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
Nurse’s Conviction: Could Hygienists be Criminally Prosecuted for Errors?
Nurses and nurse practitioners across the country closely followed the RaDonda Vaught case. Vaught was a registered nurse working at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She was criminally charged and convicted of two felonies in March, potentially facing eight years in prison due to a medical error that resulted in the death of a patient.
The case set a new precedent...
OraVerse®: How to Help Dental Patients Rebound from ‘Numb Feeling’ Faster
Disclosure: This article is sponsored content from Septodont as part of our sponsored partner program.
During my early years in dentistry, I was a dental assistant before going to dental hygiene school. I have a distinct memory that is seared into my brain of a child around five years old who had restorative work completed only to return the next day with...
The Close Relationship between Oral Allergy Syndrome and Seasonal Allergies
Seasonal allergies can be dreadful. Everyone seems to be affected to some degree. Did you know that certain seasonal allergies can cause oral symptoms as well? Patients may not realize the connection or that there is a possibility that their oral symptoms could be linked to certain seasonal allergies. Studies indicate that 20% to 70% of people who suffer...
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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Fluorine Discovered in a Galaxy 12 Billion Light-Years Away
I often hear patients and, in some instances, dental professionals stating they are trying to avoid using fluoride because it is a “neurotoxin.” When I hear these things, I always think to myself, “Good luck, fluoride is everywhere!”
It turns out my thoughts may be further confirmed by a recent discovery of fluorine in a galaxy 12 billion light-years away.6...
QUIZ: Test your Nutrition & Oral Health Knowledge
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Illinois Dental Society’s Insult to Dental Hygiene Really Insults Overall Population
Dave Marsh, a lobbyist for the Illinois Dental Society, recently offered a comment about dental hygienists that was quoted in the news media: "I just don't feel anybody with a two-year associate's degree is medically qualified to correct your health. They're trained to clean teeth. They take a sharp little instrument and scrape your teeth. That's what they do....
Tooth Agenesis: Oral Health Diagnosis Should Prompt Screening for Systemic Disease
Dental health professionals are aware of the connection between oral manifestations and systemic disease. We are well versed in having a conversation regarding the connection between periodontal disease and systemic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease.
However, there is a condition seen in the dental chair that many dental hygienists may not associate with systemic...
Busting Some of the Biggest Dental Myths Out There
We have all heard our fair share of myths growing up. My favorite myth my parents tried to sell me was a spin-off of the myth, “eating carrots improves your eyesight.” When I was a child, my favorite television show was Wonder Woman (it still is, if I’m being honest). At this time Lynda Carter was the star of...
QUIZ: Test your Forensic Dentistry Knowledge
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Geographic Tongue: Is There a Systemic Link?
Geographic tongue is an inflammatory, but harmless, condition affecting the surface of the tongue. With geographic tongue, patches on the surface of the tongue are missing papillae and appear as smooth, red "islands," often with slightly raised borders. Geographic tongue is said to be idiopathic in nature. With so much research connecting systemic disease with oral manifestations, is it...
QUIZ: Test your Oral Pathology Knowledge
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