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Hygiene Insights

@hygiene_insights

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Dental education from Jessica Atkinson and Shelley Brown with an educator emphasis. All are welcome!

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Accessing small calculus deposits in narrow anterior pockets can be challenging.
The O’Hehir New Millennium™ 1–2 Extended Reach from @pdtdental is designed specifically for anterior teeth, featuring a small scoop blade with a 270° cutting edge. This shape allows clinicians to adapt precisely to narrow pockets and execute controlled pull or even push strokes to effectively remove deposits.
Key advantages for anterior instrumentation:
Extended reach for deep, narrow sulci

Multi-directional scaling: pull, push, repeat to access all angles

Rounded back reduces tissue trauma during subgingival insertion

Lightweight, ergonomic handle enhances tactile sensitivity and reduces fatigue

Using this specialized curette allows for precision debridement in areas traditional curettes or files may miss, improving overall periodontal outcomes in anterior sites.
#DentalHygienist #Periodontology #OHehirCurette #PDTInstruments #AnteriorInstrumentation #NarrowPocketAccess #SubgingivalDebridement #AdvancedInstrumentation #ClinicalHygiene #DentalHygieneEducation #RDHLife #OralHealthProfessionals by @hygiene_insights

JoAnn Gurenlian returns to explore two essential parts of the dental hygiene process of care: evaluation and documentation. What may feel like routine clinical responsibilities can have a lasting impact on patient safety, continuity of care, professional accountability, and risk management.

Jessica, Dave, and JoAnn discuss how thoughtful evaluation and accurate documentation can strengthen clinical decision-making, support treatment modifications, and help dental hygienists deliver high-quality, patient-centered care.

Listen to the full episode at the link in bio ➡️🔗

#atoth
#podcast
#dentalhygienist
#dentalhygiene
#documentation by @hygiene_insights

🪨 Tired of feeling like program assessment is a boulder you keep pushing uphill?

Dental hygiene educators and program directors! Join us for From Boulder to Blueprint: Program Assessment That Actually Matters 🎓

In this one-hour webinar, learn how to:
✅ Navigate CODA assessment requirements
✅ Build a meaningful program assessment plan
✅ Turn data into actionable improvements
✅ Close the loop to support student learning

📅 November 16, 2026
💻 Live on Zoom

Let’s make program assessment more practical, meaningful, and manageable! With speaker @brenda.rdh

🔗 Register on our website (link in bio)

#DentalHygieneEducation #DentalHygieneEducator #CODA #DentalHygiene by @hygiene_insights

⚠️ Not everything that looks like biofilm should be removed!

Early demineralized enamel and exposed dentin can be vulnerable to damage from power instrumentation. Instrumentation may remove weakened tooth structure, further compromise the surface, and increase dentinal sensitivity (Paramashivaiah & Prabhuji, 2013; Arabaci et al., 2007).

🦷 If you do see an area like this:

🔹 Assess first: Use BlueCheck to help evaluate suspicious areas for demineralization.
🔹 Preserve tooth structure: Avoid unnecessary instrumentation on vulnerable surfaces.
🔹 Support remineralization: Consider P11-4 self-assembling peptides when clinically indicated.

#dentalhygiene #rdh by @hygiene_insights

In this episode of A Tale of Two Hygienists, Jessica and Dave explore what happens after assessment and diagnosis: turning clinical findings into meaningful, individualized care. Karen Palleschi and Jennifer Pieren discuss how dental hygienists can use critical thinking, clinical judgment, and the ADHA Standards of Care to create person-centered plans that reflect each patient’s needs, values, risks, and goals.

Check out the full episode now➡️🔗 link in bio!

#atoth
#podcast
#dentalhygienist
#diagnosis by @hygiene_insights

Assessment and diagnosis are at the heart of patient-centered dental hygiene care. In this episode of A Tale of Two Hygienists, Jessica and Dave are joined by JoAnn Gurenlian, Ann Eshenaur Spolarich, and Darlene Swigart to explore how dental hygienists can move beyond simply collecting patient data to interpreting findings, developing accurate dental hygiene diagnoses, and making informed clinical decisions.

The conversation examines the critical-thinking skills needed to connect assessment findings to treatment planning, documentation, and improved patient outcomes while also considering the future of dental hygiene diagnosis and professional autonomy.

Check out the full episode at the link in bio ➡️🔗

#atoth
#podcast
#dentalhygienist
#treatmentplanning by @hygiene_insights

🦷 Is your implant maintenance protocol due for a revision?

Join us and the G.O.A.T., Susan Wingrove on October 19, 2026, @6:30 MST for Implant Assessment, Maintenance, Home-Care & Disease Treatment for Educators.

Explore evidence-based protocols, peri-implant disease management, and the latest research to bring into your classroom and clinic!

📚 Featuring Susan’s new textbook, Peri-Implant Therapy for the Dental Hygienist, 2nd Edition.

🔗 Register through the link in bio!

#DentalHygieneEducation #DentalImplants #periimplanttherapy by @hygiene_insights

🦷 Dental Hygiene Educators, this one’s for you!

Join Susan Wingrove for Implant Assessment, Maintenance, Home-Care & Disease Treatment for Educators on October 19, 2026!

Learn evidence-based strategies for preventing peri-implant disease, recognizing early complications, implementing maintenance protocols, and bringing the latest research into your curriculum.

📚 Featuring Susan’s new textbook, Peri-Implant Therapy for the Dental Hygienist: 2nd Edition!

🔗 Register today via the link in bio

#DentalHygieneEducation #DentalImplants #PeriImplantTherapy #DentalHygienist by @hygiene_insights

🦷 You don’t always have to do things in the exact order you learned them.

One of the most important parts of developing clinical judgment is recognizing when you need to pause, reassess, and change your approach.

If you can’t visibly see the teeth and tissues because of heavy plaque or debris, you may not be able to accurately assess inflammation, tissue conditions, or other clinical findings.

So what can you do?

👉 Have the patient brush and demonstrate their normal brushing technique.
👉 Let them complete the brushing themselves while you observe.
👉 If appropriate, consider polishing with prophy paste first so you can remove enough debris to actually visualize the teeth and tissues.
👉 Then reassess what you see and use that information to guide your diagnosis and treatment plan.

The goal isn’t to blindly follow Step 1 → Step 2 → Step 3.

The goal is to ask:

“What does my patient need right now for me to gather the information I need to make a good clinical decision?”

Clinical protocols provide a framework, but clinical judgment tells you when you need to adapt that framework.

Students sometimes feel like doing something “out of order” means they’re doing it wrong. In reality, recognizing why you need to change the sequence can be evidence of developing clinical judgment.

Don’t just follow the steps. Learn to understand the WHY behind the steps. 🧠🦷

#DentalHygieneEducation #ClinicalJudgment #DentalHygieneStudents #DentalHygiene by @hygiene_insights

🦷 Helping future dental hygienists feel confident caring for patients with implants! (link in bio)

📅 October 19, 2026
⏰ 5:30 PM Pacific | 6:30 PM Mountain | 7:30 PM Central | 8:30 PM Eastern

We’re excited to welcome Susan Wingrove for a one-hour educational session focused on peri-implant therapy and implant maintenance for the dental hygienist.

As educators, it’s so important that we prepare our students to recognize the early signs of peri-implant complications and understand how their role can help prevent disease and support long-term implant success.

Susan will cover:

✨ Current research on prevention of peri-implant disease
✨ Early intervention guidelines
✨ Professional in-office implant maintenance and treatment
✨ Evidence-based home-care recommendations
✨ Strategies hygienists can use to educate and support patients with implants

The course will follow Susan’s new textbook, Peri-Implant Therapy for the Dental Hygienist: 2nd Edition, along with the accompanying textbook and website resources provided by the American Academy of Dental Hygiene.

This is a great opportunity to strengthen our implant maintenance curriculum and give our students the knowledge and confidence they need to provide evidence-based care for the growing number of patients with dental implants.

🦷 Better education for our students = better implant care for our patients.

#DentalHygiene #DentalHygienist #PeriImplantTherapy #DentalEducation by @hygiene_insights

Predicta® Bioactive Desensitizer works through calcium and phosphate ion release, supporting hydroxyapatite formation that occludes dentinal tubules and builds a mineralized protective layer over exposed dentin. This biologic response helps reduce fluid movement within tubules, the primary mechanism behind dentinal hypersensitivity.
Clinical evidence supports its performance. In a randomized double-blind controlled trial, Predicta® demonstrated a significant reduction in the intensity of tooth sensitivity from 1 to 48 hours following in-office bleaching, while showing no compromise in whitening efficacy or overall bleaching outcomes (Maghaireh et al., 2026). Importantly, while it did not eliminate immediate post-operative sensitivity, it contributed to a measurable reduction in discomfort during the critical recovery window.
Indications include hypersensitivity from gingival recession, abrasion, erosion, periodontal disease, post-scaling and root planing, bleaching-related sensitivity, and pre-restorative dentin management. The material is delivered as a premixed gel with no mixing required and applied chairside using an applicator brush for efficient clinical use.
A biologically driven approach to dentin sensitivity, focused on sealing, mineralization, and patient comfort beyond the appointment.
Reference:
Maghaireh, G. A., et al. (2026). Effects of a bioactive desensitizing material on in-office bleaching-induced tooth sensitivity: A randomized double-blind controlled trial. Journal of Dentistry. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdent.2025.106326
#ad #DentinalHypersensitivity #Predicta #DentalHygieneEducation
📚 Dental hygiene educators: Join us for our complimentary Educators Methodology Event on Monday, September 14!
🕠 5:30 PM PT
🕡 6:30 PM MT
🕢 7:30 PM CT
🕣 8:30 PM ET
See the link in our bio to register.
A special thank you to @parkell_inc for sponsoring this educational event by @hygiene_insights

New DuraTips from @parkell_inc ! 🦷✨

These Right & Left Perio Slim inserts have different angles designed to improve access and adaptation around challenging posterior anatomy, including furcations and root concavities.

You’ll notice the different angles can help you adapt to the tooth while reducing the risk of damaging root surfaces. I also love the matte finish, which helps reduce glare, and the improved visibility of the tip while you’re working.

And you can easily tell them apart: Right = red 🔴 | Left = lime green 🟢

Sometimes a small change in tip design can make a BIG difference in your instrumentation.

Which one are you reaching for first? 👀

#DentalHygiene #UltrasonicScaling #DuraTip #NotSponsored (image of the geometry is from Paschke Ultrasonix. LLC) by @hygiene_insights