When you hear the word chlorhexidine it is easy to guess the first things that pop into your mind: stain, poor patient compliance, great bacterial killer, terrible taste, works well but causes calculus, and adds a lot more work. If…
A vast amount of my career has been spent on defining our powerful role as dental hygienists in the earlier discovery of an abnormal lesion through effective visual and tactile examination of the structures of the head, neck and oral…
Oral dysbiosis is an imbalance of bacteria in the dental plaque whereby pathogenic bacteria dominate the biofilm and, in turn, initiate destruction of the hard and soft tissues in the mouth. Caries and periodontal diseases result from oral dysbiosis. A…
Is dry mouth a complaint you hear frequently from your patients? Does your mirror ever stick to your patient’s cheek during their dental visit? We can all probably think of those patients – those patients with severe dry mouth. The…
Q: Has the definition of “localized” and “generalized” changed in reference to describing the extent of periodontal disease? There seems to be a lot of debate among the new grads and seasoned hygienists in our office. A: The new 2018…
A rainbow has arrived – no more fallow time! For years, dentistry has weathered the pandemic storm (“Hurricane”) of shut-down, isolation, cabin fever, new normal and re-build. It experienced waves of shock, fear, worry, paralysis, confusion, conflict, loss and change.…
Proper procedure coding within your practice is important on many levels, from ensuring accurate payment for dentists to creating a valid record of patient care. Failing to use appropriate procedure codes can lead to all kinds of mischief for dentists…
Q: I just started using the term “nonsurgical periodontal therapy” (NSPT) when speaking to my patients, and they often ask how NSPT is different than a “cleaning.” What is the easiest way to describe the difference without getting too technical?…
Since the onset of the pandemic, our personal and professional lives have been turned upside down in ways we could never have imagined. In addition to adopting rigorous health and safety protocols and procedures in our practices, we also go…
Some days, the life of a dental hygienist is like running on a hamster wheel. The race of the clock, running around in circles as you frantically try to stay on time. In hygiene school, we were given three hours…
In my personal and professional journey throughout of my life, I have discovered that giving back is the ultimate sign of true success. And in today’s world, we need to remember that we are all connected, in many ways. We…
Q: Can you make a dental hygiene diagnosis based on pocket depths alone? A few of my fellow hygienists insist that a 5mm pocket depth is an indication of periodontitis. A: No, you can not make an accurate Dental Hygiene…
A patient emails 20 different dentists her recently taken full mouth series of x-rays, stating, “My previous dentist took these just before I moved to town. The move was sudden (work-related), so my dentist never had a chance to tell…
“A picture is worth a thousand words.” You may have heard this common phrase many times before. Have you thought about this when it comes to your daily interactions with patients? We are trained, educated and taught how to assess,…
Q: Some of my patients resist getting recommended radiographs. What can I do to encourage them to consent? A: If you read my article, “Are you Taking Adequate Radiographs?” (November 2021 issue), you know that most practices aren’t taking the…
Last week, I had two dentists share with me a similar sentiment, “My team doesn’t support me.” When I asked them for more details, they both indicated that their teams got very upset whenever they decided, spur of the moment,…
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…
Things have changed since March 2020 in many respects. The way we practice, the way we communicate with our clients, and what is expected of us as dental professionals has also changed – are you doing enough to keep up?…
The first time I heard Dr. Bradley Bale, MD, and Dr. Amy Doneen, DNP, speak about their latest research and the effect of oral health on arterial disease was at a 2016 AAOSH conference. From that point, I began to…
There are two types of hygienists, and it’s not whether they are partnered with a dentist or independent. Let me explain from my own experience as a patient what the two types are. A BIT OF BACKGROUND I never saw…
View Print Edition
View Digital Edition
View Special Edition