Spring Hatfield, RDH, BSPH
Spring Hayes Hatfield, RDH, BSPH, is a graduate of Florida State College at Jacksonville and practices clinically in Vestavia Hills, Alabama. She is Dental Hygiene Board Certified in Florida, Louisiana, and Alabama. She is a member of the American Dental Hygiene Association. Spring is on the Advisory Board at Today’s RDH and holds the position of Associate Editor. Her passion is elevating the dental hygiene profession through science and education as well as 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.
QUIZ: Test your Air Polishing Knowledge
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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...
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...
QUIZ: Test your Children’s Dental Health Knowledge
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Proposed Illinois Legislation Will Allow Dental Assistants to Scale – Opposition Opinion
In October 2021, an Illinois State Dental Society lobbyist, Dave Marsh, made the claim that dental hygienists were not “medically qualified to correct your health.”1 It was a bold claim from someone who seemingly, due to his position in the Illinois Dental Association, supports the bills sent to the state legislature that would allow dental assistants to scale supragingival...
Scientists Discover New Muscle Layer in the Human Jaw
After successfully completing dental hygiene school, we often think we know all there is to know about the anatomy of the head and neck. Dental hygiene students dive deep into the details of head and neck anatomy; however, the body is complex, and our education only goes as far as what is documented in the literature. In October 2020,...
QUIZ: Test your Dental Sealants Knowledge
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Oral-Systemic Links: How Does Mitochondrial Dysfunction Interact with Periodontal Disease?
Mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell, and we get all our mitochondria from our mothers (from the father in some rare cases). That is the extent of most people’s knowledge about mitochondria, which is really a shame because mitochondria are so much more than just the powerhouse of the cell.1
Mitochondrion (singular, as mitochondria is plural) contributes to cellular...
QUIZ: Test your Standard of Care Knowledge
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Refresher on Different Types of Scientific Studies and Their Clinical Relevance
Practicing clinicians must understand the differences in the types of dental research and clinical relevance when reading and reviewing scientific literature. This awareness helps ensure dental professionals are providing the best possible care to patients and can assist in helping determine the best recommendations or tools to improve patients' oral health.
Placing too much weight on a study that may...