Jessica Atkinson, RDH and David Torres CRDH

A Tale of Two Hygienists Podcast

Science EN ↓ 1208 episodes

We created A Tale of Two Hygienists in 2015 because we are passionate about helping our fellow clinicians be the best version of themselves, both professionally and personally. We Interview experts in their fields to provide better care for our patients while promoting the joys of being a dental hygienist.

Author

Jessica Atkinson, RDH and David Torres CRDH

Category

Science

Latest episode

Jul 8, 2026

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Episodes

468 Does More Money Buy Loyalty? With Amanda Hill 01.01.2025

In this episode, Amanda Hill brings the question about pay and its relationship to employee retention. Do you have a price that would keep you working in a difficult situation? Would you get paid less to work in a great office? Hear this part 1 of 2 and find out her thoughts! Resources: Amandahillrdh.com @amandahillrdh on FB, Insta and Linked In

Top 3 Skills To Work On in 2025 30.12.2024

Dentistry is constantly changing and it is our responsibility to evolve with it. With that in mind, listen in to this episode for Andrew's top 3 skills he plans to work on in 2025. What skills will you work on?

467 Holiday Bonuses: Presents, Parties or Pay Me More? Dentistry Unmasked and A Tale of Two Hygienists Crossover Episode! 25.12.2024

Everyone has their own opinion when it comes to holiday bonuses, parties, and vacation time so we went to the social medias and found out some of the opinions, added our own two cents, and a special crossover episode was formed! Join this very special collaboration between Dentistry Unmasked and A Tale Of Two Hygienists. We get real on all things holiday bonuses!!

Healthy Fats - Ask The Expert with Machell Hudson-Hoover! 23.12.2024

Healthy fats have proven benefits for heart and other organ health, but how do they impact our oral cavity? Are there benefits before, during, and after perio therapy? Listen in as Machell Hudson-Hoover gives you a few extra tidbits of information that you can share with your next patient! Resources: Machell@rdhhealth integrativedentalcoaching.com

Should Dental Hygienists Call Patients? with Andrew Johnston, RDH 20.12.2024

It's a bit of a friction point when an office asks the dental hygiene team to help fill the schedule by calling patients. We literally have positions in the office whose main task is answering and placing calls to patients. Additionally, there is an unbalance between the hygiene and restorative department - the restorative department is almost never asked to make calls to patients for appointments...

466 Why Your Hygienist Hates You, A Dentistry Unmasked Feature Episode! 18.12.2024

Are you ready for some honest conversations about the dentist-hygienist dynamic? Tune in to this week's episode of our podcast, where Drs. David Rice and Pam Maragliano-Muniz sit down with dental hygienists Danielle Avila and Laura Bettencourt for a candid discussion. Let's face it, frustrations can arise on both sides of the dental chair, but it's time to address them head-on. Together, we'll exp...

Can RDHs own dental practices? Ask The Expert with Josey Sewell! 16.12.2024

Have you ever wondered if an RDH is legally allowed to own a dental practice? What would that look like? Join Josey Sewell on today's episode to hear her thoughts on the subject! Be sure to reach out to Josey if you have any questions -  josey@joseysewell.com or follow her on instagram @joseysewell  Sonicare Support Materials -  https://www.usa.philips.com/c-m-pe/dental-professionals/practice-solu...

Chicago Midwinter 2025 Preview with Dr. Denise Hale! 13.12.2024

Chicago Midwinter is approaching this February and in this episode I catch up with Dr. Denise Hale to talk about what their big plans are for the meeting. Be sure to come and see the keynote speaker, award winning chef Grant Achatz as he tells his story of diagnosis and overcoming stage IV tongue cancer!  Resources: https://cds.attregistration.com/Registration/Attendee/Welcome.aspx  

465 How Might The Next Trump Administration Impact Dentistry? With Amelia DeStefano! 11.12.2024

It is not very often that we have a presidential administration that impacts our dental industry very much. We have largely been insulated from that. This new administration in 2025, however, has made some huge announcements that will have a direct impact on the profession. From the cost of supplies to workforce issues, prevention ideology, affordability of care, and much more could changing. List...

Epinephrine: Enemy? Friend? Frenemy? Ask The Expert with Tom Viola 09.12.2024

Has a PCP provided feedback that your patient should NOT have epinephrine in the local anesthesia? It's a complicated issue as epi does so much to improve the efficacy of the anesthetic agents but also helps manage patient pain. In this episode, Tom Viola discusses the ins and outs of using epinephrine and maybe how medical providers get it wrong every now and again... Be sure to reach out to him...

Is There REALLY A Standard of Care in Dentistry? With Andrew Johnston, RDH 06.12.2024

What is the standard of care? It's not a single document like the Declaration of Independence, so what is it and who decides what it is? In this episode Andrew talks through a few resources to help you find, establish, and implement the dental standard of care in your offices. He also gives a strong warning the the RDH profession... Resources: Https://www.perio.org Https://aap.org https://aacariol...

464 The Students' Perspective of Student to Faculty Ratio Proposition with Elena, Jasmyn, and Brandon! 04.12.2024

It's unique when students have strong opinions regarding how the profession is progressing, but these 3 students are special. Join Elena, Jasmyn, and Brandon in this episode as they talk about, among other things, the ADAs proposal to reduce the faculty to student ratio. The future is bright if we have engaged students emerging as our future colleagues! Resources: Jasmyn- jrs2243@nau.edu Elena- ea...

Irrigate With Chlorhexidine or No? Ask The Expert with Katrina Sanders! 02.12.2024

Irrigating with Chlorhexidine has been a gold standard for clinical practice for decades and, in fact, many offices still practice this way. In this episode Katrina Sanders answers the debated question of whether or not we should be practicing this way any longer.  Resources: More Fast Facts:  https://www.ataleoftwohygienists.com/fast-facts/ Katrina Sanders Website:  https://www.katrinasanders.com...

Hydroxyapatite Toothpaste and Feeding Your Good Guys with Dr. Mark Burhenne! **Bonus** 30.11.2024

What we put in our bodies, matters. What products we use for oral home care matters. Dr. Mark Burhenne joins on the show today to talk about how to evaluate healthier options, what the role of the dental hygienist and other dental professionals should be, and how oral care is key to a bigger picture of healthcare.  Resources: https://www.instagram.com/askthedentist/ https://askthedentist.com/ http...

463 Changes to Implant Guidelines? with Lynn Pencek RDH, MS 27.11.2024

In this episode, Annie hosts Lynn Pencek to discuss how to care for our patients with implants. During the discussion she finds that some of the guidance we knew from before... might just be outdated. Give this episode a listen and reach out to Lynn if you have any questions! Resources : Lynn Pencek on Linkedin and Facebook lynn@practiceatyourbest.com

Proteins and Antioxidants Ask The Expert with Machell Hudson Hoover 25.11.2024

Machell joins us for another mini episode to talk about the defense and reparative function of proteins and antioxidants and how important that is in our oral health. This is a great episode to share with your patients! Machell@rdhhealth integrativedentalcoaching.com

Oops! Mistakes We've Made In The Op: An RDH RANT Takeover 22.11.2024

We all make the mistakes. Some of them are quietly swept under the rug and no one notices, but others can cause an office wide commotion. Join Heather, Anna, and Lizz as they tell stories of some of their mistakes! RDH Rant:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/599722366843869

462 Office Culture: Can DSOs Do It Right? with Tom Marler of Sage Dental! 20.11.2024

Office Culture: How important is it for you? By my observation, office culture can make or break a practice. With bad culture, the clinicians burn out quicker, the front office doesn't function, and the patients can feel it which leads to lower production. Great office culture can make dentistry a delight!  A myth that has been out there for years is that DSOs cannot have good office culture, so I...

What are the most common roles for RDHs in a DSO? Ask The Expert with Josey Sewell! 18.11.2024

Perhaps you are looking for your next career step but aren't sure where to look. Give this mini episode with Josey Sewell a listen to see if a position at a DSO is a good fit for you! Be sure to reach out to Josey if you have any questions -  josey@joseysewell.com  or follower her on instagram @joseysewell  Sonicare Support Materials -  https://www.usa.philips.com/c-m-pe/dental-professionals/pract...

461 Pregnancy and Oral Health with Sue Scherer! 13.11.2024

We often see our patients for many years which helps us build a connection with them. In this episode, Sue Scherer helps us uncover what we can be doing for our patients from the earliest stages of family planning and through pregnancy. We talk about the types of conversations we should be having, what homecare products we should recommend, and what to be on the look out for as we do our assessmen...

Are There Legit Issues with Getting Someone Numb? Ask The Expert with Tom Viola! 11.11.2024

Did you miss with your injection or is the patient hypersensitive? Is the technique wrong or the anesthetic not strong enough? In this episode with Tom Viola we dig deep to find out who really should be to blame when a patient does not get numb enough! Be sure to reach out to him if you have any questions by emailing  TomViola@tomviola.com , visit his website TomViola.com or check out his social m...

460 Connecting Schools With Community with Jessica Atkinson, Brenda Armstrong, and Kali Hunt! 06.11.2024

All dental hygiene programs are the same, right? I think for many of us, we take what we experienced in school and assume that is the experience everyone has and that could not be further from the truth. In this episode Jessica, Brenda, and Kali talk about what sets their program apart and how that leads to workforce ready dental hygiene graduates! Resources: Jessica- Jessica. Atkinson@utahtech.ed...

What Dry Mouth Products REALLY Need in their Ingredient List Ask The Expert with Katrina Sanders! 04.11.2024

Consumers are becoming increasingly savvy when it comes to ingredient lists and we, as healthcare professionals, should be knowledgeable as well. In this episode, Katrina explains what types of ingredients SHOULD be listed for dry mouth products! In partnership with Therabreath, get a free sample at  www.oralcarepro.com/therabreath Resources: More Fast Facts:  https://www.ataleoftwohygienists.com/...

459 Using Microscopes in Dentistry with Kristen King, RDH 30.10.2024

There is an argument that can be made that using microscopes with our patients should be mandatory. From the clinical perspective, it tells us a story of what we are fighting. From the patient perspective, they have evidence-based care they can trust. From the business perspective, there is slight increase in production but also increased patient satisfaction and retention which yields high qualit...

B Complex Vitamins with Machell Hudson-Hoover, RDH 28.10.2024

This this mini episode, Machell Hudson-Hoover discusses the role of B complex vitamins in our oral and systemic systems. She also talks about the best ways to that B vitamins are absorbed into our body, really essential information for us and our patients.  Machell@rdhhealth integrativedentalcoaching.com

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