Are you professional? From knowledge to implementation

In the March edition of RDH magazine, Jackie Sanders posed a powerful question: Are you professional? Her words were a call to action. She highlighted the depth of knowledge dental hygienists possess and challenged us to think critically, act clinically, and continue growing, reminding us that dental hygiene is a career rooted in purpose, not simply a job reduced to “scaling” teeth.

And she is right.

We are highly educated and highly capable clinicians. Our knowledge is strong, and that foundation is something to be proud of. The next step is building on that foundation by bringing what we know into consistent, everyday practice. Because knowledge has its greatest impact when it is implemented consistently. Implementation does not happen in isolation; it occurs through communication and collaboration with our dentists, our patients, and our teams.

The gap between knowledge and implementation

Early in my career, I experienced firsthand the gap between knowledge and implementation. Let me share my story.

As a new graduate, I began working one day per week in a private practice close to home. Being new to hygiene and new to the office, I found myself in observation mode, getting to know my patients, learning the flow of the practice, and absorbing everything around me. It did not take long to recognize clear gaps in periodontal care.

I was identifying clinical signs of disease, yet preventive care remained the standard for many patients. Even when periodontal therapy was completed, patients were often returned to a preventive program rather than placed into a true periodontal maintenance program.

This created a dilemma.

I had the knowledge. I understood the disease, and I could assess it clinically. Yet the systems around me did not support the level of care I wanted to provide or the conversations I needed to have with my patients.

What began as a clinical challenge quickly became an ethical one.

I felt the tension and began asking myself, “If I am not supported in communicating the truth about disease and the process required to manage it, how can I truly help my patients?”

That question stayed with me. It revealed my next professional challenge: finding the courage to bring my knowledge into action within an already established practice.

Choosing to communicate

After six months as the part-time hygienist, the opportunity came to transition into a full-time role. I had a decision to make. I could accept the position and continue working within a system that conflicted with my clinical values, or I could initiate a conversation about implementing change.

I chose to communicate.

Before accepting the role, I sat down with my dentist. I came prepared, grounding my observations in clear clinical assessments and a plan for moving forward. I approached the conversation with intention and said, “This is really important to me. I have been identifying consistent signs of periodontal disease in our patients, and I would value the opportunity for us to align on how we are diagnosing, treating, and coding these cases.”

That conversation created alignment. Together, we built a clear periodontal protocol by defining the diagnosis, supporting it with appropriate radiographs, and aligning documentation and coding. This created consistency in treatment, patient conversations, and maintenance. Most importantly, we supported each other fully throughout the process.

Over time, my conversations with patients became more confident and clearer because what I was saying matched what we were doing.

The missing piece: Implementation

What I learned later proved to be a powerful lesson. Once our protocol was in place and change was underway, my dentist shared something with me that I will never forget. He had taken many courses on soft tissue management over the years. The knowledge was there, but the missing piece had always been implementation. He had never had a hygienist willing to help bring that training to life, and he could not do it on his own.

That moment reinforced something I now believe deeply: implementation is one of the most difficult aspects to master, and it is not a one-person process. It requires shared understanding and a commitment from the entire team to follow through.

This experience is not unique. It is something I continue to see daily in practices.

I often hear dentists say, “My hygienists are not doing enough periodontal care.” At the same time, hygienists say, “I do not feel supported in diagnosing or treating it.” Both perspectives are real. However, when each side remains in its own perspective, waiting for the other to move first, progress stalls or never happens.

The power lies within each of us. For dentists, that may mean asking, “What can I do to better support and align with my hygiene team?” For hygienists, it may mean asking, “What actions can I take to create alignment with my dentist?” When something is important to us, we must find the courage to step forward and communicate. Meaningful change happens through collaboration.

You are not alone

I share this story because I know I am not alone in this experience.

We are a profession with deep knowledge and strong clinical instincts. The next step, the one Jackie challenged us to take, is bringing that knowledge fully to life within our practices. That requires communication, collaboration, and the courage to step forward, even when it feels uncomfortable.

Here is my encouragement to hygienists: you are already doing this every day. You guide your patients through important conversations and support them in making informed decisions. That same skill and confidence can be brought into your conversations with your dentist. The conversation is not so different; it simply has a different audience.

Implementation is where our knowledge becomes impact. It is the work I continue today, helping practices implement hygiene protocols and foster dentist-hygienist collaboration through my coaching with IgniteDDS. Our knowledge is strong. Now it is time to bring it into consistent, everyday practice.

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.