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
Oral-Systemic Links: How Does Mitochondrial Dysfunction Interact with Periodontal Disease?
Mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell, and we get all our mitochondria from our mothers (from the father in some rare cases). That is the extent of most people’s knowledge about mitochondria, which is really a shame because mitochondria are so much more than just the powerhouse of the cell.1
Mitochondrion (singular, as mitochondria is plural) contributes to cellular...
QUIZ: Test your Standard of Care Knowledge
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Fluorine Discovered in a Galaxy 12 Billion Light-Years Away
I often hear patients and, in some instances, dental professionals stating they are trying to avoid using fluoride because it is a “neurotoxin.” When I hear these things, I always think to myself, “Good luck, fluoride is everywhere!”
It turns out my thoughts may be further confirmed by a recent discovery of fluorine in a galaxy 12 billion light-years away.6...
QUIZ: Test your Nutrition & Oral Health Knowledge
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Illinois Dental Society’s Insult to Dental Hygiene Really Insults Overall Population
Dave Marsh, a lobbyist for the Illinois Dental Society, recently offered a comment about dental hygienists that was quoted in the news media: "I just don't feel anybody with a two-year associate's degree is medically qualified to correct your health. They're trained to clean teeth. They take a sharp little instrument and scrape your teeth. That's what they do....
Tooth Agenesis: Oral Health Diagnosis Should Prompt Screening for Systemic Disease
Dental health professionals are aware of the connection between oral manifestations and systemic disease. We are well versed in having a conversation regarding the connection between periodontal disease and systemic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease.
However, there is a condition seen in the dental chair that many dental hygienists may not associate with systemic...
Busting Some of the Biggest Dental Myths Out There
We have all heard our fair share of myths growing up. My favorite myth my parents tried to sell me was a spin-off of the myth, “eating carrots improves your eyesight.” When I was a child, my favorite television show was Wonder Woman (it still is, if I’m being honest). At this time Lynda Carter was the star of...
QUIZ: Test your Forensic Dentistry Knowledge
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QUIZ: Test your Oral Pathology Knowledge
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Smoking Cessation: Deliberate Education Can Steer Smoking Dental Patients towards Quitting
Most people are aware of the systemic diseases caused by smoking. Many, though, are unaware of the multiple oral health implications that are associated with smoking. Some oral health issues associated with smoking may be a precursor to systemic disease. In addition to improving oral health, dental professionals can encourage smoking cessation before the onset of systemic diseases that...
QUIZ: Test your Pregnant Patient Knowledge
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Research Analysis: The Risk of Dental Professionals Contracting COVID-19
Emerging infectious diseases are a concern for public health and safety. Experiencing the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has highlighted the need to better understand the process of developing guidelines to ensure public safety while also considering financial burdens. At the start of the pandemic, dental practices were shut down as the mode of transmission and infection rate were still not completely...
QUIZ: Test Your Cariology Knowledge
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Implant Maintenance: An Overview
The number of implants placed by dentists and dental specialists is increasing based on a predictable outcome of success. A comprehensive treatment plan includes advising the patient of the risk of failure based on smoking, history of radiotherapy, systemic health issues, and local bone quality and quantity. Peri-implant disease is a combination of poor oral hygiene, placement of a...
QUIZ: Test Your COVID-19 Infection Control Knowledge
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Hydrogen Peroxide Pre-rinse during COVID: Have We Been Misled?
Hygiene schools teach the importance of preprocedural rinses (PPMR), viewing it as a method for lowering the bacterial load and preventing the spread of disease/microorganisms. When the pandemic descended upon us, the American Dental Association (ADA) and the American Dental Hygienists' Association (ADHA) once again pushed the narrative that preprocedural rinses, specifically hydrogen peroxide, were necessary and beneficial to...
Should Dental Hygienists be Independent Contractors or Employees?
At the end of every year, dental hygiene groups and forums are blowing up with questions concerning the 1099 they received from a dentist they worked for at some point that year. Most of these questions are regarding dentists that hired the hygienist on a temporary basis. Many of the responses focus on the legality of being paid with...
COVID-19 Vaccinations: Analyzing Potential Virus Protection for Dental Professionals
Editor's Note: Information about COVID-19 is changing on a daily, sometimes hourly, basis. We have made every attempt to ensure this article is up to date at the time of original article publication (December 24, 2020), but with the rapid changes occurring, some information may have changed since publication. Please visit coronavirus.gov for the latest news and information on COVID-19.
The current pandemic...
The Dangers of “Curing” Tooth Decay Naturally
The idea of “naturally” curing tooth decay is a fast-growing fad. It has become such a craze that Facebook pages and groups encourage and support the idea. I've recently learned of one such group called "Cure Tooth Decay – Heal Tooth Cavities, Dental Caries, Tooth Abscess," which is well known for supporting this fad. It is a closed group...
Tubarial Salivary Glands: Scientists Discover New Salivary Glands in Human Throat
The year 2020 has brought us some wild and crazy things, including a novel virus that led to a global pandemic, a record-breaking number of hurricanes in the Atlantic, and, most recently, the discovery of previously unidentified salivary glands. The most astonishing to me is the discovery of the salivary glands; admittedly, I may be a little biased as...