The important role that technology can and should play every day for dental hygienists [VIDEO]

There’s no question that technology plays a big role every day for today’s dental hygienist … but are there pieces of technology that hygienists could add to their arsenal or use more effectively in the battle against oral disease?

In this video interview, Anastasia Turchetta, RDH, talks about shade matching and whitening, especially as summer is now in full bloom. Shot earlier this year, Turchetta talks about whitening and its importance with Mother’s Day and graduations … yet we know that there are weddings and important events throughout the year where people would love to see their teeth even whiter.

However, before getting to that point, it’s important to know how white the patient’s teeth have been in the past, as well as his or her medical history.

“Usually, patients over the age of 50 will start to see a little discoloration in their teeth,” Turchetta said. “Some medications will also cause discoloration. That’s where it’s important to have clinical notes that document medication use. It’s also a good idea to take a shade and document that to show patients how white their teeth were, as well as their current shade.”

While discussing this, Turchetta readily admits that this adds time to the schedule … and that can be a turn-off for hygienists that are already insanely busy.

“Absolutely it takes time, but once you have it out and your routine down and the learning curve is gone, it’s very beneficial,” Turchetta said.

In this interview, Turchetta also talks about intraoral camera use in the hygiene room and gives her thoughts on how it should be used.

Click below to watch the interview…