	CHICAGO, IL – March 4, 2010 –Hu-Friedy, a global leader in the manufacture of dental instruments, acknowledged the work of two Dental Hygienists by sponsoring their trip to attend the Chicago Midwinter Meeting, which convened at McCormick Place February 25-27.
	 
	Hu-Friedy conducted a contest to recognize the dedication of hygienists and to help eliminate any economic cost barrier that might prevent participation in this meeting. The winners, each of whom wrote a short essay on why they deserved to attend the Midwinter Meeting, are  among the 15,000-member base of the online community “Friends of Hu-Friedy." Approximately 100 dental hygienists submitted essays describing the benefits they expected from being selected to attend the largest annual gathering of dental professionals in the U.S.  
	 
	“Dental hygienists play such an important role in preventive oral health,” said Ron Saslow, president and Chief Executive Officer of Hu-Friedy. ”Year after year they conscientiously attend to the dental health needs of their patients and passionately pursue continuing education.  

	Hu-Friedy has the honor of providing quality handcrafted instruments to this group and is committed to doing all we can to enable access to information and education that will add value to their professional lives. In the current economic climate it is sometimes difficult to attend some of the major conferences, so we are gratified that we could sponsor these two individuals who obviously have made a difference for so many.”  
	 
	The contest winners were Lesa K, Crane, RDH, BSHS, Assistant Local Coordinator of the Dental Hygiene Program of the Northern Virginia/Germanna Community College in Locust Grove, Virginia and Debby Kurtz-Weidinger, RDH, M.ED., a dental hygienist at the Carl Hayden VA Medical Center Dental Clinic in Phoenix, Arizona.
	 
	Crane said she had not been to the Chicago meeting since 1984. It was then that the native of Decatur, Illinois heard a presentation by Irene Woodall. “She inspired me to believe I could become a periotherapist. Now, I’ve come full circle. I’m an educator myself and the Midwinter Meeting has course offerings that will help us develop our program. Hu-Friedy has always promoted excellence and quality with its products. This essay contest is an example of the Company’s commitment to quality and excellence.” 

	Kurtz-Weidinger has been deeply involved in the treatment of soldiers whose injuries leave them unable to speak, or with other serious oral health issues. “They tell me I’ve made a difference in  their lives by listening, providing high-quality dental hygiene treatment and by teaching them to maintain optimal oral health. They make me proud of my work.”
	 
	


	Founded in Chicago in 1908, Hu-Friedy Manufacturing Company helps dental professionals perform at their best by producing dental instruments designed to function as an extension of each practitioner's particular skill. Its products, hand-crafted by highly-skilled artisans, are known for their precision, performance, longevity, reliability and quality. Hu-Friedy products are distributed in more than 75 countries, and the Company has offices in Rotterdam, Leimen, as well as
	Shanghai and Tokyo.

Articles

 CHICAGO, IL – March 4, 2010 –Hu-Friedy, a global leader in the manufacture of dental instruments, acknowledged the work of two Dental Hygienists by sponsoring their trip to attend the Chicago Midwinter Meeting, which convened at McCormick Place February 25-27.  

Hu-Friedy sponsors dental hygienists at CDS


	Okay. I bookmarked those job sites, contacted the temp agencies and…Oh! I want to call that dentist about Fridays. He may need someone. Resumé updated. Well, kind of updated. Why is font selection such a battle with me? Just pick a nice font, woman. Times New Roman…boring. Arial…yuck. Tunga! Oh, yeah. Tunga, baby. In italics. Classic…wait…is that my phone? Please be a job.
	
	Day 1 Goal: Try to relax.I’m not alone.


	
	That was a great CE course. It was informative and a great review for me. However, I’m not looking forward to my aging process with the likelihood of xerostomia and osteoporosis with CVD thrown in for good measure. Woo-hoo. What course should I take next? I know. I’m going to design my own courses…Dental Hygienist Unemployment and Isolation: Signs and Symptoms of The Pending Crazies.
	
	Next will be The Dangers of YouTube: Parts 1 & 2 and finally, Just Give Me a #$%@! Job: Pleeeeease?
	
	Day 7 Goal: Make myself valuable. Soft tissue laser certification? Research!
	
	


	
	I’m going to rock this working interview today. I own it. I did my research on the practice, my references are solid and I feel relaxed and in control. I am so ready!
	
	“You smell like a cucumber.”
	
	Stop. What did husband just say? I’m dressed to the nines, my make-up is near perfection and I’m feeling uber confident. I finally land an interview and he tells me I smell like a salad?
	
	“Dude, I don’t need to hear that right now, okay? I need you to tell me I look fabulous, I’m the most competent hygienist out there and that I smell normal.” I felt tears welling up in my eyes.
	
	“Well, I’m just saying, dear.” He called me dear. I hate that. Now my floodgates have opened. “I’m sorry, honey. You’re a great hygienist. You’re going to blow them away. And you smell beautiful.” That hug felt good.
	
	“Thank you, my love. That’s what I needed to hear… and it’s my new conditioner, ya jerk.”
	
	[later that day…]
	
	Performing a prophy on the dentist was not what I had in mind when I think of a working interview but it went well. I felt a lot of open margins on several of her older resins. I’m glad I told her that. Did she think that was okay to say? Some dentists don’t like that. They don’t want pro-active. Perhaps they just want a ‘cleaning woman’ to come in each day and perform averagely. I think I did fine. It was okay. It was warm in her office. I sweat a little. I don’t like sweating. Did the doctor see my sweat? When I sweat I stink. I hope I didn’t stink. I don’t want to be a stinky hygienist. I don’t want patients to know I’m stinky. Maybe I didn’t stink. Perhaps everything was fine and the dentist only smelled my hair.
	
	Day 16 Goal: Next potential interview, get specific in talking about being pro-active. What am I proactive with? Why is this important for a practice?
	
	


	
	I should have a Craigslist mainline tapped directly into the back of my neck. All I would have to do is get jacked-up like Neo in ‘The Matrix’ and-bam! Instant neuro-cyber employment up-load! Awesome. I would contact dentists even before their job postings hit the web! Sweet…Okay, I need to get out of the house for awhile.
	
	Day 17 Goal: Register with dental software seminars. Get educated!

 Day 1 Okay. I bookmarked those job sites, contacted the temp agencies and…Oh! I want to call that dentist about Fridays. He may need someone. Resumé updated. Well, kind of updated. Why is font selection such a battle with me? Just pick a nice font, woman. Times New Roman…boring. Arial…yuck. Tunga! Oh, yeah. Tunga, baby. In italics. Classic…wait…is that my phone? Please be a job.  Day 1 Goal: Try to relax.I’m not alone.

modernhygienist.com-2010-03-01

Hu-Friedy sponsors dental hygienists at CDS

Diary of an unemployed hygienist