Where do I Start when Learning How to Clean my Ortho...

With all the new hardware in your mouth, you have likely noticed that there are many places for food and plaque to get caught. Cleaning your teeth will now take more than a toothbrush to clean around the orthodontic brackets and wires.
With all the new hardware in your mouth, you have likely noticed that there are many places for food and plaque to get caught. Cleaning your teeth will now take more than a toothbrush to clean around the orthodontic brackets and wires. This makes it even more important to use the home care products that are meant to clean around all those new nooks and crannies.   Here is a List of Products to get you started around your new...
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Interdental Cleaning Methods in Comparison

This study aims to compare the effect, measured as gingival inflammation, bleeding-on-probing, plaque, and pocket depth, between different interdental cleaning regimes. The regimes included are flossing, powered flossing, toothpicks, toothpicks and intensive oral hygiene instructions, water jet irrigation devices, interdental brushes, gum massaging devices, toothbrush only (controls), powered toothbrush (controls), powered toothbrush and waterjet.

A network meta-analysis of interproximal oral hygiene methods in the reduction of clinical indices of inflammation.  Kotsakis GA et al.  This study aims to compare the effect, measured as gingival inflammation, bleeding-on-probing, plaque, and pocket depth, between different interdental cleaning regimes. The regimes included are flossing, powered flossing, toothpicks, toothpicks and intensive oral hygiene instructions, water jet irrigation devices, interdental brushes, gum massaging devices, toothbrush only (controls), powered toothbrush (controls), powered toothbrush and waterjet.  Network meta-analysis is the method chosen...
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Patient-Centered Care

I had a recent discussion with a dentist about building trusting relationships in your practice by ensuring we’re recommending the best for our patients. This means offering the best care, using the best materials, and recommending the best products that are tailored to treat a patient’s unique needs.
            I had a recent discussion with a dentist about building trusting relationships in your practice by ensuring we’re recommending the best for our patients. This means offering the best care, using the best materials, and recommending the best products that are tailored to treat a patient’s unique needs. I then happened to read an article referring to this same concept. Both my discussion and the article similarly concluded that individualized care elevates a patient’s...
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Success or Survival?

Dental implants have become a part of everyday dentistry within the U.S. placing upwards of 1 million implants a year. The ability to give patients a viable option for missing teeth is incredible. However, we as clinicians need to make sure that the procedure is going to yield a positive outcome with long-term success.
Dental implants have become a part of everyday dentistry within the U.S. placing upwards of 1 million implants a year.  The ability to give patients a viable option for missing teeth is incredible.  However, we as clinicians need to make sure that the procedure is going to yield a positive outcome with long-term success.  Unfortunately, many dental implants are merely surviving and not considered fully successful.  Oftentimes we read studies that will say something like, “these implants have a survival...
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The Tongue Test

The tongue may be difficult to work around for a hygienist, but it can be a great asset to help patients improve their brushing skills.
Oh the tongue! The nemesis to all dental hygienists. I have spent most of my clinical career battling the most curious, and in my opinion, strongest muscle in the body. Patients are not even aware that their tongue is trying to push me away or trying to feel where my instrument is. The tongue may be difficult to work around but it can be a great asset to help patients improve their brushing skills.  I know that I am a...
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