Dental Hygiene

Thankfully, I am a deep sleeper. I often joke that I die every night and resurrect every morning. I have been blessed with good sleep genes and require no assistance from the Sandman. In addition, noises such as snoring (from my bed partner) have never disturbed me. The same cannot be said for my sister. She sleeps very lightly, and...

The quipcare platform offers set, transparent pricing for dental care and allows consumers to book and pay for professional services directly from a curated network of providers all in one app — ensuring Americans with or without insurance can access the care they need for less. NEW YORK, NY — July 9, 2019 - quip today announced the launch of...

The recent emphasis on the importance of a healthy diet and good nutrition has not been ignored by the dental profession. Vitamins and nutrients can have significant effects on the oral cavity. The patient’s medical history, clinical evaluation, and radiographs can reveal the negative effects of vitamin deficiencies and resulting oral manifestations. The most common vitamins that are introduced and...

An elderly female patient recently presented with hypothyroidism. Her health history documented that she was taking Synthroid. While verbally reviewing and updating her health history, she stated that she also took an OTC thyroid vitamin but did not know its name. She also disclosed that she is seeing an herbalist who is having her rub two essential oils (lemongrass...

A dental hygienist could pinpoint five or six zip codes for his or her career goals. I live in the 74135 zip code. So I want all dental disease eradicated through preventive efforts in that zip code. My doctor’s office is in 74137 zip code. He has some patients living there, of course, but I want that entire zip code...

Dental hygienists are very grateful to their patients, and they realize patients have chosen a dental office for assistance during the journey of keeping their teeth for a lifetime. It is a hard task for some patients to even show up for appointments due to perhaps anxiety or a dental phobia, a demanding work schedule, or daily life responsibilities. So,...

When I recently moved to Houston, I had expected that finding a dental hygiene job would be easy. After all, I had practiced in all aspects of dentistry from pediatrics to periodontics for many years. It wasn’t easy! I interviewed and interviewed but couldn’t find the right fit. After an interview where the doctor spent the entire encounter on...

“That’s her!” the student exclaimed with excitement, “That’s who I see at my dentist.” As the student sat in my mother’s classroom, she recounted her experience at my dental office. Working just down the road from the elementary school where my mother works, it is a weekly occurrence for students to find her in the hall, flash a smile,...

As health-care providers, dental hygienists perform many functions to serve patients, ranging from preventive care to minor restorative care. But who is taking care of us? The burden of working six- to 10-hour work days four to six days a week can take a toll not only on our body but on our mind as well. Self-care is defined as...

Most career paths have a stereotype associated with them, which is usually untrue. For example, doctors are known for having "chicken scratch" handwriting. Librarians are known as little, old ladies with glasses, and police officers are rumored to love donuts. While these stereotypes were meant to be humorous, they don't define the careers. Several years ago, before I was even...