I have a Cavitron, and I love it. Our office also has a ProSelect Platinum by Zila which I used to use, but hated. Our other hygienist uses it now and doesn’t mind it. I just found that the tips wear out like nobody’s business. My Cavitron ones seem to last a LOT longer.

We only take radiographs on pregnant patients if we see clinically that there is a reason to or the patient is in pain. We also double shield. Probably totally unnecessary, but it seems to make people more comfortable.

We use Dexis as well, and we shield, with a thyroid collar too. The risk for the patient is so minimal, but people are used to it. I totally agree with you, it’s not gonna hurt them to put it on, it only takes like two seconds and who has time to spend all day explaining to everyone that they don’t really “need” it.

My complaint at our office is that our assistant stays in the room all the time with people when they’re getting x-rays, holding the sensor and having someone else push the button. Then she tells them it’s digital, so she doesn’t need to worry… I think for a patient getting x-rays once a year, no shield is okay. But not all day every day at work. Radiation is cumulative after all…

Our assistant takes x rays like that all the time, and I have tried a few times… Can’t do it! Mine turn out MUCH MUCH better with the patient sitting up. Unless there is some reason you feel like you need to take them reclined, I’d say do whatever you are most comfortable with and whatever gets you the best results.

I’m in Michigan and make $30/hr. Ten years experience, all at the same office. We do get two weeks of paid vacation a year, but that’s about it. No medical, no 401K, nothing. I need a new job I guess! The difficulty other hygienists I know have had finding jobs, especially anything with benefits, has been discouraging. I went to U of M, and still live in the area. We also have University of Detroit Mercy and community colleges nearby graduating enough new hygienists each year that I get nervous about looking for something new. The lack of benefits has been enough to get me to SERIOUSLY consider changing careers.

There are videos on you tube you can check out for free. Not sure how helpful they are, but free is always good!

I also think it depends on the patient. I have patients that will show up at 3 month recalls looking like it’s been years since their teeth were cleaned, and others that are the exact opposite.

I know ours does in Michigan, but I don’t know about New England.

I have a similar patient that went to the same dentist all her life, and then moved out of that state to our area. Her old DDS was OLD SCHOOL, as in he didn’t even wear gloves. He also didn’t have a hygienist and did all her “cleanings”, meaning he polished her teeth. So when I picked up a probe and a scaler, it took a lot of patient education to tell her what the heck I was doing. But fast forward a few years to her last appointment, and I was able to finally convince her to go see a periodontist for a consult about grafting. Baby steps. 🙂

As a hygienist with a bachelor’s degree, I don’t think that I am better at my job than someone with an associate’s, but I do think I should be more marketable in a competitive environment. My hygiene program was 3 years long with 1 year of prerequisites, not 2 and 2. And I can think of little we studied in that extra year that I don’t use regularly. Yes, we do take the same exam to become hygienists, but I have always wondered if associates’ programs teach only what is on that exam because that’s all they have time for. In other fields, degrees pay off more… RN’s with a bachelor’s do tend to get paid more than LPN’s with less schooling.