The use of fluoride is normally an easy topic to agree upon for evidence-based dental professionals. However, in the past year, I’ve stumbled upon an aspect of fluoride usage that seems to be rather debated between dental professionals. The issue that leads to a difference of opinions is the age that a child should begin … Read more
Still confused about the 2018 AAP Periodontal classification. Never fear! The next few monthly columns will review some of the most important updates made to the industry’s global periodontal guidelines to help hygiene teams achieve the highest level of care. Once we have exhausted this topic we will move onto other questions about the process … Read more
The Support Network for Indigenous Women and Women of Colour (SNIWWOC), in collaboration with Khalsa Aid Canada and Wheely Clean, is breaking down financial barriers to oral healthcare. Always focussed on holistic healthcare program delivery for racialized women, SNIWWOC strives to meet the needs of their community in many ways, from free mental health counseling, … Read more
Sometimes it’s hard to tell if you have bad breath, and asking someone to check if it’s fresh can be embarrassing. But thanks to science, there may soon be an easier way to find out. Researchers are now working on a sensor to detect hydrogen sulfide, the gas that makes breath stink. Bad breath can … Read more
Knowing what I know now, if I could travel back in time and talk to my former professional self—oh, the things I would tell her. With 16 years of experience as an RDH, it’s now been 5 years since I made the decision to become an independent dental hygienist and open my own stand-alone, storefront … Read more
The conditions created for the healthcare industry in 2020 have created substantial pressures for professionals within the industry—dental hygienists and other dental professionals included. A 2021 journal published in the BMC Journal of Systematic Reviews found that, globally, there is huge scope for dental hygienists feeling extra pressure—socially, professionally and ethically. The pressures put on hygienists are greater … Read more
Still confused about the 2018 AAP Periodontal classification. Never fear! The next few monthly columns will review some of the most important updates made to the industry’s global periodontal guidelines to help hygiene teams achieve the highest level of care. Once we have exhausted this topic we will move onto other questions about the process … Read more
Cellerant Consulting Group is excited to announce the launch of the inaugural Cellerant Best of Class Hygiene Award Program. “Since 2009, the Cellerant Best of Class Technology Awards have identified and acknowledged the top technologies in dentistry,” said Melissa Turner, Chief Hygiene Officer at Cellerant. “We will now expand the program to focus on the … Read more
From an impressive field of 778 deserving nominees from across Canada, the Canadian Dental Hygienists Association (CDHA) is thrilled to reveal the winner of its fourth annual Dental Hygiene Superhero Competition. This remarkable field of nominees was narrowed to 21 finalists and evaluated by a panel of judges who selected Natasha Kellett of Masset, British … Read more
Dental hygienist Jeannette Diaz’s patients sometimes cry. Lately, she’s been crying with them. It’s not just because so many people refrained from getting dental work during much of the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving her to scrape off more than a year’s worth of tartar and plaque. It’s not just because the labor of cleaning teeth can … Read more
A dental hygienist has been doing treatments in gardens amid a backlog of demand for her services due to the coronavirus pandemic. Fiona Perry, 56, from Comrie Perthshire, has been cycling between clients homes with her equipment on a cargo bike. She started the initiative, called Flying Smiles, in March 2020, but was hampered by … Read more
So that’s it! Board exams are done and passed, the stress of studying endlessly for weeks at a time is behind you, and you can finally celebrate the joys of being an educated professional. Any new career can cause a mix of emotions, as you are closing one door and boldly stepping into another; you … Read more
Temporary dental hygienists are rapidly growing in popularity. Not only are dental offices needing more for those at home in quarantine, but a variety of hygienists are also finding the flexibility of temporary jobs appealing. These temps include dental hygienists who recently graduated and wish to try out different dental offices before committing, as well … Read more
Still confused about the 2018 AAP Periodontal Classification? Never fear! The next few monthly columns will review some of the most important updates made to the industry’s global periodontal guidelines. Please feel free to send in your questions! Q: Do you stage and grade a patient with a reduced periodontium due to non-periodontitis causes? A: … Read more
A new clinic at Fanshawe College will give low-income Londoners another option for affordable dental care, with a checkup and cleaning going for $40. The Fanshawe clinic, which opened Thursday, is a teaching lab for the school’s dental hygiene and dental assistant students. “It’s an amazing feeling” to help Londoners who can’t afford care because … Read more
Weekly Wisdom: This week Peter Barry reminds us of how important our dental hygiene teams are — they are much more than teeth cleaners! Subscribe to Oral Health’s weekly e-newsletter to have the latest episode delivered straight to your inbox each week!
It’s been over a year since we all began living in our COVID-19 inspired modified reality. As industry professionals, we know the importance of regular dental hygiene appointments and we have a responsibility to ensure our patients are protecting their oral health. In a recent survey conducted by the CDHA, it was found that 6 … Read more
I Am a Habit! I am your constant companion. I am your greatest helper or heaviest burden. I will push you onward or drag you down to failure. I am completely at your command. Half the things you do might just as well be turned over to me and I will be able to do … Read more
When it comes to percent bleeding on probing, I challenge your team to see how low you can go. These strategies will help you develop and optimize treatment protocols. If you haven’t integrated a zero percent Bleeding on Probing treatment goal for your practice, it’s time. We need to change the narrative with our patients … Read more
Hey peeps, let me start by saying this: your eyeballs are just as precious as your patients. What exactly do I mean by this? Well, it’s quite simple. Eyesight is our most important sense. The eyes capture and interpret more than one million pulse signals per millisecond and transmit them to the brain. With such … Read more