Has a patient every said they missed an appointment because you didn’t remind them? How about the patients shopping for home care products in your office to take home by the bag full at no charge? Then there are the confessors asking for forgiveness and absolution for not flossing. Dental hygienists themselves have created or contributed to these behaviors in overt and subtle non-examined ways. Dental hygienists, like the loved ones in a family, can unwitting become the codependent enablers for the patients they serve.
Patti DiGangi, RDH, BS and Shirley Gutkowski RDH, BSDH are known for bringing their mid-western sensibility to today’s health issues with an eye towards the future. With decades of experience in clinical dental hygiene, writing about it, speaking on it, and pondering over all aspects of it, Patti and Shirley challenge dental hygienists to reach higher levels of revolutionary thinking to meet 21st century patient need
