Spring Hatfield, RDH, BSPH
Spring Hayes Hatfield, RDH, BSPH, is a graduate of Florida State College at Jacksonville, and she holds licensure in Florida, Louisiana, and Alabama. Spring is on the Advisory Board and holds the position of Continuing Education Manager at Today’s RDH. Her passion is elevating the dental hygiene profession through science, education, and clinical excellence. In her free time, she loves traveling, reading, and spending time with her husband, children, and the animals at her useless animal farm. She can be reached via email at Spring@TodaysRDH.com
QUIZ: Oral Manifestations of Infectious Diseases
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Quorum Sensing Research Hopes to Reduce Antibiotic Use and Oral Biofilm
Bacteria. Can't live with them. Can't live without them. Commensal bacteria keep us healthy; they provide essential nutrients, defend against colonization of pathogens, are the building blocks of the gastrointestinal tract, and stimulate the immune system when needed. However, pathogenic bacteria can cause a plethora of issues and diseases that can wreak havoc on our bodies and, in some...
Curiosity Killed the Plaque Ep. 3: New Discoveries of Head & Neck Physiology
In this episode of Curiosity Killed the Plaque, Spring Hatfield, RDH, BSPH, discusses new discoveries of head and neck physiology.
Give it a watch, and make sure to subscribe to the Today’s RDH Dental Hygiene podcast on your favorite podcasting app or by going to https://anchor.fm/todaysrdh.
Dental Hygienists at Risk for Developing Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome
Dental professionals frequently report musculoskeletal pain, especially in the upper extremities. A study published in 2021 showed that 92.6% of participants (n=229 dentists) suffered from musculoskeletal disorders in at least one body region.1 In contrast, a study focusing on hygienists (n=647 dental hygienists) found that 83% reported work-related musculoskeletal pain, primarily in the hands and arms (carpal tunnel and...
An Overview of Monkeypox for Dental Hygienists & Other Dental Professionals
Editor’s Note: The current monkeypox outbreak is an on-going situation. We have made every attempt to ensure this article is up-to-date at the time of publication (July 3, 2022), but some information may have changed since publication. Please visit https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/response/2022/index.html for the latest news and information on monkeypox.
Monkeypox is a member of the Poxviridae family of viruses ‒ an...
Curiosity Killed the Plaque Ep. 2: Fair Wages for Dental Hygienists
In this episode of Curiosity Killed the Plaque, Spring Hatfield, RDH, BSPH, discusses fair wages for dental hygienists.
Give it a watch, and make sure to subscribe to the Today’s RDH Dental Hygiene podcast on your favorite podcasting app or by going to https://anchor.fm/todaysrdh.
The Surprising Science Behind Baking Soda Toothpaste
Disclosure: This article is sponsored by ARM & HAMMER™.
Some dental professionals believe that baking soda toothpaste is abrasive. This is empirically false, and, as a matter of fact, just the opposite is true. Baking soda toothpaste has some of the lowest abrasivity among commercially available toothpastes. If you are interested in what the science has to say, please read...
Ionocyte Cells: New Discovery Hints at Promise for Salivary Gland Repair
Ionocyte Cells
New discoveries about the human body are amazing, and they become more fascinating when it applies to dental professionals’ specific areas of interest ‒ the head and neck. I have had the privilege of writing two previous articles announcing the newly identified masseter muscle layer and the identification of the tubarial salivary glands. So I’m excited to write...
QUIZ: Test your Medical Errors Knowledge
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Curiosity Killed the Plaque Ep. 1: Medical Errors
We are super excited to announce a new show from Spring Hatfield, RDH, BSPH – Curiosity Killed the Plaque! A new episode of Curiosity Killed the Plaque will be released every month on the Today’s RDH Facebook page and then a few days later on the Today’s RDH Dental Hygiene Podcast!
Spring will use her naturally curious mind to explore...
Wage Wars: Hygienists Should Calculate Fair Wages and Know Their Worth
A shortage of dental hygienists has led to some discord between dental hygienists and dentists, mainly focusing on wages. Both sides have important observations to make, but an easy and reasonable solution will leave hygienists satisfied with pay rates and dentists comfortable with the wages paid to dental hygienists.
The first step for dental hygienists is to know their worth.
Know...
QUIZ: Test your Microbiology Knowledge
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Listen to the Today's RDH Dental Hygiene Podcast Below:
Nurse’s Conviction: Could Hygienists be Criminally Prosecuted for Errors?
Nurses and nurse practitioners across the country closely followed the RaDonda Vaught case. Vaught was a registered nurse working at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She was criminally charged and convicted of two felonies in March, potentially facing eight years in prison due to a medical error that resulted in the death of a patient.
The case set a new precedent...
OraVerse®: How to Help Dental Patients Rebound from ‘Numb Feeling’ Faster
Disclosure: This article is sponsored content from Septodont as part of our sponsored partner program.
During my early years in dentistry, I was a dental assistant before going to dental hygiene school. I have a distinct memory that is seared into my brain of a child around five years old who had restorative work completed only to return the next day with...
The Close Relationship between Oral Allergy Syndrome and Seasonal Allergies
Seasonal allergies can be dreadful. Everyone seems to be affected to some degree. Did you know that certain seasonal allergies can cause oral symptoms as well? Patients may not realize the connection or that there is a possibility that their oral symptoms could be linked to certain seasonal allergies. Studies indicate that 20% to 70% of people who suffer...
QUIZ: Test your Air Polishing Knowledge
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4 Ways Pregnancy Affects Oral Health
A woman goes through many changes during the nine months of pregnancy. It is always exciting to see the first signs of a baby bump, and most moms-to-be are concerned about the health of their growing baby. Unfortunately, these women can be misinformed or not informed at all about how pregnancy can affect oral health and how their oral...
6 Ways You Get More Radiation than From Dental X-rays
Several years ago, a popular talk show informed the public that dental X-rays could be a contributing factor in thyroid cancer. This was shared via emails and social media and incited fear in many people. People began declining dental X-rays and made dental professionals jobs quite difficult. Since that time, I still encounter patients that decline X-rays due to...
QUIZ: Test your Children’s Dental Health Knowledge
Are you in need of CE credits? If so, check out our peer-reviewed, self-study CE courses here.
Now Check Out the Self-Study, Peer-Reviewed CE Courses from Today's RDH!
Listen to the Today's RDH Dental Hygiene Podcast Below:
Proposed Illinois Legislation Will Allow Dental Assistants to Scale – Opposition Opinion
In October 2021, an Illinois State Dental Society lobbyist, Dave Marsh, made the claim that dental hygienists were not “medically qualified to correct your health.”1 It was a bold claim from someone who seemingly, due to his position in the Illinois Dental Association, supports the bills sent to the state legislature that would allow dental assistants to scale supragingival...