Raney Hatten, RDH
Raney Hatten, RDH, received her Associates of Dental Hygiene from Great Falls College Montana State University in 2019. She practices and lives in Butte, Montana, with her dog, Beau. In her free time, Raney likes to stay active in the outdoors and enjoys writing and working on arts and craft projects. Raney is interested in advancing her skillset to better serve the rural communities of Montana and one day volunteering for dental services abroad. Raney can be reached at rhat10@hotmail.com
Failed the Clinical Board? Rally Back from this Stunning Setback
It was May 2019. I had passed the NBDHE and both anesthesia exams and had graduated from an accredited dental hygiene program. The only thing standing between me and my professional license was the WREB Clinical Exam.
I walked into the school clinic just before 8:00 a.m. the morning of the exam with monster nervousness threatening to tear its way...
Montana Hygienists Successfully Fight Proposed Bill Allowing Dental Assistants to Scale
With the new year comes many changes, and we look forward to spring and summer weather, birthdays and anniversaries, vacations, and barbeques. Dental hygienists also set goals in pursuit of continued professional growth. What we don't always expect are the legal battles that come with a new year and the changes they may bring to our daily lives.
Montana meets...
The Importance of Taking Blood Pressure Readings of Every Hygiene Patient
My dental hygiene program director once said, "We're more than just pickers and flickers." The program instructors really strived to make sure we understood full-body health and how our body's systems and oral health are interconnected.
We were taught to always take blood pressure before our clinic appointments. When I started my first dental hygiene job right out of school...
Cigarettes: The Cultural Reach of a Killer from Not Long Ago
In October, I found myself on a flight from Phoenix to Billings, Montana. I dislike flying. As soon as my butt found my assigned seat, I stuck my headphones in my ears and attempted to manifest a healthy headspace. I was irritated to find myself needing to use the restroom halfway through the flight since this would require me...
Understanding the Role of Juniper Berry Extract in Toothpaste
During my first year of hygiene school, I went home to spend Christmas with my family. Among my gifts was a package from an exchange student who my parents hosted in 2015. Inside the package were numerous gifts, but the ones that caught my attention were the thin tubes of toothpaste.
One tube seemed like a traditional mint whitening paste,...
Former Smoker, Also Your Hygienist: Best Advice I Got to Quit
"Smoking or non-smoking?" the server asks. Although my dad has a pack of Marlboro Reds in the pocket of his overalls, he opts for the nonsmoking section (like it much matters since cigarette smoke doesn't understand invisible boundaries). It's the 1990s. I am a child, and everywhere I look, I see the strength and influence of the tobacco industry....
Meth Mouth in Montana: How Dental Hygienists Can Help Meth Users
What will you see when driving down any country highway in Montana? Our country's flag is flapping in the cool Chinook winds, sun-faded John Deere green tractors, a rancher, riding horseback with his sly heeler dog, fields of golden Montana wheat rippling upward to the Snowy Mountains ‒ iconic western imagery and home to the state's residents.
You will also...
Failing the Board Exam: Dental Hygienist Reflects on Tougher Road Taken
Two summers ago, I was preparing to retake my clinical board exam. I had already failed the exam in Great Falls, Montana, and was preparing to drive to Boise, Idaho, to retake the exam. I had never been to Boise. I had never been to or even seen another dental hygiene school. Failure in Boise would have meant that...
Dental Tales of a Hygienist Who Received the COVID-19 Vaccine
We have all learned that working as a dental hygienist during a pandemic is stressful. Patients were canceling appointments quicker than my sister cancels her Fabletics account after using the two for $24 deal. Offices had to shift routines and form new comprehensive exposure plans. PPE was needed more than ever, but there was a national shortage of gloves...
How Dental Hygienists Can Make a Difference with Native American Populations
The 574 Native American and Alaska Native tribes in the United States own 325 reservations and trust lands.1 Seven of them exist within my home state of Montana,2 and 6.7% of Montana’s population consists of Native Americans or Alaska Natives, which equates to roughly 71,608 native civilians.3
Although Natives make up a small portion of the population in the...