Melissa Turner, BASDH, RDH, EFDA
MELISSA TURNER, BASDH, RDH, EFDA, has practiced clinically across the country and is a valued thought leader and dental advisor. She is executive moderator of the Dental Peeps Network and has vast experience providing direct services as a mobile clinician. She launched I Heart Mobile Dentistry, a Facebook support group for clinicians practicing mobile dentistry, and is co-founder of the first annual National Mobile Dentistry Conference on February 28-29, 2020 in Orlando, Florida. Melissa can be reached at MelissaTurnerLLC [at] gmail.com.
A Visit to a Mobile Dental Clinic Manufacturer
Many of my endeavors are for educating and advocating for the utilization of the mobile dentistry delivery model. Consequently, I was very excited when I received an invitation to tour ADI Mobile Health, a manufacturer of mobile health-care clinics.
Located in Tualatin, Oregon, ADI is a family-owned business and has been operating for over 27 years. The patriarch, Tim Kitch,...
A Hygienist’s 10-year Anniversary: Discouraged to Delighted
To some, ten years seems like a lifetime. To others, it goes by in the blink of an eye. As I come upon my 10-year anniversary as a registered dental hygienist, I’ve found myself in deep, almost solemn reflection. What have I accomplished? Am I happy? Am I thankful for this career? What are my professional goals?
It’s easy to...
Discover Your Calling at the National Mobile Dentistry Conference
You have worked incredibly hard to get where you are as a dental hygienist, investing time and money into your degree, keeping current on professional development, and providing first-rate care within the four walls of a dental practice.
How satisfied are you?
If you don’t have complete fulfillment in your present role as a dental hygienist, what is leaving you unsatisfied?...
License Portability for the Dental Hygienist: The Struggle is Real
When I celebrated my fifth year as a licensed dental hygienist, I had already practiced clinically in four different states. At one point, I was maintaining four active hygiene licenses, which included paying four different renewal fees, juggling four different continuing education requirements, and keeping current on rules and regulations from four different dental boards.
Some of you may be...
My Plight with Opioids and What Other Hygienists Can Learn
Last week was an adventurous one, at best. One day I woke up with a stiff neck. Typical, nothing fancy, nothing unusual. But it wasn’t long before it quickly escalated into a seizing, debilitating neck spasm that had me down and out for days. Unlike anything I ever had experienced before, this spasm sent shocks through my body each...
#LoveInTheWorkplace – Join the Movement!
When was the last time you let yourself love others at work? I mean really, truly love. I mean the kind of love that songs are written about and we reserve mainly for our children and spouse? The kind of self-sacrificing, laborious love that takes effort? The kind that we stand-in-awe of and bend over backward for?
Come up empty?...
New Year, New You Part 3: Highlighting Karen Webster and Tri City Health Partnership
Typically, by this time each year the novelty of a brand-new year has worn off, and we find ourselves well on our way back into the daily humdrum of this thing that we call life. As dental hygienists, this means beginning another cycle of six-month recalls—seeing our favorite and not-so-favorite patients, scrubbing down our ops every hour, and trying...
New Year, New You Part 2: Highlighting Angela Craig and the Non-profit D-DENT
We are now well into 2019… how are those New Year resolutions holding up? Are you still going strong? Or have you given up hope? Just remember, it doesn’t have to be a new year for you to better yourself! But don’t improve just your personal life—remember to think about ways to improve your professional life as well.
In Part...
New Year, New You: A Resolution for Dental Hygienists
Once again, another new year is upon us! For some of the lucky ones, a new year is a time of hope, inspiration, and maybe even change! For others, perhaps more “seasoned” life veterans, a new year is simply a reminder of the many unkept New Year’s resolutions that have vanished somewhere amidst the short, dark days of January.
For...
A New Era of Temping for the Dental Hygienist
Flexible schedules. Independence. Zero benefits. What do all these have in common? The answer: temping!
Whether you consider temping to be a regular part of your career—or whether you’ve sworn it off completely— you should know that in the last decade dental hygienists who’ve made the choice to temp have gone from being an uncommon occurrence to becoming a popular...
Dental Hygienists, Downtime, and Scrubbing Toilets
For many dental hygienists, downtime in your clinical schedule is a bittersweet concept—too much of it and you risk a cut in hours, too little of it and you balance precariously on the edge of exhaustion. Between patients canceling at the last minute, the inevitable “forgotten” dental appointment, and the natural ebb and flow of slow and busy seasons,...
5 Myths About Independent Dental Hygiene Practice
Independence. From the time a baby takes those first, wobbly, independent steps, to nations fighting wars over freedom and independence, the “i” word frequently invokes both positive and negative heightened emotional responses from us.
Even so with dentistry! For instance, what comes to mind when you hear the phrase independent contractor or independent hygienist? Confusion? Pride? Happiness? Even anger? These...
5 MORE Non-Traditional Career Opportunities for Dental Hygienists
Are you burned out from working traditional, clinical dental hygiene day in and day out? Let’s be real, full-time clinical hygiene is hard on the body, mind, and soul! Even though dental hygienists love the satisfaction of a perfectly scaled tooth and enjoy interacting with patients, clinical practice takes a toll on our entire being.
When was the last time...
5 Non-Traditional Career Opportunities for Dental Hygienists
Let’s face it, as dental hygienists we love what we do! But scaling teeth day in and day out, week after week, can get pretty old, pretty fast for some. Thankfully, the dental hygiene profession has reached a pivotal moment where there are now countless non-traditional career opportunities both in and out of the clinical setting. More than ever...
Dental Hygienists & The Future of the Virtual Dental World
Join us as we conclude our series, Social Media for the Dental Professional. In Part 1, we discussed social media dos and don’ts. In Part 2, we explored ways to use it to advance your career. Here, we conclude our dialogue as we consider the future of the virtual dental world and how it can impact your professional life.
More...
Using Social Media to Advance Your Dental Hygiene Career
Join us as we embark on a series: Social Media for the Dental Professional. In Part 1 we discussed what not do on social media. Here, we explore ways you should use social media to advance your career, and in Part 3 we will consider the future of the virtual dental world and how it will impact you.
With the...
Top 10 Essentials for Every Hygienist’s Toolkit
It takes years of trial and error for a dental hygienist to assemble the perfect arsenal of supplies, equipment, and techniques which allow him or her to provide the best care possible, in the best manner possible. Even the most seasoned hygienist will relentlessly search reviews, exhibit halls, and dental catalogs for that one thing that will undeniably transform...
Social Media Dos and Don’ts for the Dental Professional
Join us as we embark on a series, Social Media for the Dental Professional. In this series, we will discuss what not to do and say, how to create and maintain a professional online image, how to use social media to advance your career, and what the future of the digital dental world looks like.
As a millennial hygienist,...
The Many Lives of the Mysterious Full Mouth Debridement
What is full mouth debridement and when exactly are we supposed to do it? Ask a variety of clinicians, and you will receive a variety of answers. Does it pertain only to scaling above the gingival margin, or can we go below? Is it an acceptable step prior to scaling and root planing or is it simply a “bloody...
A New Love Affair with Teledentistry
Clinical teledentistry made its debut with the United States military in 1994 but has surprisingly remained absent from our professional lives until recently1. Now, however, it is one of the hottest topics among oral health providers everywhere. The word “teledentistry” has become fresh, somewhat mysterious, and simply mentioning it prompts instant questions and interest. Revolutionary things like this are...