Dental industry news, trends and information from Patterson Dental.
Making sure patients are well informed of the importance of oral health before they even book their hygiene appointment can help curb anxiety or other barriers that may be preventing them from coming into the dental office. And with staff training on how to communicate key oral health messages with patients, the oral hygiene appointment can be the perfect way to build relationships and trust with patients.
As dentists and hygienists question the use of ultrasonic instruments during the COVID-19 pandemic, they may also be looking for ways to eliminate or at least control aerosols and splatter. Young Innovations recently introduced the Splatter Guard® prophy angle, which nearly eliminates airborne particles during prophylaxis polishing. Whitney Howerton, MDH, RDH, gives Splatter Guard a test run.
A recent global health pandemic has brought personal protective equipment (PPE) to the public’s attention, but dental professionals have long been familiar with the concept of PPE. Despite this, many workers fail to adhere to PPE requirements because they find equipment cumbersome, uncomfortable or disruptive to performing tasks and communicating with patients and personnel. To remove these barriers, dental offices must supply PPE that maximizes ease of use, comfort and performance.
The current recommendation for when to replace a scaler is when 20% of the instrument blade width or length is reduced or no longer the original design. But how long it takes for each instrument to reach this threshold is dependent on several factors. Deb (Hume) Brown, RDH, shares some of these factors and how a failure to replace instruments can affect the clinician and the patient.
As a pre-law student and tennis player, Irene Iancu never initially planned to go into dentistry. Getting hurt on the tennis court, combined with other life changes, led her to the field of dental hygiene and she became a hygienist in 2007. Her work ethic […]
Having a top-notch hygiene team is a wonderful thing, but assuming everything is being taken care of is a big mistake many practices make. In almost every practice we work with we consistently see the following 3 pitfalls within the hygiene department. Are these happening […]
Established in 1971, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) primary mission is workplace safety in all industries. While many of the OSHA regulations apply to dentistry, dental professionals focus mainly on the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard (Section 1030) and the Hazard Communication Standard (Section 1200). […]
Every dental hygiene team member should have a productivity goal or target within the practice. What does this production goal represent? Is it a random number you come up with based on what your colleagues have suggested? Your hygiene productivity goals need to be relatable, […]
You did it! You found yourself working in a profession that you love! Congratulations! Welcome to the journey of extreme satisfaction and the possibility of pain and suffering you never knew existed. I started my dental career early. Wanting to be a dentist was a […]
This year marks the 100th year of the dental hygienist. When I look at the profession today, vs. what the profession was when I graduated from Northwestern University School of Dental Hygiene in 1976, I can hardly believe all the changes. White caps, white uniforms […]
How amazing are the dental assistants in your office? Next week is the 36th Annual Dental Assistant Recognition Week (DARW), and it is a great time to let them know how much you appreciate everything they do for your office. This year’s theme, “Key to […]
As the art of dentistry continues to advance, so are the tools available for you to enhance your vision, while also reducing the risk of discomfort or pain that can often develop over years of practice. Dental loupes are now considered a standard piece of […]