When most people think about oral health, they think about brushing, flossing, and maybe remembering to schedule their cleaning. And while those habits absolutely matter, they’re only one piece of the bigger health picture. Your mouth is connected to the rest of your body, including your stress hormones.1  4 7 One of the biggest players […]

The new DDH Compact could transform hygienists’ careers, making multistate licensure easier and expanding opportunities, mobility, and access to care across the country. Article originally published on RDHMag Key Highlights I remember one of my professors and now mentor, Teal Mercer, MPH, RDH, speaking to the class my senior year of hygiene school. We were […]

We all know brushing and flossing are important . . . but sometimes it’s easier said than done, right? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Building lasting oral health habits isn’t about perfection: it’s about small, repeatable steps that actually fit into your life. Let’s walk through a few ways to care for your smile, and […]

The Thrive Chairside Summit Dentistry is changing. Patients are more informed.Inflammation is more prevalent.Burnout is more common.And the old “scale, polish, reappoint” model? It’s not enough anymore. If you’ve felt the shift—if you’ve sensed that hygiene can be more impactful, more respected, more integrated into whole-body health—you’re not imagining it. You’re ready for the next […]

Why Your Bleeding Gums Might Be About More Than Brushing Too hard If your gums bleed when you brush, feel puffy, or seem to “flare” out of nowhere, it’s easy to assume you just need to floss more. But what if your gums are trying to tell you something bigger? Root cause medicine invites us […]

Why We Don’t Talk About Dental Malpractice Most patients assume dental visits are straightforward: you show up, your dentist checks your teeth, maybe takes an X-ray, and you leave.  But behind the scenes, even small mistakes can have big consequences. According to Phillips Law Offices, some of the most common reasons patients sue dentists include: […]

Aligning Care with Hormones We were never meant to practice—or live—in a flat line. Yet in dentistry, we often treat the body as if it operates the same every single day. Same tissue response. Same inflammation patterns. Same healing capacity. But for half of our patients, that simply isn’t true. Hormones shift weekly. And the […]

Amber Auger, MPH, RDH, expounds upon the benefits of stannous fluoride toothpaste and its use in patient home care. Article originally posted on RDHMag I have never practiced a day without being asked, “What toothpaste should I use?” Patients are constantly overwhelmed by the toothpaste aisle and the products that seem to promise all the […]

Let’s talk hormones. Not in a trendy, wellness-influencer kind of way. But in a clinical, peer-reviewed, evidence-based way. Because what we’re seeing chairside . . . it’s not random. The research is clear: estrogen, progesterone, cortisol, thyroid hormones, insulin, and testosterone all directly influence connective tissue integrity, bone metabolism, vascular response, immune function, inflammation, and […]

The other day, I was talking with a team member about staying structured while traveling—and honestly, this topic hits close to home for me. After lecturing in Hawaii (five hours behind my local time zone), I headed straight to Denver (two hours behind my local time zone). Yes, it felt wild to go to bed […]