Life at Work

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...

Everyone knows that feeling you get when you walk into a space that is cluttered, crowded, or disheveled. A little anxiety starts to bubble up, and you immediately want to leave or start cleaning. You don’t want to have this feeling when you walk into your workspace, and you certainly don’t want your patients to feel that way. You...

Many dental hygienists are going through a crisis as our profession is filled with uncertainty, fear, anxiety, and sadness in the midst of a global pandemic. We are at a standstill with many of us out of work and unsure of when we will be able to start working again. During all of this, I have noticed a trend...

It doesn't matter if you are a part-time or full-time hygienist. You are at your office or other dental health setting for majority of the day or week. Sometimes you are at work more than you are at home. Am I right? Employees working together collaboratively and giving 100% every day will guarantee success. Doesn't this sound great for everyone?...

You wake up one morning, look yourself in the mirror, and realize there is so much more you can be doing. You start to question what decisions need to be made to change the course of your life. All of a sudden, impending fear overtakes you as you come to the realization that it will require surrendering a comfortable...

We all go through our days capping our frustrations from those unexpected little annoyances, aka pet peeves. A pet peeve is defined as “a minor annoyance that individuals identify as particularly annoying to them, to a greater degree than others may find.” Whether you are driving in your car and someone pulls out in front of you, only to turn...

I think since the dawn of civilization, there has been a problem in dental offices that has yet to be solved. Come on! You know what I’m talking about! Keeping the dental hygiene schedules full and productive! You can seemingly have the perfect day scheduled when you begin the day fresh-faced at 8 a.m. But, by 9 o’clock, you have...

As the year winds down, many of you will be pondering about New Year's resolutions to pursue. I encourage you to add your career to that list. Something attracted you to the dental hygiene field. At one point, your heart, soul, and mind were in love with dentistry. Maybe this is still true, and you are content and satisfied. Or,...

Malpractice is defined as “a dereliction of professional duty or failure to exercise an ordinary degree of professional skill or learning by one rendering professional services which results in injury, loss, or damage.” Dental malpractice is a deviation from the standard of care, failure to diagnose and/or treat a patient resulting in injury to them3. Dental hygienists are licensed professionals...

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it’s that wonderful time of the year again. Beginning in January, the whole 1099 or W2 debate is in full swing for dental hygienists who do temporary or fill-in work. Temp work is certainly a great way to make some extra income, network with other professionals in your area, and possibly learn new techniques from...