Amanda Hill

Nov 21, 2024 | dentistryiq.com | Amanda Hill

If you ask around the dental community, it seems like everyone is looking for a dental hygienist. Yet if you ask dental hygienists, you’ll find many of them aren’t looking for regular employment and are turning to temping. What is the lure? FlexibilityI have often called hygiene the flexible-inflexible job. The flexibility in setting your workdays is great. There were times in my career when I worked one day a week and others full time. But once you commit to a schedule, you are stuck.

Oct 15, 2024 | dentistryiq.com | Amanda Hill

We’ve heard the commercial about a little pink in the sink telling patients that it’s a sign of gingivitis. It is, yet it’s also easy to ignore the pink, even for clinicians. Often, we minimize or overlook bleeding at a patient’s preventive maintenance appointment. Whether it is bleeding upon probing or that gush of delayed bleeding while scaling, it needs our attention. Why bleeding mattersGingival bleeding is the objective clinical sign we typically use to determine if inflammation is present.

Aug 23, 2024 | dentistryiq.com | Amanda Hill

Aug 8, 2024 | dentistryiq.com | Amanda Hill

When you go in for your periodic dental exam, do you know the qualifications of your clinician? Are you seeing a dental hygienist, a dentist, or an assistant for your cleaning? And what's the difference between the three? Many offices are struggling to find the staff they need-including a qualified registered dental hygienist (RDH). 49.7% of dentists responding report they have taken on more hygienist, assistant, or admin duties in the past few years.

Jul 3, 2024 | dentistryiq.com | Amanda Hill

Two studies that were recently published in reputable journals have caused dental professionals to question their protocols. While we should always be open to new and emerging science, it’s important not to let sensationalized headlines or a research paper conclusion be your new gospel before jumping on the latest bandwagon. Although I slept through much of my research methods in college, I now recognize the importance of those classes—especially in today's clickbait-filled world.