After I have the radiographs I review them with the patient stating
Lets look at the pics together. When we look for cavities we look for any dark area's in the enamel surface of your tooth." I then point out he enamel and show them any "suspicious" areas including caries close to the nerve chamber, abscesses, calculus etc.  (If they have heard about areas of concern before the dr. comes in it increases case acceptance.)
      "I am also looking at the bone that is supporting your teeth." I then show area's of any bone loss and where they SHOULD be and then state, " I am going to be taking measurements of the natural space between your tooth and gum to check the supporting structures of the teeth.  I then tell them that I am going to start the apt with a cancer screening checking all of the tissues in the mouth. Then I explain that I will be taking the measurements in which I like to see that space be from 1-3mm deep without bleeding. As I tip them back I ask them what they are doing at home to care for their teeth daily. I NEVER want to accuse a pt of not flossing when they do it on a daily basis. It is a real de-motivator. 
 

I had a patient with graves disease today. I had to review the contraindications concerning this disease. Here is all the info on it that I accumulated when I was studying for boards. ........

It is an autoimmune disease caused by antibodies that attach to specific sites of the thyroid gland causing it to produce too much hormone. Can cause inflammation around the eyes, (exophthalmos), thick skin over the lower legs, osteoporosis of alveolar bone.  My patient had to kill her thyroid gland by drinking a radioactive chemical. 

I had a patient today that was very anti-fluoride and was asking about "Ozone." So I had to do some research. From what I gather it is claimed that ozone is a gas substance that can be applied to carious lesions that kills bacteria and aids in re-mineralization of tooth structure.
Here are some links to the information that I found online. It seems that there needs to be more research done but if the claims are true it seems like it would be a great product.
ISPUB
Kavo
The Ozone
Cureozone

This is what Cochran had to say after they reviewed the research. 
.
There is no evidence that ozone therapy can reverse or stop tooth decay. Tooth decay can be painful, is expensive to treat and can lead to the loss of teeth. It has been suggested that treatment of a decayed tooth with ozone will stop or reverse the decay process. This review of trials found no sound evidence that ozone is capable of reversing or stopping the progression of tooth decay. High quality research is needed to show whether or not it works. Ozone should not be considered an alternative to current treatment methods in dental practices.

I just found this awesome new site Dental Compare. Next time you are looking to buy a new product for your office check out the site to see what is out there and how they compare.

I have created a new section on myrdh for links to malpractice insurance here. Just so you know EVERY hygienist should have there own personal liability insurance! Your Drs. insurance MAY NOT cover you. Dentist usually do have a clause that includes you BUT their insurance can still turn around and sue you. So ..... please cover yourself and make the investment in yourself.

Once the pt is seated I sit down on my chair so that I am eye level with them.
"Hello, my name is myrdh, I am the dental hygienist in the office that will be working with you today."
I tell ALL pts what I will be doing for them today.
"Welcome to (or back to) our office. Today I am going to start by taking some radiographs of your teeth so that we can check for cavities, evaluate the supporting bone structure of your teeth and make sure all of your existing work is looking good. After that I will be doing a cancer screening for you, and taking measurements of your gums to check the supporting structures of your teeth for infections."
 
Then I take whatever radiographs are requested by the Dr. Once I have the radiographs (digital) I sit with the pt and show them the "suspicious" areas that I see in there mouth. This includes, caries, fillings, bone levels, calculus, etc. This way when the Dr. comes in for an exam the pt has already heard about areas of concern.
After this I tell them what we will be doing for the rest of the app  

This was a first for me today. I had a patient with an eyelash stuck interproximally between 23 and 24 on the lingual that I could not get out for the life of me with with floss or the scaler. Finally I had to cut it off??

Recently the offices that I work has have hired consultants. Both of the companies have been talking about using "scripts." These are what they want us to say when we are with our patients. While developing this site I did a lot of research on the subjects of scripts and so I have decided to share with you my "script." I will be doing this in several different posts over the next few days so stay tuned.....

I have decided to help my fellow hygienists out by making a post for each day that I work of something new or helpful that I have learned.

     So first post...... today I learned that if you are numbing for the Dr. don't just give a measly amount of anesthetic. Give enough to get the job done. For example, when doing root debridment I usually give 1/2 carp of lidocaine on a mandibular IA because it anesthetizes what I need well and I don't have to worry about overdosing if I for some reason can't find the dang nerve (you need about 8 carps to overdose but the pt feels you are overdosing if you have to give them 2.)
       So if numbing for the Dr. just give them them whole sha-bang then everyone is a little more comfortable!