Dental Hygiene

A grown-up brush. Designed for kids. Kids find pride in using products that look and feel like those the adults in their life use, so quip made a grown-up toothbrush designed for kids, to help them enjoy brushing their teeth, better and more often. quip for kids has all of the same guiding features of the original quip (but none...

There are few other terms in dentistry that can provoke a debate the way the word “fluoride” does. Despite the CDC deeming community water fluoridation as one of the ten greatest public health achievements of the 20th century, petitions to remove fluoride from drinking water sources and pushback on implementing community water fluoridation (CWF) is not uncommon. This is...

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...

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...

We are now well into 2019… how are those New Year resolutions holding up? Are you still going strong? Or have you given up hope? Just remember, it doesn’t have to be a new year for you to better yourself! But don’t improve just your personal life—remember to think about ways to improve your professional life as well. In Part...

Wanting to provide excellent care for our dental patients, as well as comfort and longevity in our chosen careers, are most likely the highest priorities for dental professionals. One of the most successful ways to assist ourselves as dental hygienists are with the use of dental loupes. Keeping in mind that purchasing the wrong loupes for your needs, can...

A patient comes in and with a chief complaint of extremely sensitive teeth. It’s painful to drink a cold beverage or eat their favorite ice cream. They even struggle with the simple act of brushing their teeth. You know the answer to their problems and so does every dental hygienist across the nation: Fluoride. Whether you have patients that...

Ever think about assisted living patient care? These patients oral health is often overlooked as the staff is incredibly busy meeting daily needs, and often undertrained in the importance of thorough plaque removal. How can we step in and fill the dental needs to these so deserving people? Setting up a program for daily home care is not nearly as difficult as...

Whether it be in the clinical setting, or at home, we all need to streamline our resources to help us work smarter, not harder. These dental hacks may be just the tip needed to smooth some of the wrinkles out of a busy day. I would like to share some of my dental hacks which have helped me over...

Dentistry does not always have to be boring! Below I have found some fun facts, ancient facts, and interesting facts about dentistry. In 1866, Lucy Beaman Hobbs became the first licensed female dentist. Lucy had boarded with a physician while teaching, which sparked her interest in medicine. She was rejected from medical school but was encouraged to pursue dentistry. Jonathan Taft,...