National Dental Hygienists Week Promotes “Oral Health for Total Health”

National Dental Hygienists Week™ (NDHW™) takes place April 7‒13 as part of oral health month in Canada. During the week, which emphasizes “Oral Health for Total Health,” dental hygienists remind us that taking care of our mouth, teeth, and gums benefits our overall physical and mental well-being. Dental hygienists are oral health experts and primary … Read more

Infection Control Lawsuits: Getting Sued for Nervous Shock

Infection Control

It is one of your worst nightmares. Public health officials get a complaint from one of your patients. They storm into your office and shut you down for having inadequate infection control practices. Bad as that may sound, it gets worse. They then send a letter to ALL of your patients, notifying them of the … Read more

A Healthy Mouth – A Healthier Heart

HEALTHY HEART

The Surprising Link Between Your Teeth, Real Food, and Life-Changing Natural Health   It is said that awareness is the key to change. Awareness however, is simply not enough. We must take the new knowledge learned and actually do something with it! This requires effort, change, boldness, and a willingness to take consistent, persistent action … Read more

The Magic of Effective Communication

Coronary Heart Disease

“I’m sorry… we have not received your claim.” “Why did I get a statement? I have already paid your office my co-payment!” Ah, the wonderful effects of non-communication. Nothing is more frustrating for a dental office than a patient or insurance company who misunderstands what we are trying to communicate to them. The most important … Read more

CDHA Recognizing Dental Hygienists as “Superheroes”

Join forces with the Canadian Dental Hygienists Association (CDHA) and support our new competition to recognize dental hygiene health care superheroes in communities across Canada. Championed by your oral health defender CDHA and sponsored by Sensodyne®, we’re looking for the heroes in your community who fly to the rescue of clients everywhere, leap oral health … Read more

Hand Ergonomics in Dentistry

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Ergonomics refers to the interaction between a human’s musculoskeletal system and his or her workspace. Studies show that various job functions performed by dental professionals expose them to risk factors for musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). The Effects of Hand Fatigue Hand fatigue is a serious work place issue. The tasks that dental professionals perform can often … Read more

Empowering Periodontal Therapy

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According to the CDC, “47.2% of adults aged 30 years and older have some form of periodontal disease. Periodontal disease increases with age, 70.1% of adults 65 years and older have periodontal disease.”1 The numbers of adults with untreated periodontal disease are high. The dental hygienist is front line defense in the office for periodontal … Read more

The Right Question

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“How’s your dog?” “What’s new with the kids?” “Are there any changes in your health history?” These are typical and appropriate questions to ask patients during their recare visit. But there is one question that sometimes isn’t asked that should be the first review when the patient sits in the hygiene chair, and it can … Read more

Dr. Esther Wilkins, “Godmother of Dental Hygiene,” has Passed Away

Dr. Esther Wilkins, a Chelmsford native and longtime professor at Tufts University who was known as the “godmother of dental hygiene” as one of the world’s foremost experts in the field, died Monday. She turned 100 just three days prior. Tufts University School of Dental Medicine was to celebrate the achievements Wilkins and two others … Read more

Canadian Dental Hygienists Celebrate Excellence in Dental Hygiene

The Canadian Dental Hygienists Association (CDHA) is proud to recognize nine leaders in oral health for their outstanding contributions to the dental hygiene profession, the national association, research, and knowledge translation. “Our 2016 award winners have set high goals and achieved much in their professional and personal lives,” notes Donna Scott, CDHA President. “We are … Read more

Mystery Solved: Acid Reflux and the Oral Cavity

Acid Reflux

I am a retired dentist who has a passion for preventative dentistry and preventive medicine. I recently became painfully aware of the ramifications of acid reflux and GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) on the oral cavity. I developed severe GERD late last year. Unfortunately, complete understanding of the difficulties experienced by patients comes best through direct … Read more

Saving Face: Mask Form, Fit and Function

face mask

One of the critical choices made before treating each and every patient is choosing your protective face mask. While the mask construct is straight forward with layers of tissue and filtering materials suspended by elastic loops … the question of protection goes far beyond a simple physical barrier. Considerations of the treatment being delivered in … Read more

Is the North American Hygiene Market Super-Saturated?

Time for the power of social networking to demonstrate and DOMINATE…… By Rabia Mughal, Associate Editor – Dr. Bicuspid June 20, 2011 — As the overall job market in the U.S. continues to be sluggish, a few recent reports — which considered hiring outlook as a criterion — have ranked dental hygienist among the top … Read more

If I were a hygienist, I’d be issuing a fatwah

Five Jobs with HIGH SALARY and low education from Investopedia by Stephanie Christensen – June 10, 2011 If you’ve opted to forego higher education, there are still promising career paths. According to data provided by PayScale.com, these five jobs offer a potential salary of more than $50,000, based on median pay range for people  Image by pennstatelive via … Read more

Instead of Ah…..say Ommmmmmm……

From the Yoga of Dentistry – unknown author My annual dental cleaning was this morning, and while reclining in the dental chair, I couldn’t help but be reminded of the language of teaching yoga and the eight elements of a Kripalu yoga class. Welcome/Intro/ContextAfter warmly greeting me, the dental hygienist proceeded to ask if there … Read more

Do a solid for your dental auxiliaries and hygienists

Penwell Publications has truly embraced a platform agnostic approach to their publications.  Send your team members to – Dentistry IQ– have them click on the banner on the right….RDH eVillage – an assemblage of enewsletters as indicated below awaits…….turn them onto elearning and your practice will reap the whirlwind……. Related articles National Dental Hygienist’s Week … Read more