Happy National Dental Hygiene Month!
At Biteline, we know just how hard RDHs and DAs work year-round to keep patients smiling – but we also love that there’s an entire month dedicated to highlighting your work. October is National Dental Hygiene Month, and we want to celebrate you!
The importance of practicing good dental hygiene has been known for a long time – and we mean a long time – as far back as thousands of years B.C. Even Aristotle wrote about tooth decay (but he also thought that women have fewer teeth than men). The first dental college opened centuries later (in 1840, to be exact); the ADA was founded in 1859; and by 1873, Colgate was churning out toothpaste and toothbrushes to the public. A century and a half later, we’ve come a long way.
But it doesn’t take an ancient scholar or Victorian dentist to recognize just how important taking care of your teeth is – and we definitely don’t have to remind you!
To honor our hygienists, we wanted to take a look back at some small bites from interview blogs past.
Here’s what you love about your job:
Anne Duffy, RDH & founder of Dental Entrepreneur Woman
Biteline: What keeps you excited about the dental industry?
AD: What keeps me excited is the impact we can make on people’s lives by helping them maintain a beautiful smile and a healthy life. There are so many opportunities in this career.
Carly Clark, RDH
Biteline: What keeps you interested, engaged, excited about the dental industry?
CC: How research and products are ever-changing, and learning how we can improve patient care as well as their experience or improve our profession.
Kimberly Gallagher, RDH
Biteline: What is your favorite part of the job?
KG: Oral hygiene instruction and demo is probably my favorite part of my job. Using intraoral cameras and having the patient demo back to me their form and technique is an eye-opener, and really highlights how many errors they make. It is great to educate and show them new dental tools or aids that specifically clean their teeth… and not just using the default “brush and floss” preaching method. Becoming their cheerleader is the best feeling and most rewarding to me!
Kristi Berger, RDH
Biteline: What’s your favorite thing about your job?
KB: I would say my favorite thing about my job is the ability to build relationships with my patients. I love working with people, and dental hygiene has allowed me to meet wonderful people on a daily basis. I love that I can truly connect with my patients while helping them to improve and stay informed on their oral health. I love finding out things I have in common with my patients, chatting about a great new book or movie, seeing pictures of their families or just having great conversations.
Sherry May, AADOM President
Biteline: What’s the best part of your job?
SM: Making a difference. Daily. For staff, patients, doctors. Dentistry is so intimate. Management can be life-shaping for staff. Dentists are people, too. Yes, they’re almost always the boss but they’re on the same team! What’s that line in the Mockingjay series: “Remember who the enemy is?” It’s the reverse of that: Remember whose team you’re on! We serve as a liaison between all three groups and can single-handedly propel or destroy the entire practice. It’s not about the power; it’s about the integrity of our own agenda: help compassionately.
Thank you for shining a light (or dental lamp) on the importance of dental hygiene, and helping your patients get the best practices down pat – especially as we prepare for the sugary holiday season ahead.
So happy National Dental Hygiene Month to our wonderful RDHs and DAs (and OMs!) – we love any excuse to celebrate you and all the work you do!
Read more fun facts, expert advice, and dental industry news on the Biteline blog.
And don’t forget to share with your dental friends!
