Dental Hygiene

It is no secret there is a need for quality dental care worldwide. Many areas, both nationally and internationally, are in dire need for preventative and restorative dental care and do not have the professional workforce to provide care. For some of us, it’s easy to lose sight of how impactful our skill set can be. By sharing my...

Get in your car and drive into town and pay close attention to the cars around you. If you see a billowing cloud of smoke rolling from within the car, you have found a “vaper” or e-cigarette user. I recollect the first time I witnessed this monstrosity. My initial thought was the car was on fire. To my wondering...

It is that time of year when children dress up and go door-to-door to collect bags full of candy. It is also that time of year where diet and nutrition are discarded, and parents face the unthinkable: their children will be consuming large quantities of Halloween candy. Sweets play one of the key roles in dental caries. However, the...

Independence. From the time a baby takes those first, wobbly, independent steps, to nations fighting wars over freedom and independence, the “i” word frequently invokes both positive and negative heightened emotional responses from us. Even so with dentistry! For instance, what comes to mind when you hear the phrase independent contractor or independent hygienist? Confusion? Pride? Happiness? Even anger? These...

A study published online in Environmental Health Perspective on July 20, 2012, written by Anna Choi, a research scientist in the Department of Environmental Health at Harvard, claimed, “Children in high-fluoride areas had significantly lower IQ scores than those who lived in low fluoride areas.”1 This publication fueled the fire for the anti-fluoride movement. In March of 2013, another article...

Urban legends are types of modern folklore or fictional stories presented as true and used for entertainment or to serve as cautionary tales. Urban legends were first published in 1968 and are typically complete stories with plots and characters that are “rooted in popular culture” and display elements of “fear, humor, mystery or horror”.1 The urban legends of dentistry...

It seems in every blog, Facebook group, or gathering of hygienists, someone brings up pet dental. While the end result of clean teeth and healthy tissue is the same for humans and pets, and the instruments are similar, the procedure is quite different. Puppies and kittens begin their dental examinations at the very first preventive appointment, at about 6-8 weeks...

I entered my first job in the dental field, a front desk position, with no prior dental experience. I was anxious, shy, and eager to learn. Almost daily my dentist would say, “You need to educate yourself!” It was irritating to hear at times, but I have since realized the value of that statement and the unassuming mentorship I...

The prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in the dental profession is well established and can have detrimental effects on productivity and lead to early retirement. The cause is attributed to ergonomic hazards, such as strained posture and repetitive movements. Studies show MSDs occur in 54-93% of dental professionals and involve the spine, shoulders, and hand-wrist tract.1 Though that statistic...

What did you want to be when you grew up? Throughout childhood, we were asked this question. I assume many of you changed your answer a few times. I love to hear other's stories, see the similarities, and even the differences, of our dental hygiene upbringing. I knew my answer at a very young age, and it never changed....