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Celebrating Powerful Hygienists
Spotlight on Exceptional Hygienists Making a Difference
Every October during Dental Hygiene Month, HuFriedyGroup shines a light on dental hygienist leaders from around the country who are making unique and powerful differences in the field. Not only are they stepping up to meet the needs of their roles, but these champions of dental hygiene are exceeding them. We asked dental professionals nationwide to highlight the best and brightest among them. Read on for a dose of inspiration!
Commitment to Excellence
We heard from so many of you who were excited to recognize your peers. You have witnessed qualities in your colleagues that stand out with their continued commitment to excellence. Hygienists were recognized for their thoroughness, ensuring patients get truly individualized care — especially for medically-complex patients. They are motivators, mentors, and team players who bring enthusiasm to their work.
Pamela Gallagher of 540 Dental exemplifies a commitment to excellence. Her care for patients is so exceptional that she’s developed a strong patient following, according to her nomination. She ensures her recommendations can actually be incorporated into her patients’ lifestyles and follows up to see how patients are feeling after appointments. Some of Pamela’s patients have seen her for 25 years — many willingly travel two hours or more for their appointments with Pamela.
Ellie Jo Boone of Henritze Dental Group was nominated by a peer who noted that Ellie Jo took the time to teach them new computer software skills. They added that she shows the same commitment to every patient with a thorough head and neck exam and full mouth probe for accuracy. Ellie also looks out for her fellow team members. The nominator said, “If I am running behind, I turn around and there goes my patient’s tray being taken to sterilization and being set up for the next one.”
Creating a Positive Environment
Creating an exceptional patient experience requires a well-run, motivated team. However, nurturing a positive environment can be difficult in a busy office. Our nominees demonstrate that with a conscious choice to commit to a warm, inviting environment, it can be done. These hygienists show a passion for going out of their way to assist others and help them learn and grow.
Melissa Goff from Mortenson Family Dental-Outer Loop is a “bright light in the practice” and “brings enthusiasm and joy” to each workday. “She makes the workplace better, and patients notice.”
Amy Akbari of Slate Dental is a mentor for many hygienists choosing to venture out on their own path. She is consistently going out of her way to help colleagues and continues to positively impact the hygiene community around her, coast to coast!
Going the Extra Mile for Inclusivity
All patients deserve a top-notch dental experience where they feel welcomed and cared for, regardless of their age, location, or who they are. Many hygienists recognized in the Inclusivity category utilize mobile-based service models to get closer to faraway patients.
Celeste Carpenter from Swope Health’s school-based services in Kansas City, Mo., cares for 2,500 students a year and makes it look easy. Her nominator said, “she has a heart of gold … always shows up for her patients and goes the extra mile.” They said that she cares for her pediatric patients like they are her own.
“I have seen Celeste work her dental charm on children that have special needs or are just scared for the first visit to the dentist. Celeste makes them feel at ease and has the patience to wait as long as needed to make the child feel safe,” her nominator said.
Kathleen Rezba of Hygiea Mobile Dentistry provides preventative dental care to elderly patients at nursing home facilities. Her strong desire to work with elderly populations was shaped by her own experience as a caretaker for her mother, who fought cancer for nine years. Her nominator said this perspective “resulted in changing her work environment from the four walls of a traditional dental office into setting up a mobile dental clinic within the walls of the nursing home facilities. In addition to her clinical care, she also embraces service-learning opportunities with our local community college to provide hands-on training for future dental hygienists!”
Danyelle Evans from Mobile Dental Hygiene of St. George provides dental care to patients in their homes. She started the business from the ground up to help those who can't get to the dentist.
Delivering Life-Altering Care
These professionals put their patients' needs and comfort in the foreground. It doesn’t go unnoticed by their peers and the patients themselves.
Rami Najjar’s vision for Painfree Dentistry was to join the practice and eventually transform patient care, setting new standards in dental hygiene. According to his nominator, he delivered on that goal, becoming crucial to operations by prioritizing patient comfort and efficiency. The office is now considered a leader in the field, said his nominator. Thanks to his leadership, there has been a significant increase in patient satisfaction and retention. Effective communication is at the crux of his strategy and “by spending extra time with each patient, explaining procedures in detail and addressing their concerns, he has built strong relationships and trust.”
Patience and non-judgmental care are at the heart of Kaitlyn Kostrzebski’s care at Myers + Co. Family Dentistry. Her nominator said Kaitlyn was able to break through with a patient who was wary of radiographs, not understanding the need for early detection of periodontal disease. After more than five years without much progress, Kaitlyn stepped in convincingly. The patient later said that he was so thankful to have Kaitlyn “show him the light” with her caring tone and explanation of the links between dental care, gum disease, and systemic health. He now comes in regularly, and his overall health is even improving — saying he feels better than ever.
Moving the Profession Forward
Caring for your colleagues is key for hygienists who are working toward excellence in the field. Their mentorship, empowering attitude, and efforts to innovate are making an impact.
Audrey Rosenberg from Esthetic Dental Group of Westport's high values encourage her to motivate and support her peers while also keeping tabs on the newest techniques. Recently, she became the innovator that her peers could learn from, by creating a “full mouth toothbrush” that fills the gaps for people who have trouble brushing. The toothbrush design was influenced by her five-year double-blind study on the “Circular Method of Brushing,” which has “transformed the lives of all her patients and dental health” at large, her nominator said.
Pam Kuyk from BridgeValley Dental Hygiene is a part-time adjunct instructor in addition to her full-time hours as a clinician. Her teaching style encourages students, especially struggling ones, to understand the nuances of dental hygiene, diagnostics, treatment, and periodontal instrumentation. She also fosters critical thinking skills to help her students adapt to the industry’s evolving landscape. Crucially, Pam’s inclusion of the links between oral and systemic health into chairside care curriculum has “significantly enhanced the quality of patient care and has set a high standard for dental hygiene education,” said her nominator.
For Stefania Morittu's office, her work with cancer patients makes her stand out. She offers free services and dental consultations for patients with cancer to “help these patients have a better quality of life and preserve oral health before, during, and after therapy,” her nominator said. “Many clinicians only think about perio and aesthetics, forgetting about the people who need it.” Stefania also wrote a guide to help patients undergoing cancer treatment and printed it herself, donating it to patient associations and hospitals.
Thank you to all those who submitted the work of their team members. We hope that hearing the stories of these hygienist heroes inspires you and your colleagues to think of all the possibilities where your work can take you — and to recognize one another’s good job every day — not just once a year.
For more information on how to nominate your colleagues who make a difference in dental hygiene, contact us at Hufriedygroup.com.
