The Easy Way To Remove an Overhang
We have all seen them before, the dreaded overhang just waiting to cause a periodontal pocket around it. Removal of an overhang was not something I learned about in dental hygiene school. So when a dentist first said to me, "Shelley, get that overhang off," I gave him my fake it until you make it look and went to work instrumenting the area. I found that using the same techniques as I would with a tenacious piece of calculus did the job of knocking it loose, but I struggled to get it to come out interpoximally. (I could tell I removed it from the surface, as it was not attached to the tooth as seen in a post op radiograph. I will take one if I don't see the overhang come out.) Most of the time after a LONG struggle I could get it out by tying one-two knots in a piece of floss and threading it through. Then one day a seasoned hygienist gave me the best trick to get it out easily after instrumentation. Check it out for yourself in our newest video below.
Varnish Application Tips
Application TIP: As an assistant I was taught to bend the tip of any applicator brush before I put any material on it and gave it to the dentist. Naturally, when I became a dental hygienist this was a habit that I didn't even realize I had until I saw students NOT doing it. Trust me when I say it will make your life a whole lot easier if you give the applicator tip a little bend. Check out the video below to see for yourself.
Application TIP: As an assistant I was taught to bend the tip of any applicator brush before I put any material on it and gave it to the dentist. Naturally, when I became a dental hygienist this was a habit that I didn't even realize I had until I saw students NOT doing it. Trust me when I say it will make your life a whole lot easier if you give the applicator tip a little bend. Check out the video below to see for yourself.
Patient Acceptance TIP: It seems like every time a consultant comes around they are pressuring us to sell sell sell varnish. Let me tell you that I really hate that word in the medical field! It should be unethical to even say it. I like to think of it as informing the patient they have the option to receive the varnish because they are at high risk for caries, have recession, have dry mouth, or sensitivity etc. Always inform them of the custom reason they would benefit from a fluoride varnish treatment. Also, if you truly feel that they need it at each check up then ask them if they would like to receive it at each maintenance care appointment. Here is an example:
Tammy, I noticed today you have several areas of recession. This tooth structure is less mineralized than enamel and is very prone to cavities. To prevent this from happening I would recommend a fluoride varnish treatment each time you come in for your preventive care appointments. It will be an additional $20 at each visit but will help prevent cavities. Would you like me to place it at each appointment for you?
Post Op TIP: Varnish will clog your suction lines. Trust me when I say it WILL happen to you. So, it is not recommended that the patient use the suction after use. I will give my patient a cup to expectorate into after placement if needed (then I throw it away) or if you have a sink near by have them clean up there.
Charges TIP: Use D1206 for billing. I have seen one office who just gives it to everyone at no charge, all they way up to a $50 fee. Just make sure you code for what you do no matter if you charge or not. How much do you charge for varnish?
Dental Hygienist Spotlight- Sara Toone
Name: Sara Toone
School: CNIH in Ottawa, graduated November 2009
Work: High Street Dental in McKenzie Towne, Calgary (Private Practice)
What made you interested in dental hygiene? I was moving to Ottawa and my sister (who already lived there) suggested that I apply to the dental hygiene school where she got her treatment done because she thought I would make a good hygienist!
Favorite Part of Dental Hygiene: Educating patients in perio/oral health, getting to know my patients and cultivating a trusting relationship, and seeing positive results in the long term!
Funny or interesting story from your dental hygiene career: Not necessarily from practice, but one time I was walking down the mall with my sister and out of nowhere a denture fell on my head! We look up and there was an old man leaning over the side of the balcony, and he yelled to us "Hold that for me! I'll be right there!" We met him at the foot of the escalator and he asked if it was broken. I looked and saw a tooth had chipped off so I said "I think you're missing a tooth" and he looked right at me, and said "honey I'm missing a few teeth!" and popped his denture in and walked off. Haha!
If you could give yourself one piece of advice while you were in school, what would it be? Be confident in your skills!
If you know a hygienist to be spotlighted, let us know! Email us at hygieneedge@gmail.com with their information and we'll contact them!
Cleaning Those Teeth with Crowns
Do you remember in hygiene school when your instructor taught about scaling around crowns? I remember distinctly hearing, “don't touch veneers, they WILL eat you,” and, "If you touch the porcelain, the tooth WILL explode." Then, the very next day, you get a patient with crowns on every tooth and you start planning your funeral. Let me assure you that crowns will not harm you in anyway. :) Caring for the supporting structures around crowns is VERY important. Thus, our top 5 tips on caring for crowns.
#1-Probe it like you would a regular tooth. I have found that the margins of crowns are great spots for that evil bacteria to hide and have parties when you are not looking. Thus, they can easily develop pockets and caries if not properly cared for.
#2-Feel free to scale around it with hand instruments and power driven scalers, just stay down around the margins. Check out our clinical video on this technique below.
#3- It may be difficult to detect if you removed that big piece of calculus or cement around the crown, that presented on the radiograph. Feel free to take a post op radiograph to double check your work.
#4- It is not recommended to polish crowns with regular prophy paste. I know what you are thinking, “I just do it anyway.” Well, textbooks now teach that we are not supposed to. Have you ever polished a gold crown with prophy paste and saw some of the gold come off as a dark gray slurry on your cup? Ya, that is why it is best not to polish them and luckily manufactures are with the times and have invented paste just for crowns. Check with your supply company to get some.
#5- Make sure your patient knows they can floss it because I hear all the time from patients that they don’t floss it as they don’t want it to come off. If they are nervous about it then have them pull the floss out through the side. Also, review how to brush it; gently, right along the margin.
Now get out there and become the best!
Tooth Eruption Chart
Today, we wanted to say THANK YOU for supporting us here at Hygiene Edge! We have learned and grown so much over the past year, and we hope that we've been able to help inspire you in your career! To say thanks, we have a new tooth eruption chart that's easy to read and logical for both you and for your patients. Keep one on hand for yourself as a reference and add a few copies to your OHI packet to hand to new moms!
Happy Thanksgiving!
PDF Download HERE
Hygienist Spotlight- Ashley Church
We're excited about our 2nd Hygienist Spotlight on Hygiene Edge! Today we are featuring Ashley Church, creator and owner of HYbands!
Ashley Church, RDH
Where you went to school: Southwestern College in San Diego
Where you practice now: San Diego
What type of setting do you practice in: Private Practice
Why did you get into dental hygiene: I have always had an interest in the field of dental hygiene! It wasn't an easy road, there were some bumps in the road and set backs but I was able to stick with it and now that I am a dental hygienist I am so thankful!
What do you love about hygiene now? I love working with my patients! Helping to ease my patients dental anxiety, educating, providing quality hygiene care, and witnessing the before and after is so rewarding to me!
The history of your company: The idea for HYbands™ started in hygiene school. I partnered with my sister Natasha and together we made it grow. We wanted to be more than just a product and wanted to find a way to give back to the community so we partnered with Smile Train- an international childrens charity to help repair cleft lip and palate. We are very excited to see what the future holds for HYbands™!
If you could give advice to a hygiene student, what would it be? Study hard, give as many injections as you can, see as many tough patients as you can, and challenge yourself in clinic because things move much quicker in the "real world" and the more experience you can get in school, the more prepared you'll be when looking for jobs! But just keep going! School is going to be tough but nothing worth having comes easy! (Oh, and watch Hygiene Edge videos! They helped me!) ;)
UPDATE! The winner of the 2 HYBands is Brette Martinez! Please email us @ hygieneedge@gmail.com with your mailing address!
Know a dental hygienist that would perfect to highlight? Email us at hygieneedge@gmail.com!
10 Tips For a Pain Free Cleaning
One of the most common reasons a patient will leave a practice is because their "cleaning" hurt. No hygienist wants to hear the words, "She really hurt me today. Will you schedule me with the other hygienist?" We want all hygienists to feel valued and like they can provide the BEST comfortable care for patients. Thus the purpose of our latest video "10 Tips For a Pain Free Cleaning". Do you have any other suggestions to provide care pain free?
Hygienist Spotlight- Mark Frias
We are so excited to announce our first Dental Hygiene Spotlight on Hygiene Edge! Here on Hygiene Edge, one of our goals is to inspire dental hygienists become their best. Hopefully we can be inspired from one another's experiences.
Mark Frias, RDH
Gradated from: Bristol Community College in Fall River, MA in 2007
Setting you Work in: full-time clinical, mostly pedo, mostly Medicaid patients. I also invented and the sell the Kona Adapter and blog weekly at http://MarkRDH.com.
What interested you about going into dental hygiene? I became interested in the medical field way back in 1995. It then slowly evolved into dental and then into dental hygiene. I like working with people one on one and dental hygiene is perfect for that.
To you, what’s the best part of dental hygiene? This might sound silly, but I just love to debride, especially perio patients. To me, it's like a form of meditation because I'm so focused. I love it. I may write a book someday called "The Zen of Scaling" : ).
Funny Story while working/practicing? The dental hygiene instructors were so accustomed to working with female students that for two years they would constantly address the class as "ladies" and I would raise my hand and they would respond "and gentleman".
One piece of advice I wish I could give myself while in Hygiene School? Do not waste your energy on maintaining high grades. It only gets in the way of actual learning.
Have a hygienist that would love to share their story and be spotlighted? Let us know at hygieneedge@gmail.com and we'll contact them!
Mirror Retraction Tricks
One of the common complains of patients coming to the dental office is the mouth mirror. Nothing is more painful than the pinch of the side of a mirror on the attached gingiva! Out latest video give you a few tricks to help prevent the uncomfortable placement of the mirror.
What do YOU do to prevent pain from the mirror?