Dental Hygiene Student Podcast with The Happy Flosser RDH

Our State Practice dictates our "Scope of Practice" of the functions that we are allowed to perform as a dental hygienist and may even include things that we are not allowed to do. It is also important to understand the definition of "Supervision" and the level of supervision required to perform each component of care within our scope of practice. There are factors that affect...

As a dental hygienist, we are tasked with educating our patients to make positive changes in their home care efforts. It is important to understand how patients learn new information. It is also important to understand how humans successfully change a behavior and develop habits. Understanding these principles will ensure a successful Oral Hygiene Instruction effort! It takes practice and patience...

The best advice any experienced clinician will give you is to keep good clinical notes. In school, you will learn both the AETN - Assessment, Education, Treatment, and Next visit note style. You will also learn SOAP notes: Subjective, Objective, Assessment, and Prognosis notes.  Both designs provide the busy clinician with a framework for including all of the most significant and important informa...

For some of us, it is hard to make the decision of what to do with our lives. It can feel a bit overwhelming to consider answering the question of what we want to do. For many of us, we are unsure and fearful of making the wrong decision. For some of us, it is too expensive, time-consuming, and demanding to attend school in pursuit of a degree. For those of us who are in the field, we hear you! Li...

We are remembered and defined by our team and our patients by our actions when we are behind schedule. It is easy to be comprehensive and thorough when we have lots of time. We all know that those moments are scarce. What about those times when we are under the gun, running behind, or just simply overbooked with the challenges of dental hygiene? In this episode, I am going to share a framework tha...

The business of dental hygiene uses (KPI’s) Key Performance Indicators to provide us with a framework to measure how we communicate and meet the needs of our patients. As the leaders of prevention, we are tasked with the role of helping our patients change behaviors to improve oral health outcomes. It can be overwhelming to navigate providing healthcare with a lens on the business side of dental h...

We all face challenges in our journey. Many of us face the most challenging opposition just before the most abundant and rewarding goals are reached. Dental hygiene school takes grit and determination. Reflection helps us see our growth and recognize our own strengths and resilience. In this episode, I will share one of my most challenging obstacles while I was in dental hygiene school.  We all ha...

The business of dental hygiene can be a little overwhelming to navigate at first. There are many offices that use specific practice management models and track all aspects of the clinical team. You will find that some offices have very structured practice management models, and some do not. Like any other aspect of running a healthcare "business", it is important to understand the "...

Health literacy is defined as the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and comprehend basic health information and services needed to make appropriate and meaningful health decisions. The dental provider should be aware of the goals provided by DHHS for safe, patient-centered, and equitable care for all members of a community. In this episode, we will review some of th...

Let's take a look at the considerations for care and our role as a dental hygienist in the prevention of disease. It is important to consider the unique factors of each of the target populations (patient type) needs and desires. Preventive strategies should consider specific patient risk factors including caries risk, periodontal risk, and the contributing factors of oral health and chronic di...

Ethics determine the set of norms that are followed by a given profession and jurisprudence ensures adherence to those specific norms. It is important for dental hygiene student to consider their own beliefs from the perspective of the clinician, patient, and student. Understanding one's own beliefs and attitudes around a topic help to develop an in-depth understanding of personal perspective...

How much do we need to know about dental insurance benefits as dental hygienists? The more you know and understand dental benefits, the better equipped you will be to meet the needs of your patients. You want to consider yourself responsible for accurate record keeping and know that the services you are saying you complete are actually the ones you are doing. CDT Codes define services or procedure...

Enamel formation can be tough to understand. The process is somewhat complex and “cellular”. Don’t sweat the small stuff as we take a closer look at all of the little things that go on in the process of enamel formation. This episode goes great with a review of tooth development and eruption as well. As I say.... "Those who know will grow." Additional resources:  Study Sheets: ⁠⁠⁠https:/...

Congratulations! You have made it to midterms - this means you are halfway through the semester. How are you planning to study? Are you managing your time well? What type of learner are you? How can you study efficiently and effectively? In this episode, we are going to break down the most effective ways to best prepare for the midterm exams. As I say.... "Those who know will grow." Addi...

Learning proper instrumentation skills is essential. The foundation of instrumentation basics must be strong in order to properly build on. As you review these principles, keep in mind your need for continued growth and development of the muscles of your hand. The modified pen grasp is a challenging development required in the pre-clinical component of the curriculum. In this episode, we will brea...

The two types of eruptions are Active and Passive eruptions. In this episode, we will review the phases and processes of both active and passive eruption. Students learn all about the eruption process over their lifespan and need to have an understanding of eruption for board exams and clinical implementation. It will be so helpful for you as a clinician to have an in-depth knowledge of the erupti...

Are you hard on yourself as a dental hygiene student? What we focus our attention on we will magnify. Our thoughts create our feelings and in turn our reality. In this episode, we will take a look at some of the dialogue you can identify in your mind and discover how the thoughts you choose to develop create your feelings and outcomes. Student success can be greatly impacted by what you tell yours...

In Part 2 of our discussion, Dr. Neumeister shares some of his own journeys on the path to clinical excellence as well as some of the obstacles and challenges he faced and had to overcome in order to become the clinician he knew he wanted to be. Dr. Neumeister is very open about his early career struggles and provides us with a candid and vulnerable perspective on the transitions many of us encoun...

One of the most essential skills involved with communication is active listening. In this episode, Dr. David Neumeister and I have a conversation that takes a closer look at the importance of communication as one of the most significant aspects of comprehensive and patient-centered care. Dr. Neumeister shares some of his own journey on the path to clinical excellence as well as some of the obstacl...

The HIPAA Public law 104-191 was established in 1996. This law includes the protection of patient privacy and protects all patient's individual identifiable health information. It is important for dental hygiene students to understand the HIPAA law prior to treating patients during their coursework in school. As a provider, you must comply with the rules and sections of the law and understand...

It is important to have a good understanding of the science behind fluoride and how it interacts with the enamel to strengthen the teeth. Understanding this information will go a long way in helping you educate patients on the benefits of fluoride as it relates to their Caries risk. Textbook Wilkins Clinical Practice of The Dental Hygienist. 2021, (13th Ed.). Burlington, MA. Jones and Bartlett Lea...

For all of us, we have had the benefit of prevention based dentistry for our entire lives. We all have been exposed to the use of fluoride to assist in the reduction of decay. It is almost hard to imagine a time where the benefits of fluoride were unknown. It is important to gain perspective on how the understanding of the benefits of fluoride evolved and developed. As part of your learning journe...

There are specific skills and clinical considerations for care associated with pregnant patients. It is essential to understand the needs of the pregnant patient and the necessary skills to provide safe and effective care for this special needs population. In this episode, we will review some of the main risks associated with pregnancy and oral health needs. We will review some of the oral health...

Providing care to patients with a lens on patient's individual needs, values, beliefs, and behaviors around the topic of health as it relates to cultural factors is an essential skill to develop as a student. Cultural competence is defined as the ability of providers to understand and integrate various factors related to a patient into the delivery and structure of care provided. In this episo...

The (OPEN) oral health process and equity network is a national network of both individuals and organizations with strong beliefs in the benefits of oral health as an essential component of personal well-being. OPEN moves forward with a focus on prevention and equitable access to quality care. It is important as a student learning about the profession to consider how you can personally impact your...