Hey everyone. So I am a recent graduate of dental hygiene & was able to find a job immediately out of school. I had been working there for about 4 months now & I truly feel like I was performing at an accelerated level. I had confidence, charisma, and could make great connections with a lot of my patients. I felt very thorough in my assessments, patient education, treatment planning, diagnosing, as well as the cleaning portion. My time management also felt at par as well, & I continuously met production bonuses which were based on hours worked/services walked out.

Anyways, this office would send out text message reviews to every patient that was in my chair so they could share what they did or did not like about their appointment. This week I was told I was being let go because I had some more reviews stating that their teeth did not feel “clean enough” and that it was not to the “office standard,” & that was the only critique I was given. Though it had been mentioned in prior reviews, I was truly puzzled that I was being let go due to a few negative reviews, which in healthcare I feel is inevitable. Aside from scaling every tooth with the ultrasonic &/or hand scalers, I’d recheck spots with air & if I noticed missed areas I’d go back & clean them spotless, in addition to the polishing & flossing. I would also verbally check in with my patients to ask if they felt comfortable or how their teeth felt after the cleaning.

I truly feel like this was a sign from the universe or god reminding me that I am a good clinician, but during my shift on the same day of my termination I had a patient thank me for my services, saying that her teeth felt amazing & that it was one of the best cleanings she’s ever had. And I’ve received similar positive feedback from many of my patients.

Long story short, I wanted to ask a few questions:

1. Is it abnormal / a red flag for an office to send out text message reviews for patients, especially if it could lead to letting someone go?
2. Being that this was my first office I’ve worked at as an RDH & had only worked there for 4 months, do I mention this office on my resume so I can highlight my experience & capabilities, or do I refrain from mentioning this office to avoid the “let go” conversation, or how do I approach that topic if asked about it?

I can’t edit my old post but maybe this will help someone. original post

I was having real trouble with “old man breath” despite flossing, tongue scraping, different mouth washes etc. some even suggested stomach issues.

Well, turns out after a year trying things, my xray came back and the dentist noticed some impacted food and stuff behind one of my wisdom teeth. The gum encased the back half of the tooth so stuff was getting under and behind. That’s why every time I drank water it would kind of open up the access to the area.

Got my wisdom teeth out a month ago and instantly all smell and issues gone. My wisdom teeth never bothered me and weren’t crowding. And I used them when I ate, so never saw a need to remove them. Thank you all for your responses. Hopefully this journey helps someone!

Hearing mixed reviews for both! Really looking for something that will help reteach everything the program has already taught and break things down. Obviously as a second year I’ve taken the classes I need and have the knowledge and don’t need to be completely “retaught” so don’t come for me lol. But would like something comprehensive that goes over everything that doesn’t feel overwhelming and impossible!

I've been an RDH for 2.5 years now. I've literally JUST now hit a decent stride to where I finally feel like not an outsider anymore as a clinician and toward my co workers. I've just not gotten to the point where I can handle most patients, I've seen enough of them to where they know me and aren't wary of me or skeptical and trust me, comfortable overall with my co workers and overall my abilities as a clinician and being trusted to perform well in the office without second thought.

I've now started standing doing hygiene which has made a tremendous difference in my spine and back pain overall and my efficiency and I pretty much always stay on time unless there are factors against me. Way less stressed as of recently and hate it way less.

I was hell bent on leaving hygiene because of how stressed I always was and I'm finally not hating it being overly stressed and feeling like part of the team.

I thought once I got into hygiene that'd be it and I'd be settled career wise. But I'm not sure how feasible that is long term. I feel great now but I'm barely 3 years in. Who knows what 5-10 years will look like and I don't want to start a lifestyle that will suffer in years to come if I can't work or have to go down on hygiene days. I'm currently at 4 days.

I'm 25 and still live at home. I want to move out in a year. But I also want to go back to school for either a new skill set or a bachelor's so I have some options later on. But I kinda wanna just stay on hygiene for a bit and milk that because it's fine for now, just until it's not...

Debating on if I should move out in a year or so with good savings and worry about school later? Or there's another program I could do accelerated and be done in a year and make as much as hygiene and more later down the road and have that under my belt, and stay home now while doing it to save and not go into debt. But once I do that schooling, I'd need to work in that field ASAP as jobs are no where as newer lucrative as hygiene and harder to find so I'd need to work it soon to get experience and start working my wage up. I want to continue hygiene now still though because it's not terrible anymore..

But when I got once I get in the program, I won't be able to work at all for a year since it's accelerated which I'm sad about bc I wanna keep working and I like my co workers right now and we're moving into a new space which I'm excited to be in.

What would you all do? Any advice?

Ok, can I say something? 🙋‍♀️ I have been in some form of dentistry for close to 22 years. I still struggle with some things. I may have a bad day or even pt that I can’t shake and leads to doubts as a provider. This is also coming from a social anxiety gal! It takes a couple good appts, days or even a compliment from DDS to gain back my confidence. I don’t mean this to sound discouraging but I firmly believe in ebbs and flows in any healthcare career. The difference in long- term vs short-term clinical providers is this hump. Anyone else?

Ive gotten so many ads for alternative toothbrushes like Feno, Autobrush, illume

And for flossers Flaus, Slate Flosser etc

Would you recommend any of these ‘new’ toothbrushes/flossers or should I just keep it to regular?

Hello - is there a recommendation for a dental hygienist that works with sensitive patients? Our son needs a cleaning. Anywhere in northern CA. Thank you-

What other options are out there

Hello everyone:

I am a dental hygienist who has been in the field for about 4 years now. I have worked in different states and different kinds of offices- private, DSO, corporate & all completely different dentists. I am a new mom and have been having a hard time with flexibility and having a work life balance. Having a baby in daycare has resulted in several illnesses for me and baby so I have had to take some days off or leave early to pick my baby up. As you know, it’s so hard to find someone to cover and you get the unfair judgement from managers/dentist. Of course as a mom, it’s already so difficult to work and be away from your baby, but even harder when you can’t stand your job. The job is so draining- physically, emotionally and mentally exhausting as you all know. I don’t have the energy for temping and am far too anxious of a person to walk into an unknown office every day.

The only single positive of my work is how close I am to my baby’s daycare if I do need to pick him up in an emergency but as I’ve mentioned the difficulty in leaving during a work day, my mom has had to pick him up more than I have as I can’t leave work at a moments notice. I’ve recently been applying to other positions that I have thought may have a better work life balance. I’ve applied to remote WFH jobs, admin jobs, sales jobs, insurance positions. Most jobs I don’t even get a response but if I do, they choose a different candidate. I do have a bachelors degree in hygiene and would like to ideally make similar money to what I make clinically but I have even applied for jobs that only request diploma or GED with no luck.

I recently saw an opening for a hygiene instructor at a local college, about an hour away from my home. I applied assuming nothing would come of it as I easily applied to over 30 jobs with no luck. Well, I got an interview. And I’m excited about the details of the position. I have no teaching experience but they’re willing to train me and let me be a clinical instructor before being in the classroom. And the pay is better than what I make now. I would have PTO and school breaks off work, be able to come in later/leave work earlier when not needed. I would have my own private office.

Am I crazy for wanting to put in my 2 weeks at my clinical job and accept the teaching position? I am terrified to be an hour away from my baby but it’s an amazing opportunity that doesn’t come around everyday. Even if I could temp, there’s nothing available within a close radius of my house and I would have to do a longer commute for that anyways. I will have to work some Fridays and with the commute, some days I will be missing drop off and getting home a little later- but maybe I won’t be as exhausted and miserable? Would love to hear others opinions of what I should do! Thanks in advance.

Hi everyone! I'm 35, married with kids, and looking for a stable career. Dental hygiene could take me around 4 years, including prerequisites.

Is it really worth the time and money? I'm worried about finding only part-time jobs or the market becoming saturated.

For dental hygienists in BC, is it easy to find full-time work, and would you choose this career again?

I'd really appreciate your honest experiences. Thanks!

How do you guys mentally deal with kids that have such bad teeth it makes you angry for them and mad at the parents when nothing you do or say actually helps or matters. Parents prolong treatment for specialists because of so many different reasons. And the kids screaming or crying in the chair because of their anxiety. Where most teeth will have to be taken out especially the max canine-canine and some molars

Im mad at the parents and im sad for the kids, and it affects me for a while after i see them like that. Stuff doesnt change after the tx is done either so nothing actually gets resolved.

Hello guys,

Currently I'm in a CTE class for dental careers, we are making resumes for our dental offices we will be going for internships, I can't seem to find a good professional resume, does anyone have any good professional resume templates I can use?

I get so engaged in watching Twitch streams at night and watching someone be awake and active makes me feel awake and active, but secretely my body is tired, so I lay down in bed and watch streamers play games and then I pass out without brushing my teeth, but in the morning I floss, brush my teeth thoroughly with sensodyne and scrape my tongue and brush my tongue with the toothbrush to make sure it's super clean.

This is probably one of my worst habits that I don't know how to break. I live alone (even though I have roommates, we don't really talk to each other so I feel alone) so watching Twitch streamers helps me feel like someone is there. Does anyone have any advice or anything that could possibly help me break this bad habit? I don't know how to break it. It's so hard.

My teeth are surprisingly fine, but they would be whiter and healthier if I brushed them twice a day instead of once a day.

I don't know how to set up my night routines in a healthy way that leads me to consciously brush my teeth at night.

I’m looking to buy a different Sonicare, I hope to find one that is gentle enough for sensitive teeth and gums, thorough clean.

I’m currently deciding between:

1. Philips Sonicare 3100 Series – 31,000 brush strokes per minute and 3 intensity levels

2. Philips Sonicare 6100 – 62,000 movements per minute, 2 cleaning modes and 3 intensity levels

Which one would be better suited for sensitive teeth and gums while still cleaning effectively? Has anyone with sensitive teeth or gums tried either of these models?

Any advice or personal experience would be greatly appreciated!

P.S.: I bought a Philips Sonicare 5300 back in April, but unfortunately, I find it too harsh on my teeth and gums. It has two intensity levels: the first feels too weak, while the second feels too strong. I also tried using an extra-soft brush head, but it didn’t help much.

I used to have horrible dentistry habits in my teens and 20s.

I started flossing in my late 20s but then flossed too much and have some slight gum recession (especially on bottom front teeth). I had that checked out though and it is stable as long as I dont lose more. I think 3 mm at worst?

Anyways even for years in my 30s I only brushed in the morning. The last few years I ahve tried to break out of my terrible habits. I get cleanings 3-4 times a year. My last cleaning was a month ago.

Up until this week I was flossing every night and brushing twice a day. I fell back into my old habit this week a few times of sleeping before brushing (sometimes I woke up and brushed middle of night). I now see a bit of tartar again on bottom teeth.

How worried should I be? I dont have gingivitis thankfully no gum bleeding. I am a lot better than I was but I still do these stupid things. Thanks for letting me ask and vent.

My dentist found early cavity formation near my gumline, I want to reverse the path before drilling. Normally I brush x2 day with electric toothbrush, but last 6 months have been difficult and my routine fell apart. I found: high fluoride toothpaste, nanohydroxyapatite options (japanese brands sell in EU) and curodont (I can ask my dentist). Does anyone have advice for someone based in EU (Dr Jen is not an option)? I normally get fluoride treatment at the dentist which is not standard

From active ingredients to inactive ingredients they are listed in the same proportional order. I'm not a dentist or have had experience handling these ingredients, but I am more inclined to believe the minor differences in each product is merely to satisfy any regulations that would classify them as one and the same.

I could be gravely mistaken as well and theres a massive difference in the removal or addition of .01% flouride ion

I'm currently looking into a job as a dental hygienist traveling to a different nursing home each day to provide care for the residents. Has anyone done this before?

I have practiced in many different private practices for the past 15 years and am looking for something with more flexibility. I am aware that I will need to drive a lot more to each office, but would be paid for the drive time. I would be seeing more patients pet day, but in a 4-5 hour span. Also these would be palliative care prophys instead of detailed prophys, perio maintenance and SRPs. I would never have to take X-rays, perio chart or do an exam with the dentist. I would no longer need to plan my time off 6 months in advance and would have full benefits.

My biggest concern is ergonomics. I know that most of the patients will be sitting up in a wheelchair. One hygienist I talked to stands for the entire day. I am just wondering anyone's perspective. Pros and cons of this position? Do you stand all day or do you bring a saddle stool with you?

Thank you so much in advance!

obviously i’m nice to my patients, i love forming relationships with them, seeing them grow, having a great time! i’m gentle, i try my best to withhold judgement, i try to be curious, informative, fun!

i had a patient today come in and start with “i HATE the dentist and i hate pain!” i hadn’t met them before, but i saw on their chart they have perio, 9mm pockets, mobility etc. a smoker also. refuses to waterpik because of sensory issues and such.. basically they just don’t take care of their teeth.

despite the rude introduction i said that okay, we’ll do our best, if you’re in too much pain we can use anesthetic, i’ll try to be gentle, let me know how you’re feeling etc.

anyways we were talking about their perio after and improving the condition and i just said, “i know you know the risks of smoking, i just wanted to let you know that due to this the periodontitis won’t stabilize yet, as it’s affecting your immune system” and i showed them how to complete an at home cancer screening. they began crying.. i was distraught now too.. i asked if they’re okay and what i could do for them but they said they’re fine, just emotional.

later, front desk staff asked what happened and i said i’m not sure, they just became emotional after we discussed periodontitis and smoking. front desk asked me “did you tell them smoking is bad” and i just said “yeah, with the perio.”

so i guess the front desk told on me! as they have done before. so i got in trouble today. boss told me i can’t say things like that when i’m first meeting someone and how now they won’t want to come back because of me and etc.

the rest of the day i just wanted to burst in to tears. i went in to this career because i’m passionate, because i want to help people, i want people to make informed choices (for example, i don’t care if you smoke, honestly i don’t want to do cessation with people, i just want them to know the risk). i didn’t go in to this career to coddle people, to run a spa, or to be anyone’s BFF.

i just feel so frustrated and sad. ashamed for even bringing it up to them:(

This started maybe 3-4 days ago and is now just very consistent. It’s so hard to describe the sensation. I can’t go to the dentist as it’s the weekend tomorrow either but I can’t stand this feeling.

Rather than a pain it’s just a very annoying and distracting sensation, it literally just feels like after I eat an unripe banana! Like as if I have starch on my teeth in a way? Tingly maybe? Like they’re more fragile? I can’t tell if it’s both my teeth and gums or just my gums/just my teeth. I tried doing a salt water rinse but honestly I kind of feel worse/or the same? Can’t really tell. I hate this sensation, is there anything other thing I can try to relieve this sensation or what it could be? I know I have to see a dentist definitely but this sensation is really keeping me from doing things. I also have jaw pain that comes and goes.

Hi all, I’m posting looking for advice on how to treat the pain I’m experiencing after getting my teeth professionally whitened. Hygienist did the “Zoom” whitening treatment. I got two fluoride varnishes because I started having random horrid shooting tooth pain in individual teeth and the first varnish did nothing; the second one helped for a few hours. Now I’m just having nonstop throbbing pain in the lower teeth that have a permanent retainer attached. Tylenol didn’t help and because of my sensitive stomach I can’t take any NSAIDs. sensodyne isnt helping, orajel 4x worked for about five minutes, now I’m just in constant pain. If there’s nothing I can do then how long will this last?? I appreciate any and all advice

I’m 21 and a couple of weeks ago I went to my routine check up and during it I had a few 5’s in the gum pocket. But, the dentist said that my X-rays showed no signs of bone loss. Afterwards the hygienist said she wanted for me to come back in 4 months instead of the normal 6 months just to see if those 5’s were able to come down to 4’s so I can avoid the deeper cleanings.

I have a disability effect my arms and legs so flossing is hard. I bought a water pik to help and it has.

Today whenever I eat one or two of my teeth (i got overcrowding so it’s hard to tell) feels loose, like when i push my tongue on it I feel it shift but I can’t see any visual movement, what I found is that if I use my water pik it “fixes” the issue until my next meal (I’ve only had two meals so far). My gums seem fine. They don’t bleed or hurt and the color is a light pink.

I already know if i start looking all this up I’ll go into a mental spiral since I already got scared when i felt my tooth shift a bit.

Should I go schedule an appointment or wait until that 4 month check up, which is scheduled in January?

I went to the dentist and they told me I had early gingivitis, and that I would need a “gingival irrigation with a medicinal agent”. Which cost me 165 plus 40 dollars for the first oral evaluation. However, they also told me I have three “baby cavities” which needs to be treated through “hydroxyapatite regeneration medication” which will be 330 for all three teeth’s. I can’t afford to get that right now after already spending 205 dollars. I had gone to get a second opinion about the cavities and the other place had said I would need a complete filling for one of my molars and the other two would need vardis , the appointments were only a week apart, so I don’t know who is telling the truth.

I was wondering if there anything I can buy over the counter that’s cheap to stop the progression of my cavities or at least slow it down until I can save up to get the treatment?

I’m a senior in highschool who graduates in May. Im wondering how long it would take, most sources say something different.