Life at Work

"I can't keep it to myself any longer! I have stress ulcers. I am losing sleep! My partner and I are endlessly fighting! Today is the day I'm going to confront her. I can do this. After all, I am right, and she is wrong! I think?" Sound familiar? Is this internal voice becoming a constant nightmare while you commute...

Some dentists are switching to the trend of assisted or accelerated hygiene. In this concept, the assistants go over medical history, take radiographs, polish, and stay for the exam with the doctor. This leaves just periodontal charting, ultrasonic scaling, and hand scaling up to the hygienist. For the dentist or office manager, this increases production by stacking patients in the...

We all have those no-show patients, canceled or broken appointments, or a hole in our schedule. One issue seen in the clinical setting is the dilemma of clocking in and out if patients cancel. In my opinion, you are at work, and it is not your fault you do not have a patient. But this is not a perfect world,...

Over the years, I have heard many different cliches and suggestions about the appropriateness of carrying our personal lives through the doors of the dental hygienist's workplace. It has been said that to "bring matters of the heart" to work is considered unprofessional. We should find a way to "check it at the door" and resist all temptation to...

Ugh, it’s Monday. While you are usually a very happy and upbeat morning person who can be a tad bit annoying to the masses of dental patients who still need toothpicks to keep their eyes open over their 7 a.m. coffee, you are feeling unusually discontented. It started a few months ago when you found yourself the focus of...

Pulse quickening, vision blurring, heart racing, head pounding, labored breathing… What is happening to me, and why can’t I stop it? I’m sweating now, and it feels like the world is caving in on me. Why are my hands shaking? I can’t work like this. I want to curl up into a ball and hide in the stock room...

As a seasoned hygienist of working in multiple practices, I have developed an appreciation for the unique differences between them. Some practices hold a morning huddle every day before they grab their first patients of the day. Others have a monthly meeting or may not have any huddles or meetings at all (maybe only when necessary). A morning huddle is...

Have you ever quarreled with the front desk personnel? No, never! No one ever disagrees, right? Fortunately and unfortunately, I have been in the front desk’s shoes. For two years before beginning dental hygiene school, I was the office manager for a dental practice. Guess what? It’s HARD WORK. I ultimately decided that reception/office work was not for me....

The world in which we inhabit has vastly evolved over the years. Practices that were once frowned upon or considered rude or unprofessional are now more widely accepted. Among those new modernized ways of life is the tattoo. Decades ago, it was a rarity that people inked their skin with colorful art much less proudly displayed it for the world...

We all know that dental hygiene students face a multitude of pressures while in school. Hours upon hours of clinic and classes, focusing on perfecting instrumentation skills, worrying about finding the right board patient – the pressures are endless! There is no wonder that focusing on ergonomics may fall by the wayside, especially when you are trying to accomplish...