Blog
Being Friends: The Best from our Hygiene Community in 2019
Recapping the top articles, CE courses, and discussion threads that defined the last year
Is it just us, or did 2019 fly by in the blink of an eye? So much has happened in the last year that it can be hard to keep track of all of it. One place that has been particularly dynamic is our Friends of Hu-Friedy community, where RDHs and other dental professionals can connect with peers, gain continuing education credits, earn rewards, and join the conversation on the hottest topics in the industry. For over 12 years, Friends has been an indispensable resource for dental professionals.
If you’re not an active Friends of Hu-Friedy member or haven’t had a chance recently to catch up on all the activity, we’re recapping the top articles, CE courses, and discussions that you might have missed over the last year.
Top Articles
Many of the most popular articles from 2019 focus on the clinical challenges that hygienists face along with specific tips, insights, and advice to improve performance.
Practical Tips for Avoiding Burnished Calculus
Detecting and removing burnished calculus is one of the biggest challenges that dental hygienists face during periodontal therapy. This article examines the causes of burnished calculus as well as the three major best practices for avoiding it in the first place: proper ultrasonic technique, proper hand instrument technique, and properly sharpened instruments. For a brief refresher on this critical subject, this is a great place to start.
Guidelines for Prophylactic Antibiotic Use When There Are No Guidelines
Expert guidance from professional groups such as the American Dental Association (ADA) are essential for informing the best clinical decisions for patients. But what about the situations for which there are no established guidelines, like administering prophylactic antibiotics before dental treatment? This article extrapolates on guidelines for specific scenarios to develop a general approach for prophylactic antibiotic use, providing key determinates to help guide decision making.
Is Biofilm Removal the Next Frontier in Minimally Invasive Dentistry?
While minimally invasive dentistry is typically discussed within the context of oral surgery, restoration, and periodontics, new techniques for biofilm removal are bringing this approach to the hygienist as well. Explore how Guided Biofilm Therapy transforms the traditional biofilm removal process with an emphasis on air polishing before scaling and see how a new generation of AIRFLOW® devices and powders have enabled hygienists to remove biofilm more effectively.
Top Continuing Education Courses
Hu-Friedy is an Approved PACE program provider by the Academy of General Dentistry, and Friends of Hu-Friedy is one of the best places to access free CE courses. Here are some of the most popular courses that Friends members took in 2019:
Research indicates that an overwhelming percentage of patients find dental care to be an anxiety-producing experience. Dental fear is a problem that dentists and dental staff confront daily. This course explores the underlying types of dental fear and the impact on a patient's personality, providing skills to identify these fears and alternatives to treat them.
Advancing Implant Care: Assessment Part I
This seminar introduces dental professionals to the current research redefining parameters for implant assessments, including the protocols, techniques, and instruments used for assessment and probing that are necessary for skillful evaluation and planning. Course participants are provided with the tools to develop an evidence-based approach to effective implant assessment.
Top Discussions
The discussion boards are where the Friends community really comes to life, and it is a great resource to get advice and insight directly from peers within the industry on issues that don’t necessarily relate to Hu-Friedy products or services. Conversations range from broad topics to hyper-specific scenarios, but the common factor across threads is thoughtful commentary from the Friends community. Here are three of the most popular discussion topics over the last year:
How Do You Remove Betel Nut Stain?
In one of the more specific and unique posts of the year, one user details the challenging case of a patient that regularly chews Betel nuts, creating staining that is difficult to remove in a single hour-long appointment. She asks for advice on how to approach these appointments knowing that standard treatments have been ineffective. Between similar horror stories shared in the replies, community members suggest scheduling recare appointments and utilizing power therapies.
What Is Your Go To Dental Loupes Brand and Why?
A community member needed to purchase dental loupes and wanted input on the brands that Friends members prefer to use. Many of the responses emphasized the weight of various options as well as the ability to easily add prescriptions to the lenses. Customer service was also a major consideration.
Finding the best approaches for sharpening instruments is a well-known challenge for hygienists, and one community member asks whether the Sidekick is a worthwhile investment. While responses to this question varied depending on the personal preferences of respondents, the consensus was that it’s worth the investment.
Are You Ready to Get Involved?
While this represents a small snapshot of some of the most popular posts on Friends of Hu-Friedy over the last year, there is so much more to explore within the community. With free CE, 175-plus clinical articles, and countless user-generated discussion posts, Friends is a go-to resource for any educational needs. Plus, active engagement with the community earns users points that they can redeem on free rewards, including popular instruments.
Most importantly, over the years, Friends of Hu-Friedy been a great platform for mentorship. It’s not uncommon for students or young professionals to make connections with veteran clinicians, helping them get started in their careers. So, whether you’re just starting out or an industry vet, Friends is a great place to get involved and make important connections.
Are you ready to join the conversation? Sign-up or sign-in to get started: www.friendsofhu-friedy.com.
