Pedo Patient Products
How do you feel about seeing pedo patients in your office? Do you love having a little one on your schedule to break up the day, or do you stress about the appointment before they’re even there? Kids can be tricky to see, but there are lots of helpful products to have in your operatory to make the appointment run a little smoother. We’ve seen many kids in our days in practice, and have some favorite products and tools to help make these appointments go as smoothly as possible.
Kids sunglasses.This may be obvious, but having sunglasses that fit a little face can definitely make the appointment more comfortable. First, they’ll be more likely to wear them if they fit. Second, the extra light protection is needed when we use our loupes light- kids don’t love having the light shone right into their eyes and can make them uncomfortable and anxious.
Fidget Spinners. Keep a few of these on hand are perfect for the little one (or maybe not so little one) who is feeling anxious or having a hard time holding still. Having them be able to hold and play with something can release energy and let them focus their attention on something else other than laying back. Wipe them down in between patients, or hand them out after the appointment as their “prize” since prize boxes look different right now.
Young Zooby Prophy Angles. These are our favorite angles for kids! They can make the appointment interactive and fun. You can make up a story about aTiger or Flamingo that you have on your hand piece and be able to switch it up between their appointments. The entire Zooby line is really cute (patient napkins, masks, prophy paste, and more), but the angles are definitely our favorite product from the line.
Cordless Handpiece. If you’re really looking for something amazing with kids, a cordless slow speed handpiece is a great investment both for your patients and for yourself. Since they sometimes don’t want to move their heads in certain directions (especially if they’re watching a movie on the ceiling), having a cordless handpiece can make adaptation easier and slightly improve your ergonomics during the appointment.
Disclosing Agent. The visual demonstration of where biofilm is left on the teeth is not only powerful for a kid, but also for the parent. Having them both visually see where their home care is missing can make a big impact on how the gingiva will look at the next appointment.You can either use the liquid and paint it on their teeth with a Microbrush, use a tablet, or make your own disclosing liquid by crushing up a tablet. (You can learn how to DIY disclosing agent here).
Voco Caramel Fluoride Varnish. Have you tried out the varnish you use every day? Does it taste good, or does it leave a lingering taste? Is it so sticky that you want to pick it off 10 minutes application, or does it smooth out with time? We’ve tried many brands and flavors of varnish, and there are lots of great options out there. We really love the Voco Caramel Varnish and have great patient reports from it.
What are your favorite things to have on hand with pediatric patients? Let us know below!
National Children's Dental Health Month
This month is Children’s Dental Health Month, we’re excited to announce Crest andOral-B’s initiative to help #conquercavities in one of our most vulnerable patient populations- children! This month, they want to highlight the amazing offices, pediatric offices, and hygienists seeing patients in alternative settings, like schools or community health clinics, and thank them for all the amazing work they do each day making sure
our tiniest patients are well taken care of. Know someone that falls into that category? Nominate them and their office on dentalcare.com to be entered to win some of 1,200 electric toothbrush kits for them to distribute to their patients and communities! These kits include flossers and Crest toothpaste, along with the cute Oral-B brushes with characters that kids love to use. Kids starting at age 3 can benefit from using an electric toothbrush and introducing them at a young age will help them grow accustomed to the brush to be able to use one for a lifetime.
So, don’t wait to enter! Entries will be accepted from 2/1-2/26 dentalcare.com. Thanks to Crest and Oral-B for being so generous and for celebrating one of our favorite months- Children’s Oral Health Month! Together, we as dental professionals can help prevent children from getting decay and increase their overall and oral health through great habits at home. Together, we can conquer cavities.
No purchase necessary. 48 contiguous US/DC, 18+. Ends 2/2621. Rules: dentalcare.com #ConquerCavities #SmileCouncil #Ad #ForceForGood
What you need to know about Stannous Fluoride with Crest + Oral-B
Stannous Fluoride (SnF2) has had its ups and down in dentistry in the last decade. Previously, it had been shown to stain teeth with regular applications, and now stain blockers are built in. And with recent research and changes to optimize formulas, stannous fluoride has overcome its challenges and has been shown through research it can be very beneficial. Here are a few quick, useful tips to help address patients’ questions in your office.
The bacteriostatic/bactericidal effects of SnF2 last much longer than the 2 minutes a patient brushes for (or the 30 seconds that most people actually brush for). Because of how it reacts to bacteria and toxins and how it’s able to stay in the mouth longer than some other fluorides, it can stay and work to prevent disease and decrease sensitivity for for up to 12 hours.
Stannous fluoride can block inflammatory precursors. New research suggests that these formulas have bioavailable stannous fluoride can bind with pathogens present in a gingival sulcus, and reduces the inflammatory process in its beginning stages. If the endotoxins can’t reach the tissue, then the inflammatory process can’t begin, meaning less bleeding and infection in your patient’s tissues.
When stannous fluoride is used intraorally, it can create a protective barrier on exposed dentin to decrease sensitivity and prevent erosion. This is where Crest Gum & Sensitivity can come into play with your patients with exposed dentin and root sensitivity, but also needs the benefits of stannous fluoride to help with gingival inflammation.
Important to mention, when it comes to stannous fluoride, formulation matters. Backed by decades of expertise, Crest's Stannous Fluoride formulation delivers optimal gum health and usage experience.
Interested in learning a bit more about Stannous Fluoride? We’d recommend taking this CE course from @crestoralb! It is filled with great information and videos to know a bit more about how stannous fluoride works and how it can benefit patients.
Thank you to Crest + Oral-B for supporting us at Hygiene Edge! With their support, we can keep our mission of educating dental professionals on the latest information, new tricks and tips, and improve our profession through education.
Medical Emergency Kit Guidelines for the Dental Office
Have a bit of extra time this month of January in your office? Seeing more last minute cancellations or patient’s calling in sick after the holidays? This is the perfect time to look into some systems that may have been neglected in the crazy months of 2020. One of them you should look into is your medical emergency kit. Isn’t it funny how we never really think about it until we need it, and then it’s too late to stock up or to find out your products have expired? Take an hour to peek through it and see what’s missing or what needs to be replaced.
The ADA recommends a few certain products be part of a dental emergency kit for medical emergencies that happen in your office. However, each state’s regulations might be slightly different, so I’d recommend checking out your state’s dental board just to make sure you’ll legally including everything that’s required. Here is a list of some of the basics that most states recommend:
· Epinephrine 1:1,000 (injectable)
· Histamine-blocker (injectable)
· Oxygen with positive-pressure administration capability
· Nitroglycerin (sublingual tablet or aerosol spray; be aware of contraindications)
· Bronchodilator (asthma inhaler)
· Sugar (a quick source of glucose such as orange juice)
· Aspirin
Other items that could be very helpful in a medical emergency:
· Aromatic ammonia
· Blood pressure monitoring equipment
· CPR pocket mask
· Syringes
· Tourniquets
· High-volume suction and aspiration tips or tonsillar suction
In addition to having a comprehensive medical kit due to your state regulations and malpractice insurance recommendations, OSHA also has guidelines to protect workers in case of an emergency. These recommendations in a first aid kit are for 2-3 employees. If your office is bit bigger, it may be smart to have 2 kits set up in your office (like one at the front desk and on in the staff room).
· Gauze pads (at least 4 x 4 inches)
· Two large gauze pads (at least 8 x 10 inches)
· Box adhesive bandages (band-aids)
· One package gauze roller bandage at least 2 inches wide
· Two triangular bandages
· Wound cleaning agent such as sealed moistened towelettes
· Scissors
· At least one blanket
· Tweezers
· Adhesive tape
· Latex gloves
· Resuscitation equipment such as resuscitation bag, airway, or pocket mask
· Two elastic wraps
· Splint
· Directions for requesting emergency assistance
In dentistry, we honestly have lots of these things that we use on patients every day! But having them specifically separated out and designated for an emergency will make the running around and chaos of trying to find them around the office decrease.
So, how does your offices medical kit hold up?
Side note- let’s pretend you’re in a medical emergency situation and you notice a product you need to use is expired. Definitely not ideal, but still use it! It may still work, even after the expiration date. It’s better to use it and try, then to assume it’s bad and won’t be effective.
What We Learned in 2020
Welp. Here we are. Into the New Year, full of hope for what’s to come. Even though 2020 didn’t turn out how we expected, we still had lots to be grateful for and learned so many things about ourselves and our profession that we may not have ever learned without the push to.
We weren’t doing enough for aerosol reduction before this pandemic. I’m not going to lie- I relayed a ton on PPE as a protection. But when really, PPE should be the last line of defense when it comes to protecting us from illness and aerosols. Anyone else think that anyone in dentistry has an amazing immune system for what we put our bodies through each day? Adding extra precautions for aerosol reduction, like an extra-oral suction device, will be something we carry on from last year.
Dental hygienists are pretty resilient. From being sent home from work without an end at sight, from being told offices are opening again just a few weeks later with a lot of fear around the pandemic still, makes RDHs so tough! They were able to grab the unknowns of working so close to patients and still keep themselves and, hopefully, their patients safe and cared for. They definitely showed how essential dental care is to the overall health of patients, and how important oral health is so many aspects of our communities.
Dental Hygiene School is not for the weak. Can you image going through dental hygiene school again, but in the middle of a pandemic!? You dental hygiene students are seriously amazing! From having clinic cancelled, from national boards being pushed back after months of studying, to patients cancelling left and right due to illness and exposures, to laying low during the fun years of college. I definitely admire and respect you!
Dental Hygienists can be utilized in new ways. Several states are allowing dental hygienists who are trained to give local anesthetic to be able to give vaccines. Many states allowed RDHs to work at the hospital to help with testing, sanitizing, and with triage. This totally makes sense! We are trained in all things infection control, know how to talk to patients in high stress situations, and can work quick on our feet. I loved seeing these areas for growth for dental hygienists in our country in a crazy time.
We are so lucky. Even though this year was TOUGH (with a capital T), we are lucky to be healthy, helping our communities and patients by improving their health and keeping their routine health visits and having a sense of normalcy in a world that is anything but normal.
So, we want to thank you and congratulate you for last year. We know we aren’t out the woods yet, and I honestly am going into this year with cautious hope, but definitely excited for what’s next for dental hygienists. Thank you for sticking around with us last year. This next year of 2021 will be amazing, and we’re excited for what we have planned!
NEW PPE for 2021 with Twice as Nice Uniforms
With 2020 being the year of PPE, 2021 is the year to better invest in your PPE comfort and look.
One of our goals here at Hygiene Edge for 2021 is to support more dental hygienists in their endeavors. Dental Hygienists are amazing, hard-working people!
We want to start out by introducing Debora Carrier, RDH. She is the founder of Twice as Nice Uniforms.
Twice as Nice scrubs and jackets are made with temperature regulating, moisture wicking, antimicrobial removable liners, which are perfect if you are one who gets too hot or too cold in the office. The outer fabric is also no-iron, soft, stretch, and will not pill or fade.
Twice as Nice Uniforms also has many accessories like masks, lab coats, and scrub caps. We tried out the therapeutic compression socks which are great for boosting circulation in your legs, supporting veins, diminishing leg swelling, reducing orthostatic hypotension, and more.
If you want to try any of the products out for yourself ,you can get 10% with our affiliate code: HYED2020 at: https://twiceasniceuniforms.com
Here’s to the best year yet!!
RDH Spotlight: Kathy Young with the Dental Flex Arm
Have you ever wanted to invent something? Have an amazing idea that would help with dental hygienists each day in their practice, or people in their every day lives? Our friend Kathy had an idea to help RDHs each day by keeping them safe with aerosol reduction but makes it easy. And at a time like this, isn’t this the #1 question we have right now?! Using the High Volume Suction is nearly impossible without an assistant, so why not invest in your own assistant with the Dental Flex Arm?
We asked Kathy a few questions about her inventor journey, and her advice to other dental hygienists would love to start down the path of product development. Read her interview below to get to know her a little bit better.
What has been your favorite part of being in the dental field?
My favorite part of being in the dental field is all the wonderful people I have gotten to know. I was in private practice for over 25 years, and I loved getting to know my patients. I have also been involved in serving in my professional organization for many years, and I have met some amazing dental hygienists. Now, as I am in education, I continue to meet many awesome educators and students.
What has been the most rewarding part of starting your own business? What's been the trickiest?
Our business is still very young, but I am rewarded by knowing that I am helping the dental community by making life easier and safer for them. I will honestly say that I could not have started this business without my partner (who also happens to be my brother). He has run a medical manufacturing business for years, so he knew all the “ins and outs” of business licenses, EIN’s, accounting, etc. He is so knowledgeable about these things, so my recommendation for others wanting to start a business is to get a good partner, who knows the ropes of small business. I feel this is the trickiest part of any business. Creating a website was a learning curve that I’m still working on. Marketing is a challenge in today’s “social marketing” world. One of the challenges is getting the word out about our product. Someone can create the best product in the world, but if no one knows about it, it’s not worth much.
What inspired you to create the Dental Flex Arm?
I teach dental hygiene at Utah Valley University, and as a dental hygiene program we had determined that our students would use the HVE when they were using the Ultrasonic. How this was going to happen was the problem. Learning to use the Ultrasonic is a challenge in the best of circumstances, but using it while holding the HVE is almost impossible for both beginners and experienced hygienists. The head of the UVU dental hygiene program, Dianne Knight, said to me one day, “You need to invent something to hold the HVE that we can use here at UVU”. That began my quest to create something that would hold the HVE and make life easier for our students. There are other similar products on the market, so I looked at those and knew I could create something better and less expensive. My goal was to produce the best product that was affordable so if a dental hygienist wanted to purchase it for him/herself they could take if from office to office. Many of the products on the market currently are prohibitively expensive, and the ongoing cost is also high (for disposables). One dental school clinical instructor rightly said to me, “This product can pay for itself in a day.” He was considering the cost of hiring an assistant to suction as well as the high cost for some of the disposables on the market today.
We went through a lot of prototypes before we got to the product we have today. Again, this is where my business partner, Steve, was invaluable. He knew how to source the best products. In fact, we knew we wanted to source our supplies in the USA, so Steve made a trip to Connecticut to visit one of the few gooseneck manufacturers in the United States, and we will be using them to help produce a part of the product to our specifications. I believe that as we help other business in the United States, it helps all of us.
What advice would you give someone who wants to start their own business or invent their own dental product?
Look for a need. That is what started me down this path to create the Dental Flex Arm. There was a need- and not just because of COVID. (Please remember dental professionals that HVE should be used with ALL aerosol producing procedures. COVID will soon be a thing of the past, but we still need to use the HVE.)
Find a partner who has the business “know how” to help you, because there is a LOT of paperwork involved.
Network to get the word out about your product. The more people who know about it, the more people you can help.
Do it for the right reasons. I’m not here to get rich (although that would be a nice thing). I wanted to do this to make life easier for hygienists, but I also see a place for assistants to use it, as well as every dental school in the nation.
Try not to go into debt to do it. This is just my own personal thought. The process might be a little slower, but it is nice to not have extra debt to worry about.
Thank you Kathy for sharing your knowledge experiences with us! It has been so fun for us to watch you develop this amazing product for dental hygienists by a dental hygienist. We’ve been using the Dental Flex arm for the last few months, and it has been so handy to hold the high volume suction for aerosol reduction.
To learn more about the Dental Flex Arm, find out all about it at their website or on Facebook.
Things to Work on During your Christmas Break
Congratulations on finishing up this fall semester of dental hygiene school! Honestly, no one has ever gone through a semester like this, and hopefully no one else will have to! You may be already away from campus and finishing up your lecture classes online. But, what about clinic? At our school, we’ll be away from the clinic for almost 2 months! It feels like a long time to be away from your instruments and your patients. However, there are a few things you can do while at home being away from patients to keep up on your clinic skills. Here are a few ideas:
Of course, watch our Hygiene Edge videos on all the basics regularly. We have them all- patient operator positioning, specific hand instruments that you may use, wrist motion, modified pen grasp, etc. Watching and reviewing videos can help jog your memory on how to perform all the skills you were practicing so hard to feel comfortable with.
Keep your hands and fingers healthy and strong. Being away from work on patients for so long means the muscles in your hands will go away. Keep up their strength by working them out! Yes, that sounds so weird to work out your hand muscles, but you totally can by playing with play dough and clay, grabbing stress balls, and pinching different objects. Your hands will thank you come January and you’re back seeing patients.
Grab your typodont and practice your adaption. However, before you do, make sure your typodont is sent up like a human would be. Instead of holding the typodont in front of your face with your non dominant hand, lay it down like you would a patient. Some typodonts have a hole in the back for you to put a dowel or a holder through and attach it to a table or your couch arm. Then, when you practice, make sure you’re in the correct clock position before jumping in. Even though your set up looks completely different than it would in a dental chair, you’ll still want to follow all the basics of where you sit, where your patients head it, where you non dominant hand goes, and where your dominant hand goes so you’re practicing and remembering all the correct techniques.
Keep working on your indirect vision. You can totally practice with your mouth mirror and instrument on your typodont, which would be very helpful. You can also practice by coloring a picture by only looking in a mirror, or doing mazes in a mirror. Doing any small, fine motor task while looking in your bathroom mirror will help train your brain to do a task you’re normally used to doing backwards, which is exactly what happens when you use a dental mirror intraorally. You can download our free coloring page from our shop, or go all out by downloading some Christmas pages and go for it!
Keep looking for patients! We know that finding patients is the trickiest part of dental hygiene school. Even though you may be having a low key break and not interacting with as many people as normally, still be keeping your eyes and ears open for potential patients. Having a Zoom family Christmas party? Bring it up that you’ll be looking for patients starting in a few weeks. Have some spare time online? Set up a few Facebook ads looking for patients or post on your neighborhood or city groups about discounted appointments come January. Right now it the perfect time to start filling your schedule for January.
Keep up the great work throughout your break! Definitely enjoy yourself, stay safe and healthy, and keep practicing your clinic skills at home to be ahead of the game come next semester. What are you doing during this break to keep yourself healthy and ready for the next semester?
Looking for more?
Celebrating the Holidays Dental Hygiene Style
How do you celebrate the holidays? Especially this year? Spending time with family? Hanging out at home? Taking a few days off of work, or working extra hours to get in everyone to use their benefits? Sending gifts to your family around the country?
We love recommending and sending oral hygiene gifts to our family (though they may be getting bored of it…). But, with missing dental hygiene appointments, having a stressful year, and filling up on carbs (hello sourdough bread hobby), an oral hygiene gift is definitely more than needed.
With the Crest Oral-B iO, there are many features that both your family and you as a dental professional will love.
The Smart Pressure Sensor: This is a game changer. The pressure sensor right on the handle shows when you’re pushing either too hard, too soft, or just right. It definitely opened our eyes up to how to effectively brush with this electric toothbrush.
Smart Clean: Once you have this brush, you’ll definitely want to download the app. The toothbrush can connect with your phone, and show exactly where you’re missing with your brushing, where you need to work on, and why you may be bleeding in areas that you didn’t expect.
Bristles: This brush is designed to effectively transfer energy directly to the end of each bristle. It definitely makes the brush very quiet as you use it, but doesn’t sacrifice efficacy
So, we’d love to know how you're celebrating this year! Even though it may be a bit different, it can still be memorable. Let us know below!
A huge thank you to Crest Oral-B for supporting us at Hygiene Edge. They love great research and education, just like us. To learn more about the new Crest Oral-B iO, how it works, and how to distribute from your office, check out the Crest Oral-B website here!
Dental Hygienist Gift Guide: 2020
Now that the holidays are in full swing, have you be thinking about gifts for your RDH bestie, your boss, or your hygiene assistant? Something small can show how much you’ve appreciated then throughout this crazy year. And, of course, we know this has been a weird and honestly hard year (hello not working for several months). Here are a few ideas for small but not simple gifts you could get for any dentistry lover in you life.
Tooth Like Charm from V Coterie
So cute and can be worn every day while working. This is perfect for the jewelry wearer, and you can save by only getting the charm since they probably already have a simple gold chain to wear it on. Plus, this is a dental owed company who knows all things dentistry and makes products that we actually can wear and love for years to come.
2. Perio Socks from Dental Socks
I totally ordered these for myself for Christmas. The perfect dentistry lilac color with all things hygiene on them.
3. Dentistry Candle from thedentalgiftshop
I mean, with candle names like “just want what my insurance covers” to “just a prophy”, how can you not fall in love and just smile with these?
4. Cheetah Tooth Sticker from HaleyBugCreates
The cutest tooth sticker perfect for a loupes case, a car, a water bottle, anything! She also has so many other cute dental stickers in her shop.
4. Tooth Luggage Tag from Happy Teeth
Once travel is back in full swing, this is the perfect accessory to take you to any dental convention!
5. Tiny Rose Gold Tooth Earrings from Toothlife
Because we all need something sweet to make it through the work day.
Even though this year can be seen as one of the worst, we can go out of it with a bang and celebrate with gratitude for those around us.
How are you celebrating with your coworkers or dental friends?