Attracting Youth to the Dental Industry

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The dental industry, like many healthcare fields, faces the dual challenge of an aging workforce and an increasing demand for services. To ensure a steady supply of skilled professionals, it is imperative to attract young talent to the field. This article explores strategies for engaging and educating high school students and new grads about dental … Read more

Amanda Zubricki is Advocating for Hygienists with Hearing Loss

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Hygiene Spotlight features an exceptional dental hygienist every month. This month, we are showcasing Amanda Zubricki, RDH, a passionate advocate for healthcare professionals supporting individuals with hearing loss and an unapologetically deaf professional. She shares the barriers she has faced as a hygienist with hearing loss and offers insights on how dental practices can be more … Read more

Saving More Teeth with Dental Sealants

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Last year, I joined a group of volunteer dental hygienists in the Seal Grenada dental outreach program which had the goal of placing 1000 sealants on children in Grenada over 5 days. Not only did we reach our goal, we almost tripled it! While that is something to cheer about, here is something that we … Read more

Janet Star Kuo is Merging Dental Hygiene and Artistry

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Hygiene Spotlight features an exceptional dental hygienist every month. This month we are showcasing Janet Star Kuo, a Registered Dental Hygienist, creator and mother. She shares her unique path into dental hygiene and her journey of writing and self-publishing her own book. Why did you decide to pursue dental hygiene as a career? I did not enter … Read more

Interprofessional Collaborative Practice: A Hygienist Role

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As dental professionals, we see patients up to three or four times a year. In retrospect, as per CDHA (Canadian Dental Hygienist Association), Registered Dental Hygienists see a larger population versus other medical professionals. We often work with patients who have complex medical histories, and often present with risk factors that require an interdisciplinary approach.1 … Read more

Taking Flight: Fanshawe College’s 2025 Hygiene Outreach Program to Grenada

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Planting the Seed For 5 days in August 2023, Fanshawe College dental hygiene professors Kelly Turner and Shelley Getty helped run a pilot sealant project for Grenada’s children. Grenada, the “Isle of Spice” in the Caribbean, boasts a population of approximately 125,000 beautiful souls. It’s known for being safe and politically stable and full of … Read more

Paulette Dahlseide, Independent Dental Hygienist and Advocate for Metis Community

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Hygiene Spotlight features an exceptional dental hygienist every month. This month we are showcasing Paulette Dahlseide, owner of the mobile clinic Providence Dental Hygiene and passionate volunteer in the Alberta Metis community. Why did you decide to pursue dental hygiene as a career? Truly, I stumbled or, more aptly I suppose, I was led into the profession … Read more

5 Tips to Reducing Practice Costs with Your Dental Hygiene Office Lease

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Managing costs is a perpetual challenge for independent hygienists running a busy practice. Every penny counts, especially when it comes to your dental office lease. Here are five strategic tips for minimizing expenses and safeguarding against financial pitfalls. Negotiate Rental Escalations Wiseley Your “Annual Base Rent” is the amount that you agree (or agreed) to … Read more

Could Neglecting to Track Hygiene Time Pose a Liability Issue for Your Practice?

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Change for the Better: Are flawed processes holding your team back from experiencing better efficiency, healthier clients, happier employees, and continued practice growth? Challenge One of our clients recently disputed her hygiene fees, asserting she wasn’t in the operatory for the entire scheduled time and that the fee doesn’t align with the duration of her visit. … Read more

Martelle Coke, Founder of the BrownGirlRDH Platform

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Hygiene Spotlight features an exceptional dental hygienist every month. This month we are showcasing Martelle Coke, Founder of BrownGirlRDH, a platform for women in dental hygiene to connect, share experiences, and provide support.  Why did you decide to pursue dental hygiene as a career? I wanted to help people. I have a compassion for helping. My sister … Read more

Jessica Drader & Amy Pannu, Founders of AVO Everlasting Essentials

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Hygiene Spotlight features an exceptional dental hygienist every month. This month we are showcasing the duo Jessica Drader, Founder, CEO and Registered Dental Hygienist (C) & Amy Pannu, Founder, CFO and Registered Dental Hygienist (C). How did you get into dental hygiene? Jess: I began as a certified dental assistant, working at Clayburn Dental. I developed a … Read more

Top 10 Fundamentals Every Hygienist Should Know about Bleeding Gums

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Face (and embrace) the facts! Whether you’re right out of dental school or you’ve been practising in the trenches for decades, there are some fundamental truths that all hygienists should embrace in our efforts to provide exceptional client care—and some of these facts may surprise you. Discover the keys to decoding your gums’ language for … Read more

Instagram: Who is Being Judged?

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You know those folks on Instagram. The ones always posting picture-perfect lives. Working out their perfect bodies at the gym. Decked out with friends eating Michelin star meals. Perfect holiday family photos. Pristine vacationing pics. Cocktail boomerangs at the newest bar. Even posting provocative photos that don’t leave much for the imagination. They’re the Instagram … Read more

Do You Need a “Hygiene Whisperer” Who Can Bridge the Gap Between Clinical Excellence and Effective Communication?

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Change for the Better: Don’t let flawed processes hold your team back from experiencing better efficiency, healthier clients, happier employees, and continued practice growth. Challenge My hygiene team has not embraced nonsurgical periodontal therapy, and as a result, a significant number of my clients still face active periodontal disease, even after years of coming to our … Read more

Dementia and Oral Health: What You Need to Know

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Dementia is a complex condition that affects over 733,000 people in Canada. It is caused by a decline in a person’s cognitive abilities and can severely impact their memory, behaviour, language and reasoning. While many people recognize that dementia can affect the brain’s ability to function, what is not so commonly known is that it … Read more

Hygiene Spotlight: Kellie Watson

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Hygiene Spotlight features an exceptional dental hygienist every month. This month we are showcasing Kellie Watson and her extraordinary work in Saskatchewan’s oral health community. Why did you decide to pursue dental hygiene as a career? I have always had a passion for health and wellness, and I love helping people. As a child, I looked … Read more

Rediscovering Balance in Healthcare

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In the ever-evolving field of healthcare, the relentless pursuit of perfection can be all-consuming. As a healthcare professional myself, I’ve often found that the desire to be flawless is deeply ingrained in our work. Let’s be real – healthcare, by its very nature, is complex and dynamic. Despite our unwavering dedication and meticulous approach, patients … Read more

Hygiene Spotlight: Sonya Dunbar

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Hygiene Spotlight features an exceptional dental hygienist every month. This month we are showcasing Sonya Dunbar, the face behind the Geriatric Toothfairy brand. Why did you decide to pursue dental hygiene as a career? When I was a child, I loved to see people smile. I would smile at people and wait for them to … Read more