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 […]

Amber Auger explains how adjusting your attitude can help avoid burnout, and it can also help you get things done. Article originally posted on RDHMag “It’s me, hi, I’m the problem, it’s me!” I found myself singing along to Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero” and relating it to the dental field. I thought about all the times […]

A Sustainable Approach for Dental Hygienists Balancing work, life, and self‑care isn’t about discovering some perfect formula—it’s about creating rhythms that protect your energy, your health, and your relationships over time. For so many clinicians and caring professionals, the real challenge is learning to care for yourself with the same thoughtfulness you give your patients […]

Amber Auger, MPH, RDH, presents a case study on scaling and root planing with glycine-based air polishing. Article originally posted on RDHMag There’s been a shift from traditional rubber cup polishing to air polishing technology. This is due not only to time management, patient comfort, and stain removal, but also to the evidence-based research on […]