What do you do if your patient reports halitosis-with ToKii's 2 in 1 Brush and Tongue Cleaner
Tokki All in 1 Tongue Cleaner
What do you do if your patient reports halitosis? As you know, there are a number of potential causes for this condition, such as food, tobacco use, dry mouth, medications, and more. Lucky for us in the dental profession, we can be a safe space for patients to chat with you about their concerns and help improve their quality of life. Let’s break down a few of the causes of bad breath, what we can do as professionals to help, and how patients can manage their symptoms at home.
Necrotizing Periodontal Disease (NPD formerly known as NUG/NUP) is a condition that can be very painful, life altering, and can greatly affect halitosis. In this condition, the tissue is dying and decaying which creates a malodor in the mouth. Luckily with therapy of improved home care and stress reduction protocols, full mouth bacteria reduction through full mouth debridement or periodontal therapy, and proper tongue cleaning at home, we can help the patient with their condition which will improve their halitosis.
Another possible cause of halitosis is a digestive issue such as GERD, acid reflux, peptic ulcers etc. Consider a referral to their physician and a registered dietitian if the halitosis continues and all dental issues have been resolved; as well as their tongue, teeth and gingival care at home are being done well.
With any of causes of bad breath the first place to start is usually to have the patient start cleaning their tongue. We all know that the tongue can trap high levels of bacteria, and maintaining the flora of the tongue is key to decreasing halitosis. Making tongue cleaning easy for your patient is critical to make sure they actually follow through with your recommendation. Enter Tokii- an all in 1 system to help your patients keep their teeth, gingiva, and tongue clean at home.
Have you been educating your patients about bad breath and tongue health? What has worked/hasn’t worked for you?
Learn more about proper tongue cleaning techniques to teach your patients in our latest video that features the Tokii 2 in 1 toothbrush and tongue cleaner.
Things-Ma-Bop Round-Up
Check out our latest round-up of cool gidgets and gadgets below:
If your patients are wanting to ditch plastic oral care products, send them to U do U Products.
Loupes that help you see down WITHOUT bending your neck, yup they are a thing and they are amazing. I have the ones from Lumadent called Ergo Prisms and I LOVE THEM!!!
There is a fun new way to sharpen with the stone upright. Check out the Stoney Pony.
Need some cute scrubs that don’t break the bank, these from Mandala are a must!!
A new product made just for those who have a hard time threading floss under braces, bridges, lingual bars and all on 4 dentures is the Autoflosser.
You still need a face shield, I really like this one from Ambience PPE.
Bib clips are for the birds, use the Tapkin with the bib clip built in.
The Nitebite fits on #7-11 and can be molded right in the hygiene chair, a great way to prevent grinding/occlusal wear and increase production in the hygiene department at the same time.
Active by Orthogum is a new cool gum that doesn't stick to your braces or clear aligners when chewing it.
A friend of mine recently had to get a root canal and the dentist used the MR. Thirsty from Zirc instead of a rubber dam and said it was 100% better.
If you know of any other whose-its and what’s-its out there we’d love to feature them! Drop us a comment.
The TapKin A Bib Clip Free Patient Cover
As dental hygienists one of our biggest rolls is that of the infection control guru in the office. I would dare say that we are the most knowledgeable on this topic in the office. Being a dental assistant prior to becoming a dental hygienist, I can say that as dental assistant I lacked the knowledge of the importance of proper infection control. In dentistry we are always searching for ways to reduce cross contamination and at the same time increase efficiency. Check out our latest video below and learn all about the TapKin, a bib clip free patient cover, that allows you to #ditchthebibclip and reduce cross contamination.
We are giving away a box of TapKins on our Instagram @hygieneedge! Head over there to enter to win!
If you just want it now TapKin is offering a 5% off discount to all of our viewers, enter “EDGE” at checkout on the TapKin website. The discount code will be active until August 1st, 2019.
Contest rules can be found HERE.
Holiday Dental Gift Ideas
November is already half way over. Can you believe it? Now is the time to start thinking all things Holiday, especially gifts for your dentist, office manager, dental assistant, or even your dental hygiene school bestie.
We've searched all over for some of the most unique dental gifts for any dental enthusiast.
Dental Tie Clip
If you dentist or office manager wears a tie regularly, this is the perfect dental accessory.
Tooth Pin
Enamel pins are a perfect way to jazz up a white lab coat. Plus, they can be wiped down at the end of a long SRP day.
Tooth Blanket
If your dentist is a big movie or baseball fan, wrap this gift with a Redbox gift certificate and some movie treats, or baseball tickets to a local team.
Tooth Bag
Fill this bag with their favorite treats, or wrap it with a gift certificate to their favorite store or to your mall.
Tooth Magnets
So cute tooth magnets (or could also be pins) from Lilac Paper Company. This is a perfect stocking stuffer if you have a dental professional in your family.
Dentalopoly
Why not get this dental game for office team building? Based of Monopoly, this game of full of dental humor, plus the proceeds help support free dental clinics.
Hopefully this list of dental gifts can help alleviate some holiday shopping stress as December gets closer! We are always looking for new gift ideas for the dental people in our lives! What are your dental gift ideas this year? Let us know!
Placement of Arestin- A Before and After Look
A before and after look at the placement of Arestin. Some choose to place it at the time of initial therapy and some place it at the re-evaluation/perio maintenance procedures. As a team, sit down with your dentist and decide what is best for your patients. The billing code for Arestin is D4381.
Double Gracey Anterior Instrument
This Double Gracey Anterior is a game changer for hand instrumentation in the anteriors. Check out our latest video to learn how to use it. Also, win your own by sharing this video from our Facebook page.
YA! A New Instrument For Hygienists-The Boge 513
American Eagle Instruments have released a new instrument called the Boge 513. It has a Hoe on one side and a Nebraska on the other. The best part of this instrument is that it was created by Emily Boge, a dental hygienist. Check out our latest video on how to use it.
Also, would you like to win one? Head on over to our Facebook page HERE to share the video to your dental hygiene friends to be entered to win one for your office.
It's Ortho Month On Hygiene Edge
It's Ortho Month on Hygiene Edge! Watch for articles and new videos all about how to care for our patients with ortho.
Our first video in ortho month is about an amazing product from GumChucks called ORTHOgami. They make flossing braces easy both for you and for your patients. They also offer metal handles that are sterilizable to use in your practice that makes flossing patients quick and easy.
To kick off Ortho Month, we are doing a give away! We are giving away a complete GumChucks kit for you to try at home and in your office. It includes multiple handles for kids and adults and inserts for both ortho and non ortho patients. To enter, comment below with your favorite ortho trick or products that you recommend. We will be announcing the winner here on Hygiene Edge on Tuesday!