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Shoulder and back pain is one of the most common complaints for those working in dentistry. Claire Berry gives her three tips to help avoid it. When I was training to become a hygienist, I remember the instructors being really strict about back care. I recall adjusting my posture when I saw them walking toward … Continued
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Claire Berry shares her experiences developing her career in hygiene and therapy since leaving the army, how she faced the challenges of 2020 and what she hopes for in the future. How do you feel practices can use a dental hygienist or therapist’s skills to best effect for patients? Claire Berry (CB): Obviously, you’re taught … Continued
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Claire Berry explores the role of biofilm and how it requires more than just one approach to help tackle the problem. Being a dental hygienist, the topic of biofilm is extremely interesting to me. Maybe more interesting then I care to admit! Clinically, my role is to remove 100% of it and then educate patients … Continued
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Claire Berry explores some of the avenues a hygienist can go down to help boost the income of dental practices. We can sometimes overlook the fantastic opportunities that can come from having a hygienist at the practice. Not only is the hygienist’s role essential for prevention and patient care, it’s a smart move to boost … Continued
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As we begin 2021, Claire Berry asks whether patients are beginning to realise the importance of the dental hygienist. Since returning to work post lockdown 1.0, I find myself busier than ever. It’s the beginning of January as I write this and I am fully booked until the end of April. That’s including working to … Continued
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Colour is an essential tool when creating the right environment for your patients and developing your practice’s brand, highlights Claire Berry. I’ve lost many an hour designing my perfect surgery in my head; mulling over equipment, design, branding. Although, mostly intrigued by non-tangible considerations, predominantly what colour it would be, it intrigued me why I … Continued
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In her final blog instalment of 2020, Claire Berry discusses why disclosing solution is a must-have for hygienists. Disclosing solution – the most under used yet unbelievably useful tool in your hygienist armoury. I cannot understand why some hygienists aren’t using it. It’s revolutionised how I perform treatment. It has allowed me to flip my … Continued
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This month Claire Berry discusses how to upgrade the ‘scale and polish’ so that patients appreciate the importance of good oral health. I got to work the other day and the practice owner came to me before our daily practice meeting. They said: ‘Claire, think of another name for your services please. I am going … Continued
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With a huge growth in low-cost options for whitening on social media, Claire Berry explores how safe this is for patients. As a dental professional who carries out legal, professional, medical grade tooth whitening, it astounds me how able and willing the Instagram generation is to put their oral health at risk. They search for … Continued
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Claire Berry explores the world of facial aesthetics in this months column, asking – are hygienists and therapists well placed for facial aesthetics? Well as a facial aesthetics practitioner, it’s a resounding yes from me! And with so many others entering the field of aesthetics what is it that draws us towards it? It felt … Continued
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Claire Berry highlights how easy and satisfying a hygienist’s job is when a dental practice and clinician values their work. Something happened to me at work the other day that made me realise I had made it. Unfortunately not in a superstar or famous kind of way. In the: ‘I feel like my practice truly … Continued
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With a growth in popularity, Claire Berry explores whether virtual consultations are the new way forward for dental advice. When the world was thrown into lockdown and dental centres were forced to close, it meant a sudden halt to general treatment and cancelling our patients. In some cases this meant cancelling in the midst of … Continued
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With lockdown keeping patients away, Claire Berry introduces the innovative virtual online oral health clinic from the BSDHT and Oral-B. We have been in lockdown now for over 10 weeks. I can’t help but think about all my patients who I usually see on a three monthly basis. It makes me sad that there are … Continued
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Claire Berry discusses her experience at three different award evenings – and what it’s like to be among the winners. How does it feel to have won an award? It is a great feeling to win an industry award – nothing beats it. We work so hard and so to be recognised for your efforts … Continued
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Claire Berry discusses her hobbies away from dentistry and why having a hobby away from your profession is so important. Please introduce yourself My name is Claire Berry and I’m a dental hygienist in the north of England between Leeds and Doncaster. I qualified in 2009 whilst I was serving in the Army, which I … Continued
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Claire Berry explores mindfulness toothbrushing and how it could just help keep patients on the straight and narrow for the long term. Mindfulness…with toothbrushing? I know what you are thinking and no – lockdown hasn’t got me going crazy, read on! We’ve all got a bit more time during lockdown, including our patients. So now … Continued
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Now is a great opportunity to spread awareness and come back bigger and better than before, Claire Berry says. It’s a worrying time for everyone, including dental hygienists and therapists at the moment. You don’t need me to tell you that being self-employed and unable to work is a worst nightmare come true. I am … Continued
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Claire Berry explains why empty dental practices are the perfect location for COVID-19 antibody testing. Dental centres across the UK are closing their doors or only remaining open to treat emergency cases. This leaves an abundance of medically trained dental professionals temporarily redundant. There is an opportunity to utilise these medically trained teams and clinical … Continued
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Zoning appointments can help change the behaviour of your patients and change attitudes, Claire Berry says. Newly qualified dental hygienists who have finished university with high hopes often contact me. A few stressful years dash these hopes as they try to adapt to time constraints while dealing with pressures from practice owners, pressure from patients, … Continued
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Claire Berry explains how she realised her potential as a hygienist and started to grow and invest in her business. Being a hygienist can be an extremely rewarding career. It is one that I am hugely proud of and passionate about. But it can also be terribly frustrating at times. When I first entered this … Continued
