Brooke Sergent, RDH, BS
Brooke Sergent, RDH, BS, obtained an Associate of Science degree from Southeast Community College in Whitesburg, KY, in 2002. While obtaining this degree, she took an elective course that allowed her to job shadow her mentor, a Registered Dental Hygienist at a local dental office. It was here her passion was confirmed for dental hygiene. In 2004, she graduated cum laude from Big Sandy Community and Technical College Dental Hygiene program in Prestonsburg, KY. Brooke was also the recipient of the 2004 Colgate S.T.A.R. award.
Immediately following graduation and obtaining licensure, Brooke began her clinical dental hygiene career. In 2005, she moved to East Tennessee and earned her Bachelor of Science from Tennessee Tech University based in Cookeville, TN. After years of clinical hygiene, Brooke felt the need to connect in other ways to those in her profession. She became a Colgate Oral Health Advisor and served on the Colgate Oral Health Advisor Board in Piscataway, NJ, in 2013. In 2014, she organized a Colgate Bright Smiles Bright Future Event for her local elementary school.
Brooke is approaching her 14th year of dental hygiene. She resides in Telford, TN, with her husband and twin sons.
Tooth Regeneration Therapy: Regrowing Teeth May Soon Be Possible
Working in a rural dental office, it’s common to see extractions on the daily schedule. The few oral surgeons in our area seem to be busting at the seams. Obtaining an appointment seems to be becoming more challenging, further solidifying the volume of extractions.
While my office certainly discourages extractions when the tooth is restorable, financially, it seems to be...
Fun Teeth Facts of Different Animals, Including Slugs!
Most dental professionals, if not all, find themselves gravitating towards any and all things dental. It's second nature, and we cannot mask it. Whether it's tooth-adorned apparel, custom dental license plates, or just merely seeing teeth when we look at random objects. Teeth are a major part of our lives in and out of our careers.
What if we discussed...
Instrument Sharpening by the RDH: The How and Why
I can almost vouch with utmost certainty that one of the most exhilarating events for a dental hygienist is receiving and opening brand-new instruments. The sheer knowledge of knowing that new instruments pack a sharp edge is sure to have every hygienist playing favoritism among the instruments in their stash − at least until the edges become dull.
While sharp...
Halloween: A Sweet Balance of Dental Health and Celebration
'Tis the season of football, cooler temperatures, sweaters, pumpkins, and exquisite leaf foliage. While summer is my jam, I do love the beauty and excitement the fall season brings. Let's not forget that October is National Dental Hygiene Month. My hat goes off to each of you. October also brings a season of spooks and Halloween.
As a child, I...
A Dental Hygienist’s Heart: The Depth of Patient-Hygienist Relationships
When I write a dental article, it is usually full of research and nerdy information that I find myself geeking out as I dive into the facts. However, I come to you today on a more somber note. Do me a favor: Take a break right now as you read this, and allow yourself to breathe. Maybe what I...
The History of Orthodontics From Ancient Egyptians to Modern Times
If you walk into any school in the United States, chances are you will be greeted by children in orthodontics. While I was fortunate to have orthodontic treatment in my teenage years, it was a rarity for children in my school to have orthodontics. However, now it’s almost an accessory. The curiosity of how we got here led me...
What Is the Correct Sequence of Brushing and Flossing?
Perhaps one of the oldest dental questions to date could quite possibly be one of the simplest tasks of all, and yet, it is still debated among dental professionals alike. While the importance lies within the actual implementation and technique, we still find ourselves contemplating the proper sequence of interdental cleaning and brushing.
Firstly, shall we state the obvious? Brushing...
Tori and Exostoses: A Hygienists’ Review and Removal Methods
I recently stumbled across a video of a young female showcasing her "weird" abnormality that she thought was very peculiar. It was so peculiar that she went as far as to state that maybe she absorbed a twin in utero. Naturally, whenever I see or hear the words mouth, teeth, or dental, my ears perk up, and I usually...
Saliva: How a Seemingly Unimpressive Fluid Aids in Oral Health and Diagnostics
Saliva seems unimpressive to many. Those who do not bother to look further than the lubrication it offers to the oral cavity may fail to realize the potential this resource can provide. As technology and knowledge progress, professionals are beginning to understand how essential this clear fluid can be to overall health.
Those outside of the dental profession, and perhaps...
A Hygienists’ Overview of Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Inspire Upper Airway Stimulation Therapy
Many people do not make the correlation between sleep apnea and dentistry, and it is overlooked or goes unmentioned in the dental setting. However, I like to look outside the box and focus on any medical factors my career can and does encompass. Due to the frequency that dental professionals essentially stare down patients’ throats, I find the path...
Human Sex Trafficking: Who’s in Your Dental Chair?
How well do you know the patient sitting in your chair? Have you ever taken the time to assess what story their behavior, appearance, and oral health may be telling, or have you gotten caught in the monotony of simply performing the scheduled procedures on your schedule?
How shocked would you be to learn that your patient was a victim...
How I Beat the Dental Blues by Remembering Why I Started
Like most typical teenagers, I toyed with many ideas throughout my high school career. Initially, I wanted to be an architect. After a brief job shadow with a local architect, I quickly realized the electric eraser was the only thing appealing to me about that job.
Then, I moved on to nursing around the same time my grandfather’s health deteriorated...
Teeth Stress Lines: How Teeth Are Archives of Our Past
Researchers have been utilizing tree rings for years to determine a tree's age and the environmental factors that influence the development of a tree. In school, you may possibly recall learning this information yourself.
However, did you know human teeth also have "rings" similar to trees? Researchers are now concluding that these markings can be used to determine what types...
A Dental Hygienists’ Overview of Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) Replacement
Total joint replacements are surgical procedures that replace a damaged or arthritic joint with a prosthetic joint. This procedure is common knowledge among the public and, most certainly, among dental professionals. According to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, the hip and knee are among the most commonly replaced joints.1 While not as common, other joints such as the...
Is Smokeless Tobacco Safer than Cigarettes?
As if cigarettes aren't enough of a battle, there is also smokeless tobacco (SLT) that plagues the population. The smokeless tobacco industry sold a whopping $4.98 billion in 2022, which only validates the seriousness of the addiction in the United States.1
It appears that people choose this method because it is slightly more discreet and is not accompanied by...
The Dental Professional’s Vital Role in Identifying Primary Immunodeficiencies
A dental patient recently expressed frustration and concern about her son during her hygiene appointment with me. Her son is not a patient of mine as he seeks care elsewhere due to several medical factors. She explained that his ongoing throat soreness with white ulcerations has been cultured, showing Streptococcus mitis, Streptococcus oralis, and occasionally methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
Little...
Deafening Truth: Without Ear Protection, Hearing Loss Plagues Dental Professionals
Dental professionals have always been masters of personal protection equipment (PPE). Despite being covered from head to toe in gowns, gloves, masks, head coverings, and loupes, many still fail to equip themselves with a vital piece of PPE – earplugs.
When noise levels are taken into consideration, it is often in environments where loud sounds are prominent, such as factories,...
The Unofficial Guide to National Children’s Dental Health Month
February is National Children's Dental Health Month, and if you are like me, you scour the internet for presentation ideas as you prepare to reach out to the youth in your area. For years, I have been going to the local elementary school to give a presentation to at least one grade level. Over the years, I have accumulated...
Are Cigarettes More Addictive Today? A Comparison of Cigarettes Now and Then
A patient spoke to me about her efforts in tobacco cessation. She had recently stopped smoking for the second time in her life, but not without much exertion. As she detailed her battle, she mentioned her second round with cigarettes was much more difficult to end than her first.
As I probed her for more information, she stated that when...
Chewing into Nutrition: Foods that Help Promote a Healthier Oral Biome
Details about the foods dental patients eat seem to be a natural conversation for dental hygienists to initiate in the pursuit of a healthier oral cavity. I am sure I have given that same spiel hundreds of times to patients and their caregivers. In fact, I am guilty of sharing nutritional information with friends and family when I overhear...