I don’t know what I wanna do for a career yet (I’m still in high school) but I wanna do something science relate. idk if I wanna go back to school later in life or not, but i always found dental hygiene to be the one I’m most interested in (at least based on what I’ve been told) but I wanted to ask people in the field before I decide
The doctor I work with is very old and talks for about 45 minutes and does 15 minutes worth of work ( at most ). He only sees about 5 pts out of an 8 hour work day. I finish my cleanings within 35 minutes out of my hour appointments and he is always taking 10 minutes MINIMUM to “ catch up “ with all our hygiene recall patients. His patients, adore him and don’t mind a extremely long chats and wait times. I know I can’t talk to him about how this bothers me because he has been operating this way for over 40 years and he enjoys how he operates. This office is mostly good but this repeated con is overbearing sometimes. I have to emphasize, I only work four days a week and all four days are at this office. He is a kind hearted dentist but he is driving me crazy with chatty demeanor!
Hello everyone I am a new grad dental hygienist. I graduated In May. I temped for a week at different offices but realized temping is NOT for me starting out. I feel like as a new grad you need a baseline of how things are in the real world outside of school and to not just be thrown somewhere even though you did it to yourself 🙄 . But that’s beside the point, so I found a permanent job but I feel like I’m soooo slow with my time management from going from 3-4 hours to 1 hour appointments. How long did it take you to get faster. Or do you have any tips for time management pleasseeee. Also, treatment planning 🫠…….. is not what I thought it would be in the real world. In school I feel like in clinic rotations the main focus was on the actual cleaning and yea we diagnosed if you had perio or were healthy. But in the field it’s not just a straight line and I’m just struggling if a patient should be a gingival therapy or SRP, or prophy. Idk I wish treatment planning was taken more seriously all they mostly cared about is if you removed the calculus or not that’s where most points were deducted at 🙄. Honestly at other offices I temped at I felt a patient should be more than a prophy but idk what to do. Like I’m so confuseddddd. Like every office is literally different with treatment it shocks me. Anyway I was embarrassed to suck so bad and talk about this with anyone so I came here 🙃 feel free to lmk anything please.
So I’ve (22f) been going to the same dentist for quite a few years now. The problem is that they only take my primary insurance, and not my secondary, so I’m left with a lot of out of pocket expenses for things like retainers or surgery. I have impacted wisdom teeth that need to come out so I started looking at other places that take both my insurances.
Today I had a cleaning at a new place, but it was very different that what I have had in the past. All they did was drill (or maybe scrape or waterpik or something? All I know is it was a lil painful and there was a lot of water) and brush my teeth. And it wasn’t by a hygienist, it was by the doctor. I don’t exactly remember what my old place did, but I know they AT LEAST flossed me and then would offer fluoride at an extra cost. Is this normal? I’m not worried about the hygienist vs doctor thing, but it just felt a little sloppy compared to my usual treatment.
Manger told coworker that my boss (owner of the practice) doesn’t like me. I don’t really wanna go back to work anymore. Also crazy unprofessional. What do I do ??
I’ve been there a total of 4 almost 5 years and I rarely work with this doctor because there are several at the practice, but I just feel kinda uncomfortable now
The dentist doesn't seem keen to put sealants on all my molars, has just been putting them on the ones that develop issues. The thing is (and if I had a nickle for each time I would have two nickels, which is not much but still), A couple of my molars during consecutive dentist visits have developed a "sticky catch" in the groves requiring a cleaning and a filling. Each visit ends with putting a sealant on the affected molar, but at this point I don't know why I don't just get sealants on all of them if it's clear that I still need them. The dentist said they are mostly for kids but obviously I'm an outlier and need them anyway, because this wasn't happening at all before they fell off and I am diligent with brushing and flossing.
I understand if I can't get medical advice here, but I would like to know if this has been heard of and how many would react in this situation.
How do y’all incorporate exercise into your schedule? I have PT stretches I should be doing and I want to start lifting weights but like… I’m exhausted man. Some nights I get home at 7pm but then have to wake up at 5:30am so if i want enough sleep to not feel like crap I have to be asleep by 10. So that’s 3 hours.
Do I just have to suck it up and have my life be work exercise sleep?? I know my energy level will go up the more I work out but it’s more the mental overstimulation of being “on” all day and then barely having time to sit in silence to recover. Plus I’ve been working 5 days a week more often than not lately.
A coworker wakes up at 4am every morning to work out but I’m 37 I’m aware of my strengths and 4am is not one of them.
I just need to suck it up don’t I :(
i plan on being a temp hygienist once i graduate. i’d like work ideally work 4 days a week. has anyone that only temps, or at some point only temped, had trouble finding temp work for more than 25 hours each week?
I temp a lot and these are my thoughts on different softwares. It may or may not be very biased
S tier
A tier
B tier
C tier
F tier
So i worked at an office for about two hrs until i unexpectedly got nauseous and vomited. It was in the bathroom so they didnt see the vomit. Not sure if they thought i was faking it or what. Anyways, I ended up leaving afterwards because i felt awful. Went to the drs and sent the office a drs note within an hr. Later on, I checked my reviews and the office gave me a thumbs down. Im genuinely so frustrated. Especially considering other offices can see this. Obviously I wouldnt have picked up a shift if I knew I was going to have the stomach flu
Last time I went to the dentist, they disconnected part of my lower gums from my teeth. I have not been back since. They were concerned about gum disease and the sensitivity of my gums and teeth, however my teeth were doing alright until after that last visit😭. It has been noticeably deteriorating since. I switched to very soft bristled toothbrushes which has massively helped, but the past couple of weeks my teeth have felt worse, tingling and sort of painful. I have absolutely no idea what healthy gums look like, how bad this is, anything on that account. I brush at least once a day, usually twice. I use colgate bubble fruit toothpaste. I do not floss, I used to use the toothpick like flossers and it made my gums bleed everytime and hurt too much to continue. I am planning to get one of the stringier ones that wind up. None of these had been problems for me until after that last dentist visit. My gums would occasionally bleed when brushing my teeth, but that was because I would brush far too aggressively (a problem which has been fixed). I mean very, very aggressively. Any advice appreciated and welcome.
I’m looking to finally upgrade from a cheap battery-powered toothbrush to a real rechargeable electric one. I’ve read a few “best of” lists, but there are so many models and technologies that I’m not sure what’s actually worth buying.
Background: I brush twice a day, floss inconsistently (working on it), and go to the dentist regularly. No major gum issues, but I do get some staining from coffee and would like a cleaner feeling overall.
Budget: Around $50–$100. Open to spending a bit more if it’s really worth it, but I don’t need a $200+ flagship model.
What I want:
Options I keep seeing:
I keep reading debates about Oral-B (oscillating-rotating round heads) vs Sonicare (sonic vibration, elongated heads). Some people say Oral-B cleans better, others say Sonicare is gentler and quieter. There are also opinions about pressure sensors, timers, smart modes, and whether any of that actually matters.
A few things I’m curious about:
Any recommendations from people who have used electric toothbrushes long-term would be really helpful.
Do i need to shot after cleaning cuz I bled a lot
so, the IPAC/health & safety officer of my office has no background that provides IPAC education in healthcare. she will literally grab gloves (without washing her hands), and then use them to grab things from inside of cabinets and drawers because she is “too lazy to wash” her hands. like. what.
i mean, im aware gloves are not sterile but. why are you grabbing them with unclean hands ?? why is she wearing gloves while setting up a room? how would i have known her gloves weren’t dirty if i didn’t see her put them on??
i tried to correct her on this and she completely brushed it off and acted annoyed with me after. like i’m sorry.. i went to school for three entire years learning this.
anyone else ever experienced this? 🙃🙃
Used the same electric brush forever and honestly can't tell if it made a real difference over a decent manual brush with good technique. Dentist's never flagged anything either way.
Anyone switched from electric back to manual and noticed a real difference at checkups?
I’m really torn and would appreciate honest opinions, especially from current hygienists/students or people who were in a similar situation. I have a BS in science with a 2.82 cumulative GPA. I currently work as a dental assistant, so I know I genuinely enjoy the dental field. Dental hygiene has been my goal for a while, but I’ve struggled with how competitive the programs are and whether my GPA is going to hold me back.
I’ve completed most/all of the typical science prerequisites, but some of my science courses are getting older and I may need to retake certain classes depending on the school’s expiration rules. I’m willing to retake courses and improve my application, but I also don’t want to spend years retaking classes and applying if my chances are realistically very low.
Here’s where I’m stuck: I was recently accepted into a Respiratory Care program, which starts soon and would take about 2 years. RT seems like a solid career and gives me a guaranteed path forward, but my heart is still with dental hygiene. I’m worried that if I choose RT, I’ll always wonder “what if I had just kept trying for hygiene?”
Would it be reasonable to start RT and continue applying or just completely denying my seat for rt. Or would that be waste of money and time😩
For those who had a lower GPA or had to reapply multiple times:
Were you eventually accepted?
Did retaking prerequisites make a meaningful difference?
Would you pursue RT as a backup while continuing to apply?
At what point would you personally stop pursuing hygiene?
I’m not looking for “just follow your heart” advice. I’d genuinely appreciate realistic opinions based on admissions experience. 😭
Hello, my daughter has very good teeth with no cavities but she tends to develop plaque and the teeth are naturally slightly off white. As every teen she is concerned but I am trying to offer her something that she could try. Would you be able to offer some advice please? Many thanks.
SRP done on certain areas/teeth below gum line. Dentist told me to use teepee brush to clean below gum line vertically. Pockets are 6mm+ deep.
The dentist demonstrated this physically one me after the treatment on certain areas/teeth below gum line to show me how it's done. I tried to do it myself tonight and can't seem to do it, and can only do it on the surface and can't put it down below gum line.
How do you guys do it? Is teepee brushes the right tool to use even, cause I'm skeptical even though the dentist demonstrated it on me? What tools do you guys use?
I have been lucky in that I just don’t get cavities despite poor dental hygiene. Like legit I hardly brush and even floss less. I’m going to a dentist soon to get a professional cleaning. But in the mean time, assume I got gingivitis and I have a new commitment to fix my problem. What products would you recommend to combat this aggressively? Or like a special way to attack my gums/teeth. Like dead serious, I’m about to run to the store and buy it. And if you’re curious, I dont have any pain or “problem” teeth.
RDH here. Started temping through Cloud for some extra income. What are y’all’s rating? I’ve temped twice with them: one 5 star and one 4 star. I know it’s only one star less, but wtf is up with that?? I show up exactly on time, worked hard, stayed relatively on schedule (for what I could control), followed protocol, and managed a chaotic day with the world’s shittiest set up. I even got complimented by the doctor. But someone please tell me how in the world that makes sense?? These offices on cloud are just nightmares. I know I’m just comfortable with my current full time setup at my regular office, so going somewhere new will be very uncomfortable. But even before I worked my full time job, the offices I temped at before through and agency and now with Cloud just infection control nightmares. Complete chaos all around. Shitty instruments that are basically like butter knives. How do these offices treat patients properly??
Can someone share their thoughts and their experiences temping? I’m just frustrated with feeling like my license is on the line when I can only do the best with what I have.
I think I’m just annoyed with working so hard, trying to protect my license, and then BOOM, four stars. Wtf. Stupid star rating. I should have never looked!!