As hygienists, we see a lot of patients and hear a lot of stories. We know about their lives and their families. Hygienists are people-oriented, and that is what I love the most about dental hygiene.
Sometimes, however, our patients say or do things we aren’t expecting, and we have to come up with a quick yet professional way to respond. Here are some of the best patient quotes I’ve heard over the years.
Do you sterilize your instruments?
It all can be a bit overwhelming.
It seems like there’s always some new product to try, adding to the other countless options you already had. While innovation and new product development is great for the industry and your patients, it can be difficult for you and your team members to know what’s up to par, and what products are best suited for your patients and your practice.
When I first arrived at the CareerFusion meeting in January, my main focus was on the networking I was about to do to further my personal goals in dentistry. What I got was a whole lot more.
Throughout the four-and-a-half-day meeting, there were plenty of opportunities for personal development, career enhancing education and a warmth and camaraderie that I have never felt at any other meeting I have attended in dentistry.
Call it cheeseburger in paradise, movie mania, hot rod heaven or a yearning for yesteryear. No matter how you label it, David Myer’s orthodontic office, which is designed to look like a 1950s gas station/soda shop/old-time movie theater, makes visits for young patients more fun.
Lisa Harper Mallonee, the mother of two children ages 2 and 3, wasn’t happy with the food being served at the preschool they attend.
She noticed that sugary snacks and fatty meats were the norm.
“They served Cheerios and apple juice at snack time,” she said. “I suggested using string cheese instead of Cheerios and turkey hotdogs instead of baloney hotdogs.”
The dental office is no place to show your under garments.
Sounds like common sense, but recently a reader wrote on DPR’s Facebook Fan page that she was dealing with just that problem. It’s not uncommon for her to see what type and what color underwear one of the practice’s young hygienists is wearing, something she finds a bit unprofessional.
Who hasn’t laughed politely at a joke that’s fallen flat or had to try to keep their eyelids open during a story that never seems to end? The question of whether it’s a good idea to indulge in a bit of humor or tell a long, drawn-out tale to distract a patient undergoing dental treatment is not just about relating to people, it’s about whether these conversations result in good customer service and appropriate patient care.
Students in the dental hygiene program at the College of DuPage in west suburban Chicago recently celebrated their entry into the profession with a pinning ceremony.
Besides successfully completing the classes they needed to graduate, they also had another reason to celebrate. All but one of the 28 students in the class of 2011 passed the National Board Dental Hygiene examination. The dental hygiene program is on a roll. In the previous seven years, 100 percent of the students taking the exam passed it.
Dentists and dental hygienists—particularly women—who wear traditional, unisex scrubs often have similar complaints about them.
These oft-heard grumbles include observations that the tops are so big you feel like you’re wearing a tent and the armholes are so large that they gape and droop to nearly a wearer’s waist.
