses are peer-reviewed and non-sponsored to focus solely on high-quality education. Click here now.
Curiosity Killed the Plaque Ep. 15: Dental Related Infections that Can Lead to Serious Complications
In this episode of Curiosity Killed the Plaque, Spring Hatfield, RDH, BSPH, dives into dental related infections that can lead to serious complications and sometimes even death.
Give it a watch, and make sure to subscribe to the Today’s RDH Dental Hygiene podcast on your favorite podcasting app or by going to https://anchor.fm/todaysrdh.
Persistent Gingival Bleeding Despite Excellent Home Care? What Dental Hygienists Should Know about Macrothrombocytopenia
As dental hygienists, we encounter bleeding and inflamed gingiva daily. Most of the time, it is due to poor oral hygiene and a lack of disrupting that pesky biofilm. However, sometimes persistent bleeding gingiva can be a sign of something more serious. A plethora of systemic diseases can cause bleeding and inflammation of the gingival tissue, including macrothrombocytopenia, a...
Nano Silver Fluoride: A Possible Solution to Preventing and Arresting Dental Caries?
Historically, one of the most challenging dental diseases to manage has been dental caries. The prevalence of untreated dental caries between 2017-2020 is estimated to be around 21.3% or one in 5 adults in the U.S. population. This does not account for the number of children that are affected by untreated dental caries.1
The reason is often lack of access...
QUIZ: Test Your Knowledge of Cultural Sensitivity in the Dental Office
Are you in need of CE credits? If so, check out our peer-reviewed, self-study CE courses here.
Before you leave, check out the Today's RDH self-study CE courses. All courses are peer-reviewed and non-sponsored to focus solely on high-quality education. Click here now.
Curiosity Killed the Plaque Ep. 14: Informed Consent
In this episode of Curiosity Killed the Plaque, Spring Hatfield, RDH, BSPH, discusses informed consent.
Give it a watch, and make sure to subscribe to the Today’s RDH Dental Hygiene podcast on your favorite podcasting app or by going to https://anchor.fm/todaysrdh.
Dental Radiology: New Recommendations for Patient Lead Shielding
Radiographs are an important aspect of providing comprehensive patient care in dentistry. Though many patients balk at the idea of getting radiographs, it’s imperative to acquire them in order to diagnose diseases such as periodontal disease, dental caries, abscesses, and certain lesions of the jaw.
One could argue radiographs are one of the most important diagnostic tools we use in...
Human Skull, Jaw, and Teeth Evolution: Looking Beyond Dietary Changes Alone
Dentistry has been abuzz with airway and tongue/lip ties, forward head posture, and the like. Some dental professionals believe that this is all due to the change in our diets, and admittedly, this likely played a role in the shape of our jaws. However, if you are of the belief that this is the sole reason our faces have...
Curiosity Killed the Plaque Ep. 13: The Concept of ALARA
In this episode of Curiosity Killed the Plaque, Spring Hatfield, RDH, BSPH, discusses the concept of ALARA.
Give it a watch, and make sure to subscribe to the Today’s RDH Dental Hygiene podcast on your favorite podcasting app or by going to https://anchor.fm/todaysrdh.
QUIZ: Test Your Oral-Systemic Link Knowledge
Are you in need of CE credits? If so, check out our peer-reviewed, self-study CE courses here.
Before you leave, check out the Today's RDH self-study CE courses. All courses are peer-reviewed and non-sponsored to focus solely on high-quality education. Click here now.
6 Case Studies Looking at the Oral Manifestations of Long COVID
Editor’s Note: As new research emerges, information about COVID-19 can change. We have made every attempt to ensure this article is up to date at the time of its original publication (August 28, 2023). However, knowledge about COVID-19 is constantly evolving.
We are finally on the other side of the pandemic, and though COVID-19 isn’t gone, we have prevention...
What the Research Shows Regarding the Efficacy of Dental Whitening Options
Almost every patient visiting a dental hygienist wants whiter teeth. I wish I had a dollar for every chief complaint that I described as “wants whiter teeth.” So many whitening options are available ‒ gels, strips, toothpaste, mouth rinses, and, of course, in-office treatments.
How do dental hygienists decide the best recommendation for patients seeking a whiter and brighter smile?
Whitening...
Curiosity Killed the Plaque Ep. 12: The Rights of Dental Hygienists as Employees
In this episode of Curiosity Killed the Plaque, Spring Hatfield, RDH, BSPH, discusses the rights dental hygienists have as employees.
Give it a watch, and make sure to subscribe to the Today’s RDH Dental Hygiene podcast on your favorite podcasting app or by going to https://anchor.fm/todaysrdh.