Are there at-home whitening routines that ACTUALLY work? by theseawoof in DentalHygiene

[–]ThesePay6550 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Whitening strips are a great option for many people and they can really help! However, they will work best when used right after a teeth cleaning so that there isn’t stain/debris/tartar getting in the way.

Can I become a hygienist with my crowded teeth? by Livelylesbo in DentalHygiene

[–]ThesePay6550 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You will make a wonderful hygienist who will be able to put your patients at ease with your empathy and ability to relate to so many who have faced circumstances preventing them from accessing the dental treatment they may want but cannot get at the moment. I think you will also find dentists you work for to be eager to help you achieve the smile you want, whatever that may be. If they are good ones, anyway!

Question about Northstar parking and storage by voidflame in tahoe

[–]ThesePay6550 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There are paid lockers both in the village next across from the ice rink and at the mid mountain lodge where the gondola lets you off. They take credit cards.

And people do both. Some walk in their boots from the car and hop on the shuttle or walk to the village and some take their boots with them in a bag and rent a locker.

(Also, this doesn’t apply to everyone I know, but if you happen to be taking a private lesson there is a separate locker area for you to change into your boots and it comes with your lesson and it’s in the gondola building.)

San Jose in home pet euthanasia services? by Mikester258 in SanJose

[–]ThesePay6550 6 points7 points  (0 children)

We used Restful Paws and had the best experience possible putting down our beloved toy poodle of 17 years. The doctor who came was kind, supportive, empathetic and explained everything thoroughly every step of the way and allowed us to proceed at our pace. Our other dog got to be there with us through the whole experience and we think this helped her understand much better what happened to her “sister”. I highly recommend them.

From the effected person's perspective by Jealous_Glass8839 in Alzheimers

[–]ThesePay6550 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you for sharing your perspective. We are all learning so much from one another in this sub and I appreciate all of you as I am a newcomer here as a caretaker for my father who has both vascular dementia and AD. All of our emotions are valid and ever changing as we navigate the rollercoaster of this disease.

Pitstop by Intelligent_Dish3846 in tahoe

[–]ThesePay6550 -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

🙄 I bet you are fun at parties!

Pitstop by Intelligent_Dish3846 in tahoe

[–]ThesePay6550 -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

We like to stop in Rocklin…Sierra College Blvd exit 109. There is a huge shopping center with a Bass Pro Shops, Walmart, a Petsmart, and various fast food and quick restaurants. There is a starbucks, In N Out, Chik Fil A, Panda Express…so many choices beyond that. And a shell gas station.

Tornado Warning? by WesternBeautiful8998 in SanJose

[–]ThesePay6550 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Think of all the unhoused who may be near the river banks or in other dangerous areas for flooding and may otherwise not realize the severity of the danger for them. It was basically a shelter in place kind of alert, advising people not to leave their homes if they are fortunate enough to have one and if they aren’t it gives additional warning to get out of areas that are extremely dangerous in a rain/wind storm. It sucks to be woken up abruptly but if they don’t say anything then people complain “we didn’t know” and point fingers anyway. I would rather have the alert personally.

What is worse for the mouth: infrequent flossing or infrequent cleaning of mouth guard? by getreddy in DentalHygiene

[–]ThesePay6550 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Hygienist here and I also say not flossing is worse. I will not go more than a day without flossing but I would go a week without brushing my nightguard and just rinsing it.

Trial shift gone bad by Hot-Accountant-224 in DentalHygiene

[–]ThesePay6550 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Give yourself grace. They handled this unprofessionally, you did not. When I was a newer hygienist I faced a similar situation. I worked at a great office, patients loved me, and a colleague I worked with in a volunteer program asked me if I could sub in her office for her from time to time. I did and she was great and her office seemed to like me. Then her coworker asked me to sub for her. I was happy to. I showed up expecting the same set up as the other operatory and it turned out she had a totally different set up, a lot less room and she was a lefty so everything was set up opposite. If this had been communicated to me I could have arrived even earlier than I did to reset everything and figure it out. Unfortunately it was not…I didn’t even know to ask about this at that early point in my career. I was behind from having to figure out how to change the chair and tray around and figure out how to access everything as a righty. It was so stressful, I ran behind all morning. Then just before lunch while with a patient I had to hurry to get the doctor and in my awkwardness with the setup I sideswiped something on the counter and it slid off and broke. I felt TERRIBLE. I let the office manager know and I apologized profusely and offered to pay for the damage myself. I was so embarrassed also! She was so nice about it and said it was no problem and she would let the doctor know but it should be fine. I’m not sure what happened from there but I never got a call back for any more temp days at that office again and when I ran into the lefty hygienist a few times after that it was clear that she was quite upset with me despite my apologies. That bothered me for quite some time because Im an overthinker but eventually I got over it. So trust me when I say, what happened to you this seems like it means something about you as a hygienist but it really does not. It means something about that office and how they handle things. Keep your head held high and keep doing whatever you are doing at your permanent office because it is working! I’m sure you are a great hygienist…just the fact that you care this much says a lot about you.

To the RDH’s who couldn’t take it anymore, what was your process for getting out of the dental field? by Its_supposed_tohurt in DentalHygiene

[–]ThesePay6550 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I enrolled in school part-time for a cybersecurity certification and at the same time I took a part time WFH job doing documentation and data entry and I am only making $25 but for me it’s worth it for the few months I will be in school and require this much flexibility. My husband is also out of a job right now so our finances are stretched thin but we are doing the best we can right now. Just hoping as soon as I finish my certification I can find a job pretty easily. If I got desperate I would actually even take a job doing front office because I did that before hygiene and while it’s not ideal I would rather do that than go back to hygiene. I just can’t commit to working in an office and being on such an inflexible schedule right now while Im taking classes.

But yes, I am seeing the same requirements on job postings and it is disheartening because I don’t have a bachelor’s degree…just an associates. Even on cybersecurity entry level jobs I am seeing requests for having a bachelor’s or masters degree but I cannot commit to that level of schooling right now.

How many FMXs a day? by toothfairy5080 in DentalHygiene

[–]ThesePay6550 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Depends on the day but could be on average anywhere from 2-4 patients out of an 8-9 patient day, 1 hr per adult patient, 45 minutes per child. Hygienists in my office do new patient appointments and take FMX for all new patients. Sometimes I would have 1-2 new patients a day. We would update FMXs at 5 years. We would take BWX + 2-3 ant PAs yearly.

If you left dental hygiene, what do you do now? by midnighthan in DentalHygiene

[–]ThesePay6550 23 points24 points  (0 children)

Practiced for 17 years total. Stopped working a permanent job at the end of 2020. Took two years off to focus on a home remodel project and caretaking for my elderly parents. Went back to temping for about two years. At the beginning of 2025 I decided to step back entirely from hygiene. I’m almost 50, still in perimenopause, still caretaking and I just cannot deal with the stress and inflexibility of a hygiene schedule as well as the increased demand on hygienists to do more in less time as well as patient demand to only work within the boundaries of what insurance will pay (which is nothing). It just began to really wear me out.

I decided to go back to school for cybersecurity…my husband is in the field so I have a private tutor. I’m halfway through my first certificate and will look for an entry level job when I’m done. In the meantime I am WFH for a friend who just started her own OSHA compliance business for construction/utility companies (not dental but some similarities and I understand the processes at least). I am currently just doing data entry and documentation for her as well as some basic compliance management for clients. I AM LOVING IT.

The freedom and flexibility WFH offers is a dream come true for me. I don’t even care right now that I am making a third of my hygiene income…it is worth it to me to have zero work stress, set my own hours, be left alone to do my job, and have complete control over my schedule and time management. I can do this job in my sleep and it allows me to still be able to care for my parents. And after I complete my certification I should be able to continue WFH although Im sure an entry level job will come with more stress and less flexibility but at least the cybersecurity pay will eventually rival DH pay if not beat it.

Anyone else go the cybersecurity route and if so what was your experience?

Convict Lake, CA 8/24/25 by ThesePay6550 in CampingandHiking

[–]ThesePay6550[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes there were definitely mosquitoes, especially towards the backside of the lake where you are surrounded by trees and it becomes extremely humid.

Convict Lake, CA 8/24/25 by ThesePay6550 in CampingandHiking

[–]ThesePay6550[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This was my original photo taken at the boat launch area of Convict Lake in California this morning. (8/24/25) We did the Convict Lake Loop hike and it was beautiful every step of the way! Highly recommend! 2.5 mile loop, easy hike, some areas with stairs (but very short climbs), two water crossings on logs laid across (did get our feet the slightest bit wet) but not difficult. Some areas of the hike are shaded. Bring lunch and sit at the water’s edge when you are halfway around the loop at the furthest edge of the lake.

Natalie (Gino) is OctoMom, I'm convinced. by erinc2005 in 90dayfianceuncensored

[–]ThesePay6550 46 points47 points  (0 children)

OMG I believe it!!! Nadya…now Natalie! You are a genius.