dental hygiene

Ethics videobites

March 28, 2012 By Trish Walraven 2 Comments

Today’s video from “The DEZiree Show,” produced by DentalEZ, like most dental humor, is almost there:

So you watch this clip, then you wonder, how many hygienists in job-saturated markets don’t even have the luxury of being able to wrestle with these sorts of ethical dilemmas? They’re just happy to have an income. And if you don’t want to work faster than you should, there’s the door, honey. We’ve got five more hygienists waiting for your position when you leave.

If you must ever make a decision to follow your halo out of a practice like that, remember, there are also dentists who would rather have ethical hygienists than ones who will do whatever they’re told to do regardless of whether or not it’s best for patients.

Just please, promise yourself, you will never, NEVER, consider taking a personal day to go watch a movie, especially NOT the upcoming Twilight one, like DEZiree is pretending to skip out for. Eyes will roll as your credibility sinks beyond all hope.

And a shirtless Robert Pattinson is just one of those things you can’t unsee.

Dream patient of the week

January 24, 2012 By Eva Watson 4 Comments

Remember that oath we took at graduation? I remember that oath. I swore, along with my classmates, that I would carry out the very best dental care to any and all patients who sat in my operatory chair; regardless of gender, race, or socioeconomic status, I promised to give everyone the best treatment I could.

I also remember wanting to hurl myself into the bathroom. The speech I had to give moments before gave me nervous diarrhea really bad.

We have our clinical side. Then we have our human side. The clinical side is a given: do what we were trained to do. My human side? A bit more personal. I tend to muse about extra-special people that I would give anything to have in my chair. Anything. Just once. And it’s because of their gender, race, SES, political ideology, etc., that I must perform my titillating hygiene duties on them.

We all have our idiosyncrasies. My OCD compels me to share mine. Hee-heeee!

Dream Patient of the Week: Steven Colbert

Mr. Colbert, if there’s any chance you accidentally enter this site while surfing the internets for plaque-disrupting inspiration, I would like you to know that I love you. Every American-y, flag-waving inch of you. I adore you. Are you tall? I like tall. You appear taller than John Stewart. I also like suits. You wear a lot of suits. I like that. And I’m not crazy. My husband tolerates me just fine. He’s just playing Skyrim again.

I love your smile. I love the way you single me out and point that finger at me when you’re in my television. I love your ties, your glasses, and your opening-credit eagle that swoops into my face and shrieks hello. That eagle looks like it’s gonna fly right into me. Here it comes– wheeeee! I like that eagle.

I will also state the obvious: I love your teeth.

Let me see those patriotic beauties- oh! There they are. I don’t care how much calculus is on them. I love every one of your teeth equally. If you had the blackest, most tenacious chunks of bad boy tartar stuck to every inch of enamel in your mouth, I would still love you. That’s not strange, Mr. Colbert. That’s dedication. All I ask is for the chance to have you lay waaaay back on my USA-made operatory dental chair while I give you such a stone-cold, subgingival scaling it will flip your cyclopean Super PAC, baby.

And, after I gently marinate your inflamed gums with a superfreaky course of chlorhexidine gluconate, I would like to hold your hands and teach you how to floss… properly. That’s right.

In closing, I would appreciate an opportunity to express my respect and admiration of your brain… because it’s silly. You have a silly brain.

Italian hygienist career opportunity?

February 6, 2011 By Eva Watson 3 Comments

by Eva Watson

Bored with Dental Hygiene?

Enter an exciting, new career as an International Companion!

Hello and welcome! My name is Sophia Arrapato and I am the founder and CEO of ‘Italiano Scortares’, a Trans global company dedicated to servicing the needs of our exclusive clientele.

As a previous dental hygienist, I have treated many patients for over twenty years. After my 18^th year of removing plaque and calculus, I eagerly wanted to pursue a new career as an entrepreneur, specializing in carnal pleasure. It only took less than twenty-four hours to say to myself, “Ho, scoperto! Sesso!”

It took intense market research and interviewing countless women, but I officially opened my doors in 2010 and business has been booming!

You will be known as an International Companion for Italiano Scortares, and as such will have the best plastic surgeons at your disposal, an endless array of erotic dancing apparel, and, after completing six weeks of intense training, you will be awarded with your very own Little Black Book. As the CEO of Italiano Scortares, I will screen all prospective clients prior to assignment; I insist on the enduring scruples and respectability I have incorporated into my empire.

As a new employee, you will have the honor of training under Nicole Minetti, an Italian dental hygienist, esteemed lap-dancer, and long-time political advisor to Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. Her experience is vast and hilariously adulterated, so I ask you pay close attention to Ms. Minetti’s teachings and advice. She will guide you through your career and enhance your presence and clientele list here with Italiano Scortares.

I thank you for visiting our website and hope to meet with you soon. Make sure to floss daily!

Questo è amore!

Click on the images and links above to see why dentistry was dragged into this whole sordid saga.

Hygiene For Realz or corporate hijacking?

November 4, 2010 By Trish Walraven 3 Comments

Yes, she’s got a dental supply company backing her, and yes, she’s a little green and looks like she’s trying hard to be obnoxious (which she obviously isn’t), but there’s something about DESIree that is utterly fascinating.

Yesterday brought the unveiling of The DEZIree Show, a “just between us” video blog for dental hygienists. Will she be engaging, relevant, and positively bloom in her fun weekly rants so that her viewers want to share her messages and spirit? Or will this be a failed publicity experiment that a corporation is trying in order to find their place in the social media order?

Currently it could go either way. But you should totally root for DEZIree because she seems worth five minutes of your time per week.

Texas Hygienists can use lasers – pew pew!

April 18, 2010 By Trish Walraven 2 Comments

periolaser

Just so we have this straight: lasers are okay, but needles? Not so much. Texas is a bit behind the times regarding local anesthesia. But the great news is that their state board just recently issued a statement that affirms the legality of laser use by formally trained hygienists for treating periodontal disease that is not responding to traditional therapy. Here it is in the Board’s own words:

Texas State Board of Dental Examiners’ Position Statement on the Use of Lasers by Dental Hygienists

The Texas State Board of Dental Examiners is aware that lasers can be used to replace or supplement traditional dental instruments such as handpieces, scalpels, curing lights, and the explorer.

It is the position of the Board that licensed dental hygienists may use lasers that are not capable of cutting or removing hard tissue, soft tissue, or tooth structure to perform clinical tasks that are otherwise within the hygienist’s scope of practice. Dental hygienists must perform intraoral procedures involving a laser under the general supervision of a licensed dentist.**

Whenever a new treatment modality is brought forward, it is the Board’s policy that the licensee must have proficiency and training in the use of the technology for the procedure performed. Licensees utilizing new technology must maintain documentation of the satisfactory completion of formal continuing education or training using the technology for the procedures performed. The particular technology utilized performing any particular clinical task does not alter the requirement that a dentist is ultimately responsible for any procedure delegated to an auxiliary and the auxiliary performing the procedure remains responsible for performing the task within the standard of care.

** “General supervision” means that the dentist employs or is in charge of the dental hygienist and is responsible for supervising the services performed by the dental hygienist. The dentist may or may not be present on the premises when the dental hygienist performs the procedures.

DBSmile