6 things I’ve learned over my dental hygiene career

At the end of last year, I retired from a 35-year career as a dental hygienist. It has been a wonderful profession in so many ways. And challenging in others. As a “seasoned” hygienist, I’d like to share a few things that I’ve learned over the years.

Not everybody will like you. And that’s OK.

It’s been my experience that a lot of us who have chosen dental hygiene as a career are people pleasers. Speaking for myself, I want people to like me. I want (selfishly) to see them on my schedule. And for a very long time it would upset me if a patient wanted to see a different hygienist. Over time, I learned to get over that. It’s not about me. It’s about them. Maybe I remind the patient of someone they don’t like. Perhaps they think I’m too chatty. Or not chatty enough. Who knows? My responsibility to the patient begins and ends with providing excellent dental care. Everything else is just a bonus.

Don’t gossip

It will never end well. Someone will walk by at the wrong time and hear you. I’m not proud to admit having participated in a few gossip sessions myself. I’ve also been the “gossip-ee” and know how painful that can be. Don’t do it. Just don’t.

It’s OK to take the day off if you’re sick

When I was working, I’d be wracked with guilt if I had to make that call if I (or one of my children) was ill. It never happened on my days off. Ever. Strep throat and stomach flu do not care what day of the week it is. In the early days of my career and before I had children, it was a false badge of honor to come into work, cotton rolls stuffed up my nose, high on DayQuil, and muscle through the day. Those patients had to be seen! But guess what? They didn’t. I ended up making myself sicker. COVID helped eliminate that concern for a time. It seems it’s now returned. If you’re sick, stay home.

Meet people where they are

I was fortunate to have had long-term positions in two different practices. I’ll probably take some heat for this, but not every patient wants periodontal treatment. And that’s OK. Years ago, I had a lovely patient, an elderly gentleman, who often had to choose between medication and food. He had severe periodontal disease—mobile teeth, missing teeth … the whole enchilada. He was uninsured yet made room in his budget to see me every three months, like clockwork.

After one visit he told me that if I ever left the practice, he would stop coming. I encouraged him to continue with dental treatment when that day came, as I knew it eventually would. He was adamant that I was the only hygienist he wanted to see. I did the best I could for him, and he understood the fact that it was not ideal treatment. Ideal treatment would have likely meant full-mouth extractions and dentures, which he did not want and could not afford. I believe, in certain cases, some treatment is better than no treatment. He was fully aware of his condition. There were no forms signed (we didn’t do that back in the day). He just wanted to keep the teeth he had as long as he could.

I lost track of him after I left that practice, but in my mind, I can still see his cheeky grin. Carved pumpkinlike teeth separated by large gaps. He is likely long gone now, as this was 30 years ago, and he was in his eighties at the time. It’s OK to do the best you can. Not everyone wants (or can afford) ideal treatment. I hope his remaining teeth lasted one more day than he did.

Try not to judge

It’s hard. I know. We have all had patients who come into our op and immediately tell us how much they hate us … that they hate dentists … hate everything. That’s a hard pill to swallow. I had just such a patient for many years. He smoked. He drank. He was loud and often unkind. And the stain … oh, the stain. I dreaded seeing his name on the schedule. One day he arrived for his appointment and he was different—quiet, thin, soft-spoken. It was clear something had changed. He informed me that this would be his last visit. He had stage 4 metastatic lung cancer and did not have long to live. He wanted to die with clean teeth. And he did.

Lastly, try to enjoy this career when you can

As hygienists, we have been given an opportunity that few health-care providers enjoy. And that is getting to treat patients on a regular basis for an extended period of time—year after year. In my case, decade after decade. Outside of providing oral health care, I got to know many patients as people. I was fortunate to develop relationships with some patients that went beyond the office. There was the spunky Italian woman who taught me to make tiramisu … the hair stylist with moderate periodontitis who told me how much of a difference I had made in her life because for the first time she actually looked forward to coming to the dentist.

On my very last day of clinical practice, one of my favorite patients was scheduled. She is a diminutive 95-year-old woman with beautiful blue eyes, cotton candy hair, and a heart of gold. We’ll call her Donna. Her severe arthritis limited her ability to brush or floss. Needless to say, her oral hygiene was not exactly stellar. But people are so much more than their teeth. She was and is an amazing human being. After I finished her periodontal maintenance visit, we walked slowly to the front desk and she turned to me, a tear in her eye, and said, “I love you.” I hugged her, began to cry, and said, “I love you, too, Donna. I love you too.”

Additional reading: What hygienists regret most in retirement

Editor’s note: This article first appeared in RDH eVillage newsletter, a publication of the Endeavor Business Media Dental Group. Read more articles and subscribe.