Dental Hygiene

The question comes up a lot: How do I expand my career outside of the clinical setting? It is quite difficult to answer this question. Not because there are no opportunities, there’s actually many. It’s because there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to answer this question. It really depends on you, as an individual; including your particular goals, expectations, skillset, and what...

Not many people like going to a dental office, whether it’s because of the amount of time that is spent or because of dental anxiety. Therefore, as dental hygienists, we try our very best to ensure that each patient has a smooth time in the office and our patients feel comfortable. However, there are a few things that patients...

There are many misconceptions regarding oral hygiene and the mouth that some of our patients believe to be true. With a large amount of false information found online, it’s no wonder our patients can be easily led in the wrong direction when it comes to oral health. It’s always important to remember that just because you read something online, doesn’t...

In December 2016, the world of dentistry lost a remarkable and groundbreaking woman, just three days after her 100th birthday. Esther Wilkins, the "matriarch of dental hygiene" was first licensed as a hygienist in 1939, and presided over decades of revolutionary changes in oral health and dental practice. Her long career in the field spanned sweeping changes such as: The evolving...

I was halfway there; it was right before my summer classes were to begin the last year of dental hygiene school. One night I noticed a little bump on my right breast, so I did an exam on myself and felt a small, rock-like lump. Being only twenty-nine years old, and having no family history of breast cancer, I wasn’t...

Disclosure: We value transparency at Today’s RDH. This article is sponsored content from Wrigley Oral Healthcare Program as part of our sponsored partner program. For many dental hygienists, the road to becoming a licensed professional may not have been filled with rainbows and unicorns. After completing college prerequisites, there’s applying to a hygiene program or even several. Once accepted, getting through the...

If there’s one thing dental patients hate more than fillings and root canals, it’s needles. The anxiety associated with receiving a shot at their dental appointment is one of the most common reasons patients cite for their fear of the dentist. Unfortunately, there have not been many options for providing local anesthesia that did not require a shot in the...

I will be the first to tell you that exercise and kale are the devil. I am all about being real and giving advice that I actually take for myself. We all are busy people and taking time for ourselves is generally nonexistent. We have to get creative in the way we take care of ourselves. Everyone is different...

Great news came out of Olympia, Washington, on February 22, 2019. The House Bill that was proposed on Wednesday, February 6, 2019, that would allow dental assistants to perform dental hygiene procedures, with nothing more than a one-time training failed to make it out of committee. You can read more about this bill and the effort made to stop...

Sometimes it feels like we need a code red to determine which code best suits our patient’s particular dental condition. I am sure we have all been there. Do we use D4355 for Debridement or just start with D4341 or D4342? Do I use the Gingivitis code D4366 or just fight through a Prophylaxis with the D1110 code and...