The power is yours: How dental hygienists can actively reshape their professional impact

We spent years preparing for our career, perfecting our technique, educating patients about prevention, and advocating for oral health. We became dental hygienists because we wanted to make a difference and be health-care professionals and educators who transform lives, one patient at a time.

However, somewhere along the way, we agreed to cut corners, treat patients with subpar instruments, work in unsafe conditions, and do the "best we can with what we have." The procedures we mastered through education and experience are now being simplified and outsourced. We might feel like our expertise is being devalued, and our role is diminished.

We're part of the problem

The uncomfortable truth is that we played a part in creating this reality—not intentionally, not maliciously, but through our collective actions over the years.

We normalized the mundane. Instead of positioning ourselves as oral health strategists and systemic health advocates, we accepted being seen as "teeth cleaners." We focused on tasks rather than transformation.

We undervalued our knowledge. We didn't educate our patients about the mouth-body connection; we provided simple answers rather than revealing the depth of our understanding of inflammation, cardiovascular disease, and systemic health.

Also, we did not continue to be lifelong learners, as we vowed to do at our pinning ceremonies. Instead, many dental hygienists provide the same level of care and attention to all patients, regardless of the patients’ conditions or needs.

We stayed in our comfort zones. While other health-care professionals evolved in their roles, expanded their scope, and demanded recognition for their expertise, many dental hygienists remained content with the status quo of brush, floss, rinse, scale, and polish.

We didn't tell our story. We let others define our value instead of articulating the critical role we play in preventive health care and patient education. The emergence of oral preventive assistants (OPAs) isn't just about economics or efficiency; it's reflecting how we've positioned ourselves in the health-care hierarchy.

But here's what I know about dental hygienists: we are not just tooth scrapers. When you practice at scope and evolve with science and technology, you begin to deepen your understanding of the mouth as the gateway to systemic health. You see connections that others miss. You have the power not just to save lives, but to transform them.

The question isn't, "How do we compete with OPAs?" The question is, "How do we reclaim our position as the oral health experts we've always been?"

4 solid steps to help hygienists reclaim their position

• Start every patient interaction by explaining the systemic implications of their oral health.
• Position yourself as a prevention specialist rather than someone who “cleans teeth.”
• Become the go-to professional for mouth-body health education.
• Evolve from tooth cleaner to preventive health strategist.

5 steps for your path forward

1. Redefine your identity: You're not a "dental hygienist"; you're an oral health strategist, a prevention specialist, or a systemic health advocate.
2. Elevate your conversations: Stop talking about cleanings. Start talking about inflammation reduction, cardiovascular protection, and metabolic health optimization.
3. Claim your expertise: Your education and experience make you uniquely qualified to guide patients through complex oral-systemic health decisions.
4. Disease prevention: You spent years honing this craft, and it’s not limited to the mouth. The mouth is the gateway to the body, helping your patients assess systemic risk factors that are known connections to oral biofilm and inflammation. PS: There are 57 of them!
5. Lead the transformation: Instead of reacting to industry changes, become the professional who shapes the future of preventive oral health care.

The public needs what dental hygienists bring: expertise, education, experience, and the ability to see the bigger picture of health and wellness.

OPAs can supragingivally scale and polish teeth. When dental hygienists choose to scale and polish but charge a high premium for that service, dentists strategize about how to decrease their margin on subpar care. Can you blame them?

But when dental hygienists practice at the top of their scope, there’s no comparing them to OPAs. OPAs won’t be able to transform lives through health education, and they won’t be able to guide patients through complex health decisions.

That's our domain. That's our value. That's our education.

Take part in a new movement for RDHs

The Oral Health Awareness Project was developed to inform the public about what educated, board-certified dental hygienists do, and it's all the things we were taught to provide in our process of care. Are you ready to answer patients when they ask why you didn't perform their head-neck oral cancer screening or take their blood pressure?  

Take at least one action this week to reclaim your position as the oral health expert you've always been! Be the change you want to see in dentistry!

Also, please take a moment to donate to the Oral Health Awareness Project and be the change you want to see in dentistry, because your evolution inspires others to step into their power, too.