The dental hygiene student is tasked with understanding general pathology to develop a foundational knowledge of the disease etiology, pathogenisis, morphologic changes, and clinical manifestation of disease. In this episode, we will cover general pathology and how it relates to periodontal disease. We will review modifiable and non-modifiable risks associated with diseases. Other resources: Tutoring with Me: https://calendly.com/d/cszb-s4r-hy4/tutoring-with-billie Leave me a message or send a q...
Jul 04, 2025•15 min•Season 5Ep. 215
Are you testing and flushing your waterlines? Infection control is at the heart of all we do to provide safe care to our patients. In this episode, I speak with Kellie Timmes about her journey to inspire, motivate, and educate the field of dentistry to properly care for their waterlines and provide safe care to patients. A bit about Kellie: Kellie Thimmes is passionate about helping others and believes that life is better when serving the needs of others above her own. Her deep interest in safet...
Jun 27, 2025•29 min•Season 5Ep. 214
As a dental hygiene student, you will need to have an understanding of the biological effects of radiation. Your patients will ask you about radiation safety and exposure concerns. You will want to be ready to provide a thoughtful and knowledgeable answer to your patients who ask and are concerned. https://www.speakpipe.com/TheHappyFlosserRDH
Jun 20, 2025•18 min•Season 6Ep. 213
The environment of dental hygiene school can be an emotional rollercoaster. This is no different once you get yourself out into the field of dentistry and you begin your journey as a clinical hygienist. In this epside, I speak on the power of positive intention and controlling the environment of yourself. The conversation we have with ourselves and others are important and create the environment we live and breathe. Time Management Prioritization Quiz - Find out how you rate HERE Check out my f...
Jun 13, 2025•18 min•Season 5Ep. 212
Learning Eruption Dates as a dental hygiene student can be challenging. It can be easy to confuse the teeth and eruption patterns as you are learning. Study hacks are much appreciated and can go a long way in saving you time and energy in dental hygiene school. In this episode, I break down the easiest way I have found to teach the eruption dates using a phone number hack that has been tested on hundreds of students. Time Management Prioritization Quiz - Find out how you rate HERE Check out my f...
Jun 06, 2025•13 min•Season 5Ep. 211
Dental hygiene school can be challenging. It is hard to apply dental hygiene theory to clinical practice and recall all the important information you learn. Connecting the dots on information is especially difficult when you are first learning how to perform an assessment on your patient. Suzanne Vila and I have a conversation about ways students can effectively connect the dots and take some of the really difficult to understand information and make it easier to learn. Suzannne is full of creat...
May 30, 2025•24 min•Season 5Ep. 210
Melissa Alt and I covered so many topics in this episode. Join me as we discuss how to communicate for yourself in a new role, or in a new office with other providers and front desk personnel. It can be challenging, but I know you will discover something of value from this conversation. Melissa also takes a risk and talks about AUTONOMY. This word can sometimes feel a bit of a risk to talk about, but we should all be discussing it. Patients benefit from a paradigm shift and continued improvement...
May 23, 2025•29 min•Season 5Ep. 209
Create value in all of the skills that it takes to be an amazing clinical dental hygienist. If you are looking to leave the clinical aspect of dental hygiene - focus on your strengths and skills. This will go a long way in helping you map out a career pivot. It takes a bit of courage and strength to look into the limits you have put on yourself and question why they are there. Be......the clinician who is developing strengths as a leader Do......the things that improve your skills every day Have...
May 16, 2025•20 min•Season 5Ep. 208
Taking radiographs involves many challenges! There can be som many things that cause issues and problems with obtaining a quality radiograph. There are anatomical issues like tori and palate structure. Then there are things like gag reflexes and gigantic tongues! There are key strategies you can use to obtain a good radiograph. The truth is - sometimes nothing works! The best you can do is implement all of the strategies and patient compliance opportunities and hope for the best. Sometimes it is...
May 09, 2025•18 min•Season 5Ep. 207
In the fast-paced world of dental hygiene, who is looking at the patient in a comprehensive way? April is Oral Cancer Awareness Month. The risks may surprise you! Hang out with me and listen to the conversation I have with Jonathan Jones about oral cancer. Jonathan has been working with Susan Cotton to raise awareness around this topic. He will be presenting at RDH UOR this year. I am excited to share this conversation with him and help inspire each of you to stay dedicated to this important com...
May 02, 2025•24 min•Season 4Ep. 206
Before you dive into learning all about the arteries and veins I would suggest you take a look at some of the key terms associated with the systems. It will be super helpful if you have a good understanding of the bones and muscles of facial expression before you tackle the arteries, veins, and lymphatic system. Additional resources: Check out my free scorecard for students - you can rank yourself on how you are doing to take action on the steps toward being a successful college student. Sign up...
Apr 25, 2025•16 min•Season 4Ep. 204
Getting into dental hygiene school is hard. Graduating from the program is even harder. In this episode I share a short poem about a stressful clinic day to provide you with support to push yourself to the next step and finish the semester strong.Additional resources: Study Sheets: https://thehappyflosserrdh.etsy.com/ Specialized Course: How to be successful in Dental Hygiene Schoolhttps://billie-lunt-s-school.teachable.com/p/how-to-be-successful-in-dental-hygiene-school
Apr 18, 2025•4 min•Season 4Ep. 188
There is sooo much going on in our profession right now. As a dental hygienist, it is important form you to be aware of policy development and how a bill becomes a law. The ADHA works very hard to support our profession and represent the needs. It is up to us to understand and be in the know of all that is taking shape that impacts our scope of practice, licensure process, and compact movement. Additional resources: Check out my free scorecard for students - you can rank yourself on how you are ...
Apr 11, 2025•19 min•Season 4Ep. 204
Join me in this episode of The Happy Flosser RDH Podcast for dental hygiene students as Claudia Walder and I discuss our journey of becoming experieced dental clinicians. Claudia speaks about what it takes to grow and thrive as a dental hygienist after you graduate from school. If you are interested in reaching out to Claudia she can be reached at claudiawalder29@gmail.com Additional resources: Check out my free scorecard for students - you can rank yourself on how you are doing to take action o...
Apr 04, 2025•27 min•Season 4Ep. 202
Imposter syndrome is a condition where you do not believe that you are enough. That the compliments others give you are untrue. You are not able to hear a compliment from someone and you are afraid that someone will find out that you are not qualified in your role. In this episode, you will hear about examples of imposter syndrome and what it looks like. I will also go over some of the very best ways to overcome and expand away from imposter syndrome. Additional resources: Check out my free scor...
Mar 28, 2025•14 min•Season 4Ep. 201
This episode is full of reflection and gratitude about my journey into the world of podcasting. I never had podcasting on my radar as a profession. The idea came out of a need to support dental hygiene students. I am a passionate educator, the rest just happened. I hope sharing my journey into the unknown and taking on the challenge of doing something that was uncomfortable supports you to do the same thing. You are capable of doing hard things that feel difficult. The key is to take the action ...
Mar 21, 2025•13 min•Season 4Ep. 200
So you have been accepted into the dental hygiene program.....now what? So often it is an experience like nothing you have ever experienced before on your learning journey. May I expose the secret - Dental Hygiene school is not like any other education you will experience. Many students struggle in the first couple of semesters trying to navigate dental hygiene school. In this episode I am going to reveal some of the challenges students face, some of the limiting beliefs that are reducing your s...
Mar 14, 2025•18 min•Season 4Ep. 199
Dabney joined O’Hehir University in 2017 as an instructor and continues to work part-time in clinical hygiene where she also mentors fellow hygienists. In September 2022, she expanded her expertise by opening her own clinical herbal practice, where she serves clients as an herbalist and health coach with a special focus on women’s health. Dabney is deeply passionate about health and wellness, dedicating her efforts to empowering patients and the community to explore the transformative potential ...
Mar 07, 2025•32 min•Season 4Ep. 200
Are you applying to dental hygiene school and wondering how the process unfolds? In this episode, I will break down the process of how you can prepare the best for your interview. I also discuss things you can do if you do not receive an interview or gain acceptance. Please know that applying to dental hygiene school is highly competitive and can be a challenging task. Your best asset is to be as prepared as you can be for any type of question that comes your way. Utilize all of your resources w...
Feb 28, 2025•18 min•Season 4Ep. 197
One of the courses you take in dental hygiene school covers histology and embryology. It is important to understand the process by which a single cell transforms into a human fetus. There are many steps in the process to understand. Gaining knowledge of the steps and process will create a foundation for you when you take oral pathology. In this episode, we will review some of the most important things to consider about embryology. Additional resources: Study Sheets: https://thehappyfloss...
Feb 21, 2025•26 min•Season 4Ep. 185
Are you thinking about going to school to become a dental hygienist? Or maybe you are already on your journey to becoming a dental hygienist - or even have the initials RDH after your name already. No matter where you are on your journey in the profession, this conversation is a must listen. Anistinn shares her journey's ups and downs and shows what it looks like to remain curious as you move toward your goals. One of my favorite things she shared is " Your plans may change, but your goal doesn'...
Feb 14, 2025•24 min
What is happening in the brain when we are learning something new? In this episode, I will share some of the anatomical structures involved with the learning process as well as some of the chemical reactions that occur when we learn. You can use this information to support your efforts to perform well on exams and in the clinical setting. How we recall information is important - especially because we have a board exam at the end of our journey. Additional resources: Study Sheets: https://...
Feb 07, 2025•21 min•Season 4Ep. 194
What is the Yankee Dental Congress and why should I attend? In this episode I am going to review some of the main benefits of attending the Yankee Dental Convention. I remember when I was a student, I felt very overwhelmed to attend a meeting so big! I was not exactly sure what to focus my attention on to gain the most benefit from attending. We will go over all of the details in this episode and set some goals for you in order to make the most of your trip to Boston! Additional resources: Study...
Jan 31, 2025•12 min•Season 4Ep. 169
I love the story of how substitoothfairy was born. I really wanted to share this story with students who listen in. I think the message behind what happened to Seta is one that truly inspires anyone who listens. Seta says it best when she states “there is a miracle wrapped up in each and every obstacle. Look for them.” Please take a moment to join us in this conversation about life, timing, and opportunity. Additional resources: Study Sheets: https://thehappyflosserrdh.etsy.com/ Speci...
Jan 24, 2025•26 min•Season 4Ep. 192
If your patient has a prosthetic to replace a tooth or many teeth, you need to be aware of your role in helping them care for those prosthetics. You are also responsible of helping your patient make an informed decision on what type of prosthetic will work best for them based on all of the information provided to them. In this episode, I review some of the main types of prosthetics. Additional resources: Study Sheets: https://thehappyflosserrdh.etsy.com/ Specialized Course: How to be ...
Jan 17, 2025•16 min•Season 4Ep. 191
On your journey, you will learn about case studies. These are patient based questions which challenge your knowledge of patient care and clinical process. Case based questions are designed to test your knowledge of theory to practice in dental hygiene. In this episode, we will review some of the strategies to be successful in preparing for your national boards and tackling case based questions. Additional resources: Study Sheets: https://thehappyflosserrdh.etsy.com/ Specialized Cour...
Jan 10, 2025•20 min•Season 4Ep. 190
Community Dental Health can be a complex course to develop a deep and meaningful understanding of. This episode is designed to support your learning about how to think about a target population in order to develop a successful program or community health project. Listen in as I review the key terms and basics of target population understanding. This information will be on your board exams, so it is essential that you develop an understanding of this content. Additional resources: Study Sheets: ...
Jan 03, 2025•21 min•Season 4Ep. 189
Cris Duval is a paient health advocate and wellness coach. She has decades of knowledge on how to be the very best dental hygienist you ever wish to be! She has unlocked the code to the appointment - and yes - You CAN do it all!! Cris shares so many things in this episode! Connect with Cris - cris@thelifeguardapproach.com She is also on Facebook and Instagram. Additional resources: Study Sheets: https://thehappyflosserrdh.etsy.com/ Specialized Course: How to be successful in Dental Hy...
Dec 27, 2024•42 min•Season 4Ep. 188
You have put all of your energy and personal resources into your semester. I am sure you are feeling exhausted and completely drained. The challenges of dental hygiene school can do that - it is normal. In this episode, I share some tips on spending time over your break to recharge your body and mind so that you can hit the ground running and start your next semester ready to go. We all have the challenge of needing to reset ourselves and recharge. The key is to recognize that it is necessary an...
Dec 20, 2024•18 min•Season 4Ep. 187
Meet my friend Jonathan Jones. Jonathan is an RDH who loves to challenge himself and consider the possibilities.I met Jonathan at RDH Evolution in Denver. Jonathan shares some insight into what keeps him motivated to grow and evolve as a dental hygienist in the field. We share stories and laughs = lots of laughs. I love Jonathan's laugh. His personality is warm and inviting and his laugh makes you feel connected to the joy that beams out of him. I hope you enjoy our conversation. Additional Reso...
Dec 13, 2024•34 min•Season 4Ep. 186
