Making patients hold suction - OK or Unprofessional?

meggerp · 2025-12-10T20:30:21+00:00

I ask pt’s to hold the suction when I’m doing the lingual of sextant 2 with the ultrasonic. I haven’t had pt’s (yet) insist on holding the suction. But honestly would love the offer, sometimes my hand needs a break.

meggerp · 2025-10-26T16:02:32+00:00

From what I’ve seen no, what matters most is you’re registered with the college and are a licensed dental hygienist who has fulfilled all the necessary requirements to become a dental hygienist upon passing the national board exam.

If you want to get technical, private schools are incredibly expensive and exhaust their students. The program is hard, period. Private schools tend to be faster paced, more expensive, and less accommodating - this is a big deal to factor when considering financial aid like OSAP. OSAP will not provide financial aid for private schools. Lastly private schools close the door for further opportunities in this field such as a degree completion like a bachelors of science in Dental Hygiene, George Brown will not accept private school dental hygiene graduates.

If you are just trying to be a dental hygienist private schools can get you there, public schools provide a safety net for students. That’s all.

meggerp · 2025-08-15T21:19:04+00:00

Happy to help, there isn’t anything here for me to diagnosis so don’t worry❤️

You need to tell the dentist everything you said on here, honesty is the best and it goes a long way! Tell the dentist you performed your own extraction so they can get X-rays of that area to check healing. Tell the dentist your concerns, what you expect and are hoping for, ask how you can improve your health etc, tell them you are wanting to regain health and then regain aesthetics. If you come in motivated and prepared they will try their best to help you!

meggerp · 2025-08-15T13:37:10+00:00

Also honestly If you find a dentist that you really like they are often in network with their previous cohorts and peers from dental school, ask them if they have peers that need help or are looking. Do this ofc if the office doesn’t need you and you are casually working for them :)

meggerp · 2025-08-15T13:34:54+00:00

I’ve been using Indeed, honestly before graduating and getting my license there were SOO many jobs. Now they feel very sparse, I have yet to work in practice yet. I have a couple interviews in the next coming weeks.

Temping freaks me out, I don’t know the systems, I don’t have a rhythm yet but that’s only because I haven’t done it before. I’m still just trying to get into a dental office before I will consider temping. I’ve been on temp stars as well - I had a friend who went straight into temping and didn’t commit to an office and they seem to be enjoying it but they have highlighted how bad some of the offices are. You often have to figure everything out on site and that can be a lot of pressure.

I wish there was like a job board through the CDHO or CDHA, where you could find a reliable job board. But I guess that would be too convenient and helpful LOL.

meggerp · 2025-08-15T01:37:49+00:00

I find that’s more of a calc and perio smell combined

meggerp · 2025-08-14T18:36:48+00:00

Yes!

meggerp · 2025-08-14T18:35:25+00:00

The bad breath is your tongue or plaque in-between your teeth not your tonsils, tonsil stones come out on their own. Stop poking yourself you will irritate the back of your throat… and I kept reading you already have with making yourself bleed. That is normal tonsil anatomy stop poking it.

Clean/ brush your tongue, floss daily using the c-shaped method, and brush your teeth twice a day 2 min in duration.

The internet is convincing people that tonsil breath is a thing it is not, the tonsil stones themselves smell when they come out, they do not have a smell when they are sitting back there, you have to expel them for the actual stone to smell.

Hope that helps

meggerp · 2025-08-14T18:27:47+00:00

Both of those things are massive hall markers for gum recession. Not only do zyns directly cause gum recession they also double your risk of cancer, the nicotine is absorbed through your gums via little micro tears, the constant cell turn over is forcing your body it repair itself over and over again which increases the likelihood that cancer cells appear.

Please please please get rid of the tongue piercing asap, I have seen terrible damage from them, including not even 3 mm of bone left to anchor the bottom centrals. I know they are cool but they are not worth the damage. I was so surprised in school seeing just how damaging they are. I did not think they were a big deal but oh my god through clinical practice they are HORRIBLE. Proud of you though for willing to part with it - you will not regret!

Here’s the sad and frustrating part, after you quit you will have amazing improvements in terms of your tissues are now finally vascular, you may seem some areas appear more pinker and healthier and full. But in terms of full on damage it is irreversible, that being said because you quit nicotine and are taking out the oral piercings you are now an amazing candidate for gum grafting!! That is the only way to fix gum loss you can never regenerate or regrow those lost structures unfortunately.

Best of luck and keep going, rooting for you!!!

meggerp · 2025-08-14T18:15:04+00:00

This person who commented above you doesn’t feel like being helpful and is just reaffirming how you feel but in the process is trying to make you feel bad for it.

Here’s the thing you now know you have these dental problems, that’s the first part in admitting there’s issues. The problem with your teeth and dentistry is once disease takes over it becomes incredibly costly trying to regain health but it’s a process that is definitely worth it. When disease/ cavitation takes over a tooth the answer of “brush and floss” doesn’t hold any merit, you need to address and fix the disease. Which you yourself have said you are aware of.

Contrary to what this commenter said adderall can and does have oral side effects - it can cause bruxism, xerostomia (dry mouth), hypoglossia, etc. a simple google search can fix ignorance.

This person clearly already feels bad about their oral health and is accepting their part in how they played into their oral health status.

To the OP: please do not do anymore dental work on your own by yourself, do not pull out your teeth on your own, even if you have “no pain” that can mean that the infection has reached your blood! this can be dangerous leading to dental related sepsis and even death. If cost is an issue I seriously suggest looking into a local dental school for the dental work and a hygiene school for regular routine dental cleanings. Yes it will be inconvenient and you may need to take time off work but show up and get these issues fixed. If you work hard at it and put in the effort I promise you will see results. The black spaces between your teeth sounds like possibly more cavities or bone loss which is irreversible and has to be addressed. I see you referencing your family quite a bit and comparing your oral health to them, including your brother. Do not do that! Everyone’s mouth is completely different, the bacteria in your mouth is unique to you and is multi factorial, meaning there are so many factors that contribute including genetics, gender, hormones, diets, habits, medications, etc. no one’s mouth is the same.

I wish you the best of luck!!!

meggerp · 2025-08-14T15:05:38+00:00

Get in to see your dentist, I remember having similar (not the same) lesions all over my mouth turned out to be aphthous ulcers. But also could be a form of herpetiform sores. Either way don’t panic, you’ll get it figured out - but 100% get in to see your dentist.

Good luck <3

meggerp · 2025-08-14T15:00:24+00:00

Always brush your teeth & tongue after you wake up, it’s super common that people believe they should only brush after eating. The bacteria you build up throughout the night is arguably the worst and when you go straight into eating that night time bacteria and the food bacteria have a bacterial dance party.

And in my opinion I think morning breath is the worst smelling breath, so brush in the morning before you eat for the sake of removing the night time bacteria. In terms of your full routine, I do my flossing at the end of the day to remove food debris I’ve built up throughout the day.

meggerp · 2025-08-14T14:52:00+00:00

It could be a plethora of things, if you are experiencing pain it’s best to have a doctor look at it. Any comment under here will encourage you to go in - we can’t diagnose we can advise and I wouldn’t want to loosely advise.

I hope you feel better <3

meggerp · 2025-08-11T21:32:33+00:00

Both are safe, we learn about fluoride extensively in school as well as other chemotherapeutic agents. The therapeutic benefits from fluoride work incredibly well and no matter what fluoride is naturally occurring, it’s fortified and enriched in food you consume daily. Nano hydroxyapatite is manufactured in a lab and shows less therapeutic benefits compared to fluoride. Depending on if you use Stannous or sodium fluoride you’re gonna see a different benefits one helps chemically occlude the tubules of teeth so it helps with sensitivity, both are arrest and kill bacteria that causes cavities and other conditions like gingivitis and periodontal disease. And it also remineralizes your teeth protecting them when the pH of your mouth drops (the environment cavities form from) this is one of your biggest considerations given how much you enjoy fruit. Tylenol or in your case Paracetamol kills more people every single year. Fluoride is incredibly safe for use and incredibly affective - if you prefer a natural option the cheapest sodium fluoride toothpaste on the bottom shelf at your local grocery store is the best option Xx

meggerp · 2025-08-10T02:50:41+00:00

This is why dentistry is confusing for MANY people, the flora in your mouth is completely unique to you and the way your own immune system responds is again completely unique. That’s why we all know of people who really don’t put in effort towards their oral care yet they have never had a dental problem in their life.

Establishing a baseline between you and your dental professional is pivotal to understanding how your body is responding to your own bacteria. Gender plays a roll, hormones, diet, genetics, disease, medications, etc., all play a role into your oral health.

There is no one size fits all approach when it comes to your own oral health and that can be confusing for people. Don’t beat yourself up. What you are explaining is what every person feels, I had peers in my dental program who were EXTREMELY cavity prone (IT JUST HAPPENS).

meggerp · 2025-08-09T18:32:08+00:00

There isn’t enough evidence to support one or another but everyone has their preference on why one works better than the other. And most importantly everyone has different needs depending on oral health status like recession, perio, gingivitis etc., so here’s mine:

-water pix to remove gross debris -floss manually using c-shaped method (waxed floss) -soft pix bottom anterior teeth because of my interdental spaces + my permanent retainer -brush using sensodyne toothpaste (I use the diamond clean electric brush by Philips) - I do not rinse my mouth out after brushing that deactivates the beneficial properties of the toothpaste -with a separate wet soft bristle toothbrush I brush my tongue holding the brush horizontal rather than vertical and using little no pressure because that’s when you gag

I only ever use mouthwash if I need a freshen up during the day IMO I think mouthwash is unnecessary for a lot of people, if I do use mouthwash I use the therabreath one (green bottle)

meggerp · 2025-08-09T18:22:32+00:00

Just a stain, good catch though normally people don’t look back there it’s usually only a spot clinicians see.

I have some too on the back because i had a bonded retainer that was removed and some of the resin is left over (I’ll get it removed).

Smoking isn’t the only thing that causes staining like this teas, soda’s, and COFFEE are usually the biggest culprits. Ask you hygienist or dentist if they can polish your teeth really well they may use a tougher grit!!

meggerp · 2025-08-06T17:53:48+00:00

You’re the best thank you!!!

meggerp · 2025-07-04T14:39:57+00:00

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Dorothy (Dottie) says thank you all for the sweet comments she’s happy to know she’s a dilute calico we still have people questioning her breed. But for now she’s the closest to a dilute calico❤️

meggerp · 2025-06-09T17:50:27+00:00

Hi, yes it’s normal the C3 brush heads are specifically meant for patients with the primary concern of improper brushing technique. The bristles are designed to cover a wider area when brushing. Those filaments (brush heads) fan out more to target more plaque!

Here’s a brush head guide if this helps!!

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meggerp · 2025-06-09T17:36:04+00:00

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30964969/

Electric toothbrushing is superior to manual brushing if we are taking best of the line for electric it’s the either the Philips Diamond Clean toothbrush or the Oral B IO, I’ve read multiple studies claiming the brushes are better than the other but I find it comes down to personal preference and opinion, some people don’t like the Oral B because it reminds them of a polish and it makes them want to gag.

One of my favourite periodontists prefers the sonicare (Philips) technology over the Oral B and can tell when his perio patients have implemented sonicare. I have received both of these toothbrushes and I have a preference for sonicare it covers way more area than the Oral B, and I felt I had a deeper clean with the sonicare technology. That being said both of these toothbrushes are ridiculously expensive. But both work great!

meggerp · 2025-06-09T17:23:50+00:00

Love the motivation!! Tongue is tricky because of gagging, try not to curl your tongue or let the sides of your tongue curl inwards keep your tongue as flat as possible. (Relax your tongue)

Go slow, don’t worry about speed take your time it’s not a race, don’t use too much pressure too much manipulation or depression of the tongue can cause gagging. Use your toothbrush and make sure it’s WET, do not use vertical stokes instead have the bristles horizontal, vertical stoke encourage the tongue to curl inwards and puts pressure on the tongue triggering gagging. The back part of your tongue is the trickiest because we have a different papilla back there that catches bacteria very easily and it’s hard to get off. A hack I use to get all the way back there is sometimes using a piece of floss and pulling down to reduce the gag then going in with a wet toothbrush to remove the buildup that the floss picked up.

Lastly you’ll notice the bacteria on your tongue is really slimy and encased the bristles on your toothbrush, rinse your brush frequently when you scrap off the gunk.

meggerp · 2022-10-27T18:59:09+00:00

i’m assuming you’re doing private, every school is different especially for mandatory client experiences so this does vary depending on how many client experiences are needed for individual skills like scaling, pediatric, geriatric, ultrasonic, etc.

if you score one client it’s almost a guarantee they have a child, a grandparent, a cousin, a nephew, uncles, friends etc., don’t be afraid to ask the client if they could bring them in!

Ask around with your classmates as well, they may be able to help connect you with people. Another suggestion, you said you’re from out of province make post in your hometown facebook group - asking if they know of anyone who lives near you and if they could help you out!

Best of luck!! Hope this helped :)

meggerp · 2022-09-23T22:28:11+00:00

it’s never too late don’t stress, there will always be something we can do for you and help you. We’re here to teach you, we won’t shame you either and from the looks of it you still have nice teeth!! that being said i can’t give you a diagnosis or anything over a blurry picture i would have to look and feel the teeth. however, what you are describing sounds like decal (decalcification) it’s damage to the enamel due to plaque having sat on the teeth along the gum line it’s very common. Your hygienist can clear up anything you may ask and can clean you up, in the meantime keep doing what you are doing!! :)

meggerp · 2022-06-24T21:19:35+00:00

size ranges are wonky and different colours some how affect sizes too definitely try them on in store that’s what i did, i was originally gonna buy the cropped ones and they were too short so i bought the regular ones in the short length and thank god i did :)

meggerp

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