Picture this: A temp dental hygienist walks into an unfamiliar practice, feeling nervous yet determined to do their best. They are given minimal instructions, a quick overview, and shown to an operatory they have never worked in before. With barely 20 minutes to prepare, they catch their breath just as their first patient arrives. Is … Read more
Creating a healthy and respectful dental office environment is essential for team members and patients. By fostering mutual respect, effective communication, and recognizing each team member’s contributions, we can achieve better patient outcomes, higher job satisfaction, and a more harmonious workplace. With reports of a dental hygiene workforce shortage, it’s crucial to ask whether dental … Read more
Toothio, a Phoenix-based digital staffing marketplace for the dental industry, has raised an additional $5 million in funding to hire dental hygienists, assistants, and office staff for dental offices across the United States. The funding round was led by NVP Capital and Craft Ventures. Rho Capital, Marketplace Capital, Roosh Ventures, Burst Capital, Revere Partners, Karman … Read more
The necessary approvals have been received to implement fee schedule parity for independent dental hygienists early in the new year, Minister of Health Mark Holland said on Oct. 18, according to the Canadian Dental Hygienists Association (CDHA). “It’s fundamentally unfair that the fee schedule isn’t the same for independent dental hygiene practices as it is … Read more
Despite women representing 97 per cent of dental hygienists and therapists in Canada, they earned, on average, 26 per cent less than men, according to a study published Monday that details imbalances in the dental workforce. The study, published in BMC Health Services Research, an open-access, peer-reviewed journal, indicated that this significant difference was largely … Read more
The Canadian Dental Hygienists Association (CDHA) announced in a press release on Wednesday the installation of its new president, Alexandra Sheppard. The decision was made following its annual general meeting on Saturday, Sep. 28. Sheppard, who has built a 31-year career in dental hygiene, has worked in private practice and post-secondary education. She currently holds … Read more
In 2017, on Season 11 of Dragons’ Den, dental hygienist Balbir Sohi unveiled her “Smiles on Wheels” business on national TV. She showcased her refurbished van, equipped with all the tools needed for a mobile hygienist to provide care right in a parking lot. Although she didn’t achieve her goal of launching her own franchise … Read more
Change for the Better: Are flawed processes keeping your team from experiencing better efficiency, healthier clients, happier employees, and continued practice growth? Q: What’s your team’s billing IQ? As a practice manager, I’m dealing with numerous human resource (HR) issues and client complaints related to hygiene billing. Some hygienists bill appropriately for the entire hour, … Read more
Are flawed processes holding your team back from experiencing better efficiency, healthier clients, happier employees, and continued practice growth? Can a hygienist be ‘too rough?’ It depends on which client you ask. Challenge: As a dentist, I take pride in having an exceptional team of dental hygienists. Nevertheless, one team member consistently receives a high … Read more
In the hundreds and hundreds of dental practices we at Jameson have had the opportunity to work with over the past three decades, we have seen high-performing practices and low-performing practices. We have seen teams that work as an aligned group of leaders and we have seen teams that don’t look or behave like a … Read more
Did you know that acronyms are actually very modern inventions? They were found to be in existence around World War 1, but were still not used very much until World War 2. The word “acronym” did not even come into play until 1943 because they simply were not used in daily life like they are … Read more
I recently had coffee with one of my dental hygiene classmates from the University of Alberta. We reminisced about our days of learning about the profession of dental hygiene with memories of our favourite instructors, exams, radiography labs, petri dishes and dental hygiene clinics. We shared our unique individual amazing stories of our experiences during … Read more
Owning my own practice seemed insurmountable in 2010 when I put together my first business plan. It took me three months to add the lines and numbers into various spreadsheets and when I realized that I didn’t have enough money, time or knowledge about business, I put the well-detailed, colour-coded binder in a storage bin … Read more
I’ve been blessed to have an extraordinary support team of friends, family and colleagues who have helped me with every step of our mission, to help ‘Transform the Dental Hygiene Experience’, for the Clinician, the Client and the Practice. It is with this mission in mind that has led me on my quest to create … Read more
As you are all very aware, dental hygienists are educated health professionals who specialize in the promotion of oral health and the prevention of oral diseases. But in the grand scheme of things, you are so much more than that. You are a trusted resource provider. You’re an educator. You’re a professional. You’re more than … Read more
Historical thinking about the role of the dental hygienist as a member of the health care team is that their purpose is primarily auxiliary or clinical.1 However, a paradigm shift in the profession has been in process for several years.2 The shift in dental hygiene emphasizes the roles of educator and health promotor as primary … Read more
In the world of dental hygiene, we commonly refer to routine follow up exams with patients as ‘recall’ appointments. More appropriately, these can be considered re-care exams, as our patients aren’t recalled per se, rather compassionately re-cared for through the ongoing monitoring and maintenance of their oral health. Re-care exams play a very important role … Read more
Forget trying to lose weight for the next selfie on Instagram – get healthy and fit to boost productivity and mental clarity. You see being physically fit has major physiological benefits that go far beyond fitting into your skinny jeans. Exercise scientists have demonstrated that a fit body supports boundless energy, a more robust immune … Read more
As dental hygienists across Canada, we are united and bonded by one major, collective fear: The Continuing Competence, Quality Assurance auditing process. The mere mention of the term elicits a sequence of events including, but not limited to, sweating, blurred vision, increased heart rate and blood pressure, and a sense of overall dread. For many … Read more
As we approach the end of the year, it’s common for many people to look at their bank accounts and question where all the money they made has gone. Taking control of your finances requires discipline and we have provided some tips and tricks that will help you keep more money in your pockets as … Read more