Being new, but knowing your worth
The struggles of completing your dental hygiene academic career, passing your boards, and getting your license are real! So real that you may look back and wonder, “How the heck did I do that!?” When you let your overactive brain matter start to relax as you put dental hygiene school in the review, a new stressor takes its place, the real dental world. Many dental hygiene clinicians will agree that academia prepares you for patient …
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Understanding what really protects us in dentistry—it isn’t just our PPE
Our PPE is not the only thing to protect us in dentistry. There are many other defenses and precautions that keep us safe and limit the spread of infection. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light multiple perspectives on the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) in dentistry. Some practitioners believe that we have good enough PPE in dentistry and should be allowed to continue working throughout the pandemic, while others are afraid to return …
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Why I Became a Dental Hygienist (and would again!)
Sometimes it takes something major to cause you to reevaluate every aspect of your life. For all the challenges and disruption the pandemic has brought, it has also forced us to take stock and re-evaluate what is important. For me, it has rekindled and renewed my love for the dental community and helped me re-identify with the reasons I got into dental hygiene in the first place––to care for others and be in community with …
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CDC Updates Its “Guidance for Dental Settings”
Key Points Recognize dental settings have unique characteristics that warrant specific infection control considerations. Prioritize the most critical dental services and provide care in a way that minimizes harm to patients from delaying care and harm to personnel and patients from potential exposure to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Proactively communicate to both personnel and patients the need for them to stay at home if sick. Know the steps to take if a patient with COVID-19 symptoms enters your facility. …
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Managing Stress In The New Dental Normal
Stress is an inevitable part of life, but when we control it, instead of the other way around, we feel better and have better life outcomes. Having seen patients this week and understanding what working in today’s dentist offices requires, I felt compelled to sit down and write to my dental community friends and colleagues who may not be feeling so positive. Did you know that 80% of all the thoughts we have are negative. Yes, you read …
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Adapting to today’s many changes in dental assisting
It’s been more than two months since the American Dental Association (ADA) put forth its recommendations for dentists nationwide to postpone elective procedures as a way to help mitigate the spread of coronavirus. During this time those of us in the dental assisting profession have been faced with significant challenges. Our profession includes clinical and business assistants, dental assisting educators and students, and dental assistants who serve administratively. One benefit that has been apparent throughout this …
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Dentists are sweating under three layers of face protection to get patients back
Dr. Norberto Camacho says he’s drenched in sweat and yearning for oxygen after every shift at his dental practice in Brickell, where the AC is stuck above 72 degrees and staff are adapting to multiple new layers of personal protective equipment. With an 80-year-old grandmother waiting at home and Florida hitting more than 244,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases and more than 4,100 deaths as of Friday, Camacho, 35, is determined to minimize the risk of infection for …
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Here’s How Much Money Dental Assistants Make In Every State
The career of a dental assistant is currently on fire and is poised to continue its fast growth. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) Occupational Outlook Handbook, employment of dental assistants is projected to increase much faster than average, with approximately 38,700 dental assistant jobs being added from 2018 to 2028, an increase of 11%. Currently, there are 346,000 dental assistant jobs. Using occupational data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we’ve analyzed and …
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Are you more than just thirsty? The dangerous impacts of dehydration
The physical environment in the dental office is more taxing than ever. A growing number of health-care professionals are experiencing profound and wide-ranging health complications since returning to the work setting. As of July 23, 2020, 65% of over 3,200 health-care providers back in active practice report dehydration. Out of 65 symptoms, dehydration tops the list as the most reported symptom.1 An increasing number of dental health-care workers are experiencing blackouts while delivering patient care, …
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MYTH BUSTERS for Dental Assistants: Dental Assistants are not oral health-care professionals and our opinions do not matter…
Wrong! Tija Hunter, CDA, EFDA, believes dental assistants should all receive mandatory training for infection control. She feels this would help them gain some of the respect that traditionally lacks toward the profession. What do you mean we aren’t professionals and our opinions do not matter? This is not just wrong, but whoa, this could not be further from the truth! Have you ever been made to feel like the black sheep of your dental office? In many …
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UPDATE: Dental Assistants Bureau of Labor and Statistics
Quick Facts: Dental Assistants 2019 Median Pay $40,080 per year$19.27 per hour Typical Entry-Level Education Postsecondary nondegree award Work Experience in a Related Occupation None On-the-job Training None Number of Jobs, 2018 346,000 Job Outlook, 2018-28 11% (Much faster than average) Employment Change, 2018-28 38,700 What Dental Assistants Do Dental assistants provide patient care, take x rays, keep records, and schedule appointments. Work Environment Almost all dental assistants work in dentists’ offices. Most work full …
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Conquering a Difficult Case
INTRODUCTION: WHERE TO START? This is one of the most challenging questions when encountering a difficult case. Patients may enter our office hoping to fix an aesthetic problem when their dental issues require far more attention than veneers or crowns alone. Every case truly begins as a “fact finding mission.” We must ask, “How did this patient get into this dental situation?” and evolve into, “Where do we want to go from here?” As dentists, we …
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CDC Releases New Guidance for Dental Care During COVID-19
The anticipation seemed to be over when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released its long-awaited guidelines for dental settings in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the CDC has set up a framework for dental healthcare providers, it is encouraged to consult state dental boards and state health departments to stay current on local requirements. These will vary due to the different rates of infection throughout the country. The risk associated with …
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4 Reasons to be Grateful for Dental Assistants
November brings with it the opportunity to reflect on the many reasons to appreciate dental assistants, as well as all of the ways they contribute to the dental office. In fact, dental assistants’ colleagues agree that assistants positively impact the practice, according to research commissioned by the DALE Foundation, the affiliate of the Dental Assisting National Board. The DALE Foundation’s “Value of Dental Assistants to the Dental Practice” research, which drew insights from nearly 3,000 dentists, dental …
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