Ready for a change? Use this checklist to reflect on your current role, satisfaction and future career goals. See what your responses reveal about what’s next.

You’ve worked hard to earn your credentials as a registered dental hygienist. You are a clinical provider and a crucial member of a dental office team. It’s important that you find a dental office that complements your professional skills and personal needs.

Welcome to Masters & Mentors, a series designed to give you ideas, insights, and stories on practice and personal success. Hear from leading dental providers on how they expanded their clinical, leadership, and business skills – all for the benefit of their patients.

Gain a comprehensive understanding of personal autonomy, practice autonomy, and professional autonomy, exploring their interconnectedness and relevance in promoting ethical and effective dental hygiene care, increased workplace satisfaction, creating attractive work environments, and meaningfulness of work.

According to the rules and as governed by their state medical and/or dental practice acts, dental hygienists may be permitted to apply fluorides and SDF. Dental hygienists in most states whose Medicaid programs cover SDF application may be permitted to apply SDF under the same authorization or restrictions as other topical fluorides.

Permitted functions and supervision requirements vary widely by state. To verify any of these requirements, please contact your state’s dental board. The Oral Health Workforce Research Center also offer an interesting overview of the variation in dental hygiene scope of practice by state

Research your ability to monitor or administer nitrous oxide where you live with this up-to-date map of N20 participating states.

Ready to inspire and be inspired? Whether you are a new graduate or shifting your focus mid-career, the right mentor or mentors can help you thrive. Becoming a mentor is the ideal way to pass on academic values, practical advice and networking skills and build confidence and potential in your mentee.

Discover a pathway for you to be authorized to practice in all states participating in the compact, rather than needing an individual license in each state. Not unlike a driver’s license, this gives you the freedom to cross state lines for new career opportunities without worrying that your license won’t travel with you.

The Journal of Dental Hygiene (JDH) is the premier, peer-reviewed scientific research publication of the ADHA. Published bi-monthly online, each issue offers readers articles that support evidence-based treatment decisions and so much more.

Explore how to expand roles, advance and broaden scope of practice, and strengthen independence in clinical decision-making. Special emphasis will be placed on key areas such as policy reform, advocacy, and actionable steps toward achieving full professional autonomy in education, practice, licensure, discipline, and regulatory processes.

Watch this webinar to see Everyday Extraordinary in action. Join us as we discuss a truly collaborative patient care approach from the experts as they share their journey from a traditional relationship to form an outstanding partnership that benefits each of them, the practice and most importantly their patients.

Direct Access refers to the ability of a dental hygienist to initiate treatment based on their assessment of a patient’s needs without the specific authorization of a dentist, treat the patient without the presence of a dentist, and maintain a provider-patient relationship.

Learn why ADHA supports dental hygiene curricula that leads to competency in the dental hygiene process of care: assessment, dental hygiene diagnosis, planning, implementation, evaluation and documentation.

The health and wellness of the dental hygiene community and the patients you serve is our top priority. ADHA has been working closely with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to advocate for clear guidance, and the latest information can be found in the Infection Control Guidance for Healthcare Professionals about Coronavirus (COVID-19).

Explore current job openings and expand your search by employer or state to find your perfect fit.

Join this webinar to listen to hygienists, just like you, who became authors, entrepreneurs, direct access providers, practice movers and shakers, business managers and corporate managers on how they defined their future, created their opportunities and what it means to them to be EMPOWERED.

Explore local anesthesia administration by dental hygienists exam and education requirements by state.

Learn more about the role of advocacy and the variance in scope of practice from state to state. Guests talk about the public health dental hygiene(PHDH) model in Illinois and the efforts to pass new legislation to increase the settings where PHDHs can practice.

Listen in to learn about the great work NDHA is doing to advocate for improved access to care, and encourage and support more minority dental hygienists to enter the profession. Plus, hear about ongoing efforts between ADHA and NDHA to strengthen the relationship and join forces to advance our shared passion for oral health.

Expand your expertise and learn the role ethics and critical decision making play in the daily lives of dental hygienists regardless of workplace setting. Plus, learn about the origins of Black History Month and Chinese (Lunar) New Year as we continue to focus on inclusion, diversity and equity issues.

Learn more about why proper classification is important to protect workers’ rights and avoid such issues. If you are misclassified as a 1099 contractor, you’re responsible for your own workers’ compensation, health insurance, and other benefits—and dental practices who misclassify their workers can face serious legal penalties.

Discover the treatment for the common code with accurate, evidence-based methods to determine an appropriate treatment plan. This includes selecting the correct CDT procedure codes for the treatment and more.

Get ready to inject some rare excitement into tax season with our one-hour crash course, “Tax Tips and Tricks for the Dental Hygienist”! Tailored for those who thrive on scaling teeth and saving smiles rather than sorting through tax forms, this session tackles the unique challenges of tax filing. Discover practical strategies for deductions, learn how to assert your rights, and safeguard yourself from financial mishaps.

Worker classification determines how workers are treated in the workplace. The DOL and state labor boards are tasked with ensuring that employees receive fair wages, are properly compensated for all work, and work in a safe physical environment free from discrimination.

Explore current trends in dental settings and their impact on patient care and professional liability. We’ll discuss the top four liability areas in dental hygiene and common reasons for lawsuits against dental hygienists to equip you with essential knowledge to navigate risks and maintain high standards of patient care.

Don’t miss this primer on legal and risk management concepts designed to review opportunity to minimize risk of litigation on dental providers. Learn to manage risk well with best clinical, education and documentation processes.

Reduce stress while building relationships, expanding your skill set and being a champion for change. If you’re ready to make an impact, there’s a volunteer opportunity for you!

All aspects of social and emotional awareness are integral to your ability to connect for career and self-fulfillment. Understand the importance of emotional intelligence as a dental hygienist, how to identify blind spots, and help understand how to rewrite feelings and reverse triggers, which will increase your impact personally and professionally.

Step up and take on more significant roles in overall health and wellness. Traditionally seen as just ‘tooth cleaners,’ the new era of the profession is a much broader role—one that transcends the confines of the dental chair and fully addresses oral-systemic health.

Understand the importance of self-care and a positive work-life balance as a career dental hygienist. Identify the stresses of the dental hygiene profession and how to manage these stresses, discuss the importance of physical and mental well-being and how they affect our overall well-being.

Gain an understanding of what mindfulness means through engaging activities and how stressful practice influences actions, thoughts, and behaviors. And be empowered to increase health and well-being practices when confronted with stress for themselves and those around them.

Discover powerful tools to build resilience in your daily life and combat burnout. This immersive virtual certification course promises to deliver practical knowledge, insightful discussions, and engaging activities tailored for anyone eager to prioritize mental wellness and reduce stress.

Get ready to sharpen your leadership toolkit and apply what you learn to your daily experiences. Plan to flex your new leadership skills and find the potential you have simmering inside as you learn about yourself and understand how to positively influence and constructively communicate with your team.

Join us to understand the basics of hygiene retention, the industry standards, how it affects the dental practice financially, and how to increase patient retention. This course will empower you to bring new ideas to your practice owner and directly contribute to the continued success of the practice.

Discover how Kristin Maxwell, RDH, overcame burnout to return to her dental hygiend career. Determined to do more than manage her anxiety, she is now sharing what she learned and what guided her to improve her self-care.

Join the movement to reverse the effects of repetitive, suboptimal movements performed routinely by hygienists. This interprofessional presentation by a Doctor of Physical Therapy is a hybrid-style workshop, for an overview of relevant anatomy, positions and tasks associated with MSDs.

Learn how to set situations and people up for success using constructive communication tools and resolution strategies. We’ll discuss how to be the person who helps navigate towards agreement and workable solutions using clear strategies and communication practices that can help us handle the conflicts in our lives.

Tune in as our host talks about civil unrest, and takes a look at the ADHA core values and actions to aid in their commitment to increase diversity and inclusion. Dr. Joy Void-Holmes share thoughts on how ADHA can take action.

Hear this important discussion about the importance of educating hygienists about mental health and burnout to help hygienists recognize the signs and implement effective strategies to overcome the damaging effects.