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Hey, hey, hey, welcome to the Beyond the Pro Feed podcast.
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I'm your host, Jasmine Haley, and today's guest is Alyssa Delgado.
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Alyssa is an associate professor of dental hygiene at Minnesota State University, Mankato, and a clinical practitioner with over 14 years of experience.
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She holds a master's of science in dental hygiene from the University of New Mexico and is currently pursuing a second master's degree.
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Yes, okay, in advanced dental therapy.
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Alyssa has published articles in RDH magazine and dentistry IQ, has presented at national conferences like RDH Under One Roof and the ADHA Annual Conference.
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And she is also a recipient of the prestigious Sunstar Award of Distinction.
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She's my purple ring sister.
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Passionate about advancing dental hygiene.
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She strives to inspire and empower professionals with cutting-edge research and technology.
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Welcome to the show, Alyssa.
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Thank you so much for having me.
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I am so excited.
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Yes.
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First of all, I'm geeking out.
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I can't wait to tell my students this because I'm like, I finally am talking to someone that is in an advanced dental therapy program, is about to graduate, and I know how important it is for us to have this mid-level practitioner.
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So I want to dive into you being an amazing educator and expanding your ways just outside of clinical care in multiple different fashions, right?
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What led you down the route of the advanced dental therapy position?
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Like what was the calling for?
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Yeah.
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So I I mean, I've been in dentistry since I was 16.
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Um, my uncle's a dentist, and so I started all the way at the bottom, you know, doing sterile tech and unlicensed dental assisting, and then moved into like more traditional dental assisting.
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Um, I've been a dental hygienist for 10 years, and I just absolutely fell in love with dental hygiene.
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And I want to be very abundantly clear, I am still very much in love with dental hygiene.
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Um it is not something where I'm like, oh, I'm just moving on to something else.
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I see dental therapy being so integrated.
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It is like they are one in dental therapy and dental hygiene, especially when we talk about the models where you have to be a hygienist to even get into this profession to get into these programs.
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That's how I think it should be designed.
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That's how I fully support this.
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Um, but I've always just had that kind of like innovator pioneer calling of like, I want to lead the way with some of my leadership and having the opportunity where my dental hygiene program actually branched out and opened a dental therapy school a few years ago.
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And I was like, ooh, this might be a good opportunity for me.
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And I mean, I want to show people, including my students, including anyone, that you can do this.
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Like you can go back.
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I'm your teacher and now I'm your classmate, and we're gonna get through this.
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And it's it's a fun like challenge to show people that like there is pathways beyond, you know, just getting stuck in your own, you know, bubble.
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And um, it's been super rewarding.
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I've really, really enjoyed advancing my skills and branching out.
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It's been amazing.
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I love that.
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Would you be willing to share a little bit of like what is it like for you as far as schooling?
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Like, is it a full-time, part-time program?
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I know that you're a mom genness.
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How have you been able to kind of hit handle just a day-to-day life?
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Yes.
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Also managing this higher level, mid-level, you know, training.
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Yes.
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Yeah.
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So um as far as the program goes, uh it's super important to investigate the school.
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What does our program schedule look like?
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Um, currently there's only five programs in the United States.
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Minnesota has three of those five.
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Um, so that's also important to kind of know is if you're planning on going on this path, like most likely you're gonna move for a few years.
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Um, even within the state, we have a few girls that travel from quite a far ways, like four or five hours.
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Um, and they understand that it's a sacrifice and a commitment for the two-year, two and a half years that you're in the program.
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And that is one of the silver linings is it's temporary, it's only for a few years.
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And um, funny story, I decided to do this program and the next week found out I was pregnant.
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So I did all of this while becoming a mother.
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Um, life has a funny way of working in that regard.
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But wow for my school, my school's in southern Minnesota, and um, it's uh primarily there's a large portion of the material that's online, which allows for a lot of flexibility.
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And then, of course, you are doing clinical work, you are doing fillings and exams and extractions and all of these types of clinical procedures that requires you to be in clinic.
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Um, and so it ranges from three to four days a week, um, depending on the semester that you're in.
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Um, so current this current semester, I just have three days a week, um, which is completely manageable as a mom, as a professional.
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For those that um don't have other family obligations, they're working as a hygienist the other two days a week or two and a half days a week, which is so nice to not feel like you're just slowly going into debt, that you're having a little bit of income coming your way as a dental hygienist.
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Um, so I have really felt like the program schedule has worked wonderfully.
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It's it was way less than I was anticipating.
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You know, you're thinking I'm gonna be here till 11 p.m.
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and you know how it is.
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It's not like that at all.
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It's been a wonderful experience.
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That's amazing.
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So, do you have to find your own patients?
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Are you allowed to choose the sites?
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Like, are they choosing the sites for you?
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Like, what is that?
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Because you know, when we're in traditional hygiene school, we were providing the services on site.
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So I would love to know like how do they handle that for such a new profession?
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Yeah, yeah.
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So um well, new profession here in the US because this is something that's modeled out of Alaska.
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Yes, yeah, we're behind the eight ball in the US.
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This but so um our clinical experiences range, so we do external rotations, those are preset by the school, so we don't have to go out and find our own rotations.
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I know there's a couple other programs that have a little bit more flexibility in like choosing an office, but there's uh as we know as educators, there's coda requirements for accreditation and those types of things.
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So we have a couple public health, they're federally qualified health centers that we go out to in the southern Minnesota area.
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And so we do clinical rotations through those throughout the semesters, and then we see patients here um at our dental hygiene program um in the dental clinic.
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And one of the things that I have really appreciated is we've really made our dental clinic um in our dental hygiene and now dental therapy program um kind of a main hub for um our underserved populations.
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So love that there's not a lot of dental offices that um take state funded insurance, and we've really kind of made ourselves like a dental home in our area.
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And so, I mean, we have people traveling from hours away just to come to our facility to seek out care.
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So I have had the wonderful opportunity to see these amazing humans, and I haven't had to like, you know, it wasn't like dental hygiene where I'm on the side of the road, like, please, someone come get your teeth cleaned.
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These people are seeking that service out, and then you also have a pipeline from the dental hygiene students because they are getting dental exams at their dental hygiene cleanings, and those fillings are being directly funneled to dental therapy, so it really has opened up such a beautiful thing, yes, for the students selfishly, but yeah, for me, this is like the exact population that needs this type of care.
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We're exactly.
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I mean, that's why this model works, yes, that's why it's necessary.
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Created, yes, it's created to bridge that access to care to help these underserved communities.
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This isn't just to be uh, you know, rich moneymaker like a mini dentist.
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That's not at all what this is created to be.
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This is exactly something that I mean, it is so incredibly rewarding.
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And I mean, the bulk of our education is on public health and service and access to care and you know, having culturally competent providers out in the community.
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So I can see that it really is its own unique profession.
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And I know that we can kind of get a little like turf wars in dentistry where it's like, no, you're coming into my turf and um that sort of thing.
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But I really see that there is a place for this, and it is so incredibly needed, and just seeing day after day the patients coming to me and coming to our clinic and saying, like, I am so glad that you guys are here and that you're providing these services reinforces that.
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Yeah, I mean, when I when I have learned first of the profession, especially here in the US, um, I remember I think the very first one is Christy.
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Christy Jo.
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Yes, Fogerty.
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Yeah.
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Yes, Fogarty.
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Okay, I can remember her last name, right?
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And I I have never met her, I just knew her name.
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Yep.
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And I remember seeing her in this film that I always share in my public health class called Dollars and Dentist.
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Yes.
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Um, and I kept thinking to myself how important this was, because at that time when I um was first introduced to her was through the death of Diamante Driver.
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Diamante Driver was a young boy that died here in not here because I don't live in uh Maryland anymore, um, but in Maryland who died from a tooth from tooth decay.
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That essentially the mother was trying to get the services, they were getting all of this red tape, things had to be canceled by the time they get back on the list.
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Now we're talking months because they can't find someone that's willing to accept their uh state insurance for for the dental care.
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And unfortunately, by the time that he was able to get service, it had spread to his brain.
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He had to have surgery in his brain, and this young boy, 12 years old, in one of the richest states, okay, we're right by DC, okay, passed away, yes, in a modernized country, yes, you know what I'm saying, with access like a first world country where yes, they're down the road, but it's like the first disparities and the gaps are like absolutely remarkable.
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Yes, absolutely.
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So I just it warms my heart to see how excited you are about this and how I just wish we could get out of our feelings and ego, yes, okay, and really think about who we took an oath to serve.
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So in Maryland, we tried to pass the dental therapy, right?
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Yep, and I remember specifically, I came to that lobby day, and I remember the people who were giving their remarks of opposition.
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One of them was a doctor I used to work for.
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You know, I was side eyeing them, y'all.
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Okay.
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I was like, what you doing over here?
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Okay.
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Well, all of the dentists that were lining up in opposition, one of them has Chanel, a Chanel bag, was decked out in a gorgeous outfit.
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You can see Botox was on fleek.
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I don't even know if you can use that word anymore, but opposing it, you would never serve the patients that need a dental therapist.
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Right.
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Why are you opposing it?
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You would never do that.
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So it's just there's a lot of ego in it.
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One of the things that's at least given me hope is you know, Minnesota was the first state to pass legislation to allow dental therapists as this mid-level practitioner.
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And that was back in like 2011.
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So fast forward, you know, now we're getting close to the you know 20-year mark here in the next few years.
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And the it the tides have started to turn where we're seeing more acceptance with dentists.
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Obviously, good this model doesn't run without a dentist.
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So these aren't just the Wild West providers out there providing care without oversight.
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You have to have a dentist that has your like heart and your vision and your mission, and you are collaborating and doing this hand in hand together.
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And so that's one of the other things is I understand that it's a concern of you know, having these new providers come in and they're taking away the patients of the dentist, but this is very much a collaborative um practice.
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This isn't something where we're coming in and trying to steal, and you know, it's like the Starbucks down the street is trying to take the Duncan people, you know, for coffee.
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This is it's not that.
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It's let's work together and make a really good, you know, service.
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Um that's a great analogy, by the way.
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Such a good one about coffee.
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That's so good.
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It's not we're not trying to steal like the same market, like these are different markets, they really are.
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I love that.
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And at the time of this recording, I believe Florida just passed for the dental therapy.
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Um, and it's slowly starting to make its way, and even after it passes, that's a huge win.
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But there's still a ton more that has to go on behind the scenes to even get me started, let alone start a school out there.
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So I think that's the barrier right now is like a lot of these people are like, I want to do this, but now can I move to Minnesota for two years?
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I don't know if I want to do that, you know, that sort of thing.
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Um it's well worth it, by the way.
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But um, I've told a lot of my classmates and students that are interested going into this um that they have to really understand that you are going to be a pioneer in this field.
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Where we are in dental therapy was where nurse practitioners and physician associates, physician assistants were, you know, decades ago.
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And I remember when PAs and NPs had a lot of opposition, and they were like, absolutely not.
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Now I almost can exclusively see NPs and PAs.
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It's almost harder to find an MD to see.
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Yes.
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And so I see like our trajectory going that way because there's gonna be opposition, it's gonna be a hard barrier to entry.
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But once we start to get the tides to turn and we start to see that this model is working, I really do believe that this is going to be like the nurse practitioners and the PAs of the medical world.
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This is us in dentistry.
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I love that.
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I love that so much.
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Another thing that you're really passionate about is mental health, and I want to talk a little bit about that um as well, because I I do feel that in my years of entrepreneurship, I felt like it wasn't talked about enough.
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I do feel like it's talked about a little bit more.
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Um, but there's still a lot of stigma around this.
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Absolutely.
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Yeah, there is a lot of there's a lot of stigma in that like you feel a little more open to talk about things, but then oh my gosh, I'm gonna be judged or people aren't gonna take me seriously.
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Um, and I kind of I look at it from two different lenses.
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One, as we have a mental health crisis in this country now, more so than we've ever seen.
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And one of my things, again, as moving into this mid-level practitioner role, but also hello, we are still very much healthcare professionals as dental hygienists, anyone in dentistry, um, that we should be seeing our patients with that lens.
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And if we're having no qualms about, oh, you have you know a broken tooth, we're gonna send you over to a root canal specialist or we're gonna send you over to an oral surgeon.
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Why are we not taking patients like mental health and referring them to providers that can help them with that?
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There's oftentimes cases where we're seeing patients on a very consistent basis, and we can notice a marked change in their personality or their behavior that we know something is wrong.
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Um, and I I've had patients, I had a a teenager that came in and she just didn't look great and hadn't brushed her teeth in who knows how long.
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And um, you know, it's easy to just say, like, well, you need to be brushing your teeth more, and like, how, you know, could you let it get that bad kind of a thing?
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But I really kind of dug a little deeper and didn't talk about you need to brush your teeth.
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I said, Well, how are things going with you?
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How is school?
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How is you know your mental health?
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And she said that she had stopped taking her medication and she had really kind of fallen into a deep hole.
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And that is really where she needed to be nurtured and loved on, not just brush your teeth more.
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And exactly.
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So I see this as an opportunity for people in dentistry to help bridge the gap.
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You know, we don't have to have all the right answers.
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We're not clinical therapists, we're not psychologists, but we can tell people where resources are located, and that you can do with anyone.
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And I bet even just now sitting where you're at, you can think of friends or family or someone that you know personally that might be struggling or having a hard or difficult time, or you've noticed a change in their behavior or their personality, that seek out those resources when you are in the hole of deep dark mental illness, you don't have the strength or wherewithal to find those resources.
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It is too hard, it's too much.
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So if you feel like you have the you know, resources and the time and the care to look up resources and to share those, that I can't tell you how much of a difference that can make.
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100%.
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And I think um I'm really glad that you share that because a lot of times we're focused on we've got to change your behavior, but change your behavior for oral health and not really seeing them as a as a whole person.
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It just reminds me of Maslow's hierarchy of needs.
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Like we can't talk about what you must do if you don't have a roof over your head.
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Yes, you're physiologically not safe, right?
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And it's forcing us to just think and just treat them as humans, but also be okay of understanding that our obligation is for total health, not just oral health, it's for total health.
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So that means that maybe perhaps we're not discussing, like you said, about the um their toothbrushing technique, it's giving them resources.
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It reminds me of a young lady who um was positive.
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Her mom contracted HIV through her mother, who wound up passing away.
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And unfortunately, the aunt who wound up taking care of her was extremely mean um and would not allow her to eat from the same plate and utensils as the rest of her family, which we know you cannot contract HIV that way.
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And so, because of the lack of social support in the eyes of someone looking from the outside, they would be concerned about some of the behaviors that were happening.
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Yeah, but the foundation of that was I have no one, yeah, I'm depressed, I I I need safety.
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And it wasn't until a worker who happened to be someone that I had the privilege of working with in Baltimore was called in, where she happened to be like literally close to her death, won't take any HIV medications, all of that.
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And the woman said to her, Why don't you come and live with me?
00:22:50.810 --> 00:22:52.010
She didn't know her.
00:22:52.570 --> 00:22:53.850
She did not know her.
00:22:54.250 --> 00:23:03.930
And that young lady, young girl, went to live with her and wind up getting the love that she hadn't had in her entire life.
00:23:04.730 --> 00:23:05.130
Wow.
00:23:05.450 --> 00:23:11.690
This woman now is because of that person, that caseworker that came in and asked her to live with her.
00:23:11.930 --> 00:23:14.970
Now she's out doing the same work that the woman is doing.
00:23:15.130 --> 00:23:18.170
And she's she's in a long-term relationship.
00:23:18.330 --> 00:23:19.450
She has a daughter.
00:23:19.610 --> 00:23:21.930
Like those are things that have occurred.
00:23:22.010 --> 00:23:23.050
She's healthy, right?
00:23:23.130 --> 00:23:23.530
Yes.
00:23:23.770 --> 00:23:27.610
Those things occurred because someone was willing to look at her as a whole person.
00:23:27.690 --> 00:23:30.330
I'll never forget that story and the way that it made me cry.
00:23:30.490 --> 00:23:30.810
Yes.
00:23:31.290 --> 00:23:33.770
And I think people that are dealing with those issues every day.
00:23:34.010 --> 00:23:34.410
Yes.
00:23:34.570 --> 00:23:45.290
I think we undersell just how powerful and impactful our words, our actions, our kindness really can change a person's life.
00:23:45.610 --> 00:24:08.810
And I've said many times to my students and people that uh are in my circle that there are some times that a patient will come into your chair, and the best thing they need that day is not a teeth cleaning, is not a you know, filling or an exam, is sometimes they just need someone to listen to them.
00:24:09.130 --> 00:24:27.930
And it is incredible how much that can impact people just to be that listening ear and to validate what they're going through because we all come from different walks of life and you don't know the story behind the person that sits in your chair.
00:24:28.090 --> 00:24:31.770
And you can make a huge difference with what you do.
00:24:31.930 --> 00:24:53.370
And we're seeing that not only in dental hygiene, now we're seeing it in dental therapy that you really can make such a profound impact on the trajectory of someone's life if you just take the time and the care to listen and be present and you know see how you can be of service and how you can be available for them.
00:24:53.770 --> 00:24:55.370
Yes, absolutely.
00:24:55.530 --> 00:24:59.370
Um, this has been such a wonderful conversation.
00:24:59.690 --> 00:25:02.250
Um, I love your public health heart.
00:25:02.490 --> 00:25:02.810
Okay.
00:25:03.130 --> 00:25:08.170
I don't know if you remember the old like diagram when they used to show like the roles of the dental hygienists.
00:25:08.250 --> 00:25:12.090
Yes, the old one that looked like a flower had public health in the middle.
00:25:12.330 --> 00:25:12.810
Yes.
00:25:13.050 --> 00:25:13.290
Yeah.
00:25:13.530 --> 00:25:23.130
I feel again, I am biased because I love my public health class, but that's what that is what makes the world go around for us as hygienists.
00:25:23.370 --> 00:25:24.090
Absolutely.
00:25:24.250 --> 00:25:28.570
And I let me tell you, when you before you said that, I was like, oh my gosh, the dental hygiene flower.
00:25:28.650 --> 00:25:34.970
I like need to get that tattooed on me or something because my it's my jam.
00:25:35.050 --> 00:25:39.690
Like all my students will be like, oh my gosh, here she goes about this dental hygiene flower.
00:25:40.010 --> 00:25:42.570
Listen, it's still in my lecture, and I don't care.
00:25:42.810 --> 00:25:44.090
Yeah, I don't care.
00:25:44.490 --> 00:25:54.490
It is maybe you know, it's it's the center of the flower, it's the earth beneath the flower, it's everything, it all funnels into it.
00:25:54.650 --> 00:25:57.770
Like health is in our DNA.
00:25:58.330 --> 00:26:00.970
So once you graduate, what's the plan?
00:26:01.690 --> 00:26:03.610
So let us know.
00:26:03.850 --> 00:26:04.410
Yeah, yeah.
00:26:04.570 --> 00:26:16.490
So um, I'm definitely keeping things open as far as like exact practice setting, but obviously, I want to continue to work on my clinical skills as a dental therapist.
00:26:16.650 --> 00:26:30.810
The model in Minnesota, um, you become a dental therapist, so you have a little bit more oversight by a dentist until you earn about 2,000 hours, and then you can become an advanced dental therapist.
00:26:31.050 --> 00:26:38.650
And at that point, you can do a little bit more off-site work or um a little bit less in the supervision.
00:26:38.810 --> 00:26:45.530
Um, and so that's kind of my next goal is to earn my advanced dental therapy standing in my state.
00:26:45.690 --> 00:27:07.610
Um, and so again, what that might look like as I kind of return to teaching, I'd like to um sprinkle in a day or so a week where I can be providing dental therapy services either at like a federally co-opied health center or um maybe here at the school and just kind of bridging those two worlds together.
00:27:07.770 --> 00:27:16.010
Um, but I definitely am keeping everything open because I really feel like you're kind of called and led into the positions that you're meant to be in.
00:27:16.170 --> 00:27:19.050
I feel very much like this happened with the program.
00:27:19.210 --> 00:27:24.650
It's like, you know, everything just kind of lined up perfectly for me to do this.
00:27:24.730 --> 00:27:29.930
And so I'm gonna go into the same mentality for after school.
00:27:30.090 --> 00:27:31.450
What does my life look like?
00:27:31.690 --> 00:27:35.690
And I just know that I want to make an impact and I want to make a difference.
00:27:35.930 --> 00:27:38.170
And with that heart, you can.
00:27:38.650 --> 00:27:40.170
Yes, I love that so much.
00:27:40.330 --> 00:27:54.650
So if we were to go back in time, like Alyssa, age 16, just starting in dentistry, or even now, the season of life that you're in, like what's the what's the word of advice you would give yourself?
00:27:55.450 --> 00:28:04.010
Um, I think I I'm actually laughing at my past self because uh my uncle was like, you just need to go to dental school.
00:28:04.090 --> 00:28:07.450
And I was like, absolutely not, I'm not doing that much schooling.
00:28:07.530 --> 00:28:14.330
And look at me now, I'm like, have done probably more schooling than if I had just begun a dentist, you know?
00:28:14.490 --> 00:28:14.810
Yeah.
00:28:15.130 --> 00:28:18.890
But I would just say that, you know, don't sell yourself short.
00:28:19.130 --> 00:28:25.210
I think that there are gonna be hurdles, there's gonna be obstacles.
00:28:25.450 --> 00:28:54.810
It is a really high barrier to get into dental hygiene programs and now dental therapy programs, and really not to give up on that dream and to keep working hard and keep digging in and trying it because you really can have an impact and try to gain skills and learn things in the waiting, in the obstacles.
00:28:54.970 --> 00:28:58.890
You know, don't just throw your hands up and say, okay, well, I have to wait a whole year.
00:28:59.050 --> 00:29:01.290
Why don't you get a job at a dental office?
00:29:01.450 --> 00:29:08.650
Start to earn some skills, start to learn on the job and see what it's like to be in patient care.
00:29:08.810 --> 00:29:15.210
Um, so I always try to maximize the time that you have, no matter if it looks like you are picturing or not.
00:29:15.370 --> 00:29:23.130
Um that's really one thing that I try to encourage because it might look different than what you had originally planned.
00:29:23.450 --> 00:29:23.770
Yeah.
00:29:24.010 --> 00:29:25.050
Oh, that's so good.
00:29:25.130 --> 00:29:29.130
Let the listeners know where they can find you if they want to come here.
00:29:29.370 --> 00:29:29.610
Yeah.
00:29:29.770 --> 00:29:30.170
Yeah.
00:29:30.330 --> 00:29:41.050
So um I am like most frequently on either LinkedIn, so that's just Alyssa Delgado, um, or you can find me on Instagram.
00:29:41.210 --> 00:29:42.570
It's at Mrs.
00:29:42.730 --> 00:29:44.090
Alyssa Rdh.
00:29:44.410 --> 00:29:49.290
Um, and so those are kind of the two best places to find me.
00:29:49.610 --> 00:29:53.850
But um, yeah, I would love to answer questions.
00:29:54.170 --> 00:30:06.410
And even if you're just wanting to talk a little bit more about dental therapy and what it looks like and what is the scope of practice, um, I'm totally open to providing that.
00:30:06.890 --> 00:30:08.730
Well, this has been such a pleasure, Alyssa.
00:30:08.970 --> 00:30:10.890
Thank you so much for joining us today.
00:30:10.970 --> 00:30:12.890
I really have enjoyed this conversation.
00:30:13.210 --> 00:30:14.570
Yes, this has been awesome.
00:30:14.730 --> 00:30:15.930
Thank you so much.
00:00:28.609 --> 00:00:32.769
Hey, hey, hey, welcome to the Beyond the Pro Feed podcast.
00:00:32.850 --> 00:00:37.409
I'm your host, Jasmine Haley, and today's guest is Alyssa Delgado.
00:00:37.649 --> 00:00:49.570
Alyssa is an associate professor of dental hygiene at Minnesota State University, Mankato, and a clinical practitioner with over 14 years of experience.
00:00:49.730 --> 00:00:57.570
She holds a master's of science in dental hygiene from the University of New Mexico and is currently pursuing a second master's degree.
00:00:57.810 --> 00:01:01.650
Yes, okay, in advanced dental therapy.
00:01:01.890 --> 00:01:13.730
Alyssa has published articles in RDH magazine and dentistry IQ, has presented at national conferences like RDH Under One Roof and the ADHA Annual Conference.
00:01:13.890 --> 00:01:18.609
And she is also a recipient of the prestigious Sunstar Award of Distinction.
00:01:18.689 --> 00:01:20.530
She's my purple ring sister.
00:01:20.849 --> 00:01:23.329
Passionate about advancing dental hygiene.
00:01:23.409 --> 00:01:29.010
She strives to inspire and empower professionals with cutting-edge research and technology.
00:01:29.250 --> 00:01:30.929
Welcome to the show, Alyssa.
00:01:31.250 --> 00:01:33.009
Thank you so much for having me.
00:01:33.170 --> 00:01:34.849
I am so excited.
00:01:35.089 --> 00:01:35.569
Yes.
00:01:35.810 --> 00:01:37.250
First of all, I'm geeking out.
00:01:37.329 --> 00:01:52.449
I can't wait to tell my students this because I'm like, I finally am talking to someone that is in an advanced dental therapy program, is about to graduate, and I know how important it is for us to have this mid-level practitioner.
00:01:52.609 --> 00:02:05.649
So I want to dive into you being an amazing educator and expanding your ways just outside of clinical care in multiple different fashions, right?
00:02:06.209 --> 00:02:09.969
What led you down the route of the advanced dental therapy position?
00:02:10.210 --> 00:02:11.969
Like what was the calling for?
00:02:12.210 --> 00:02:12.449
Yeah.
00:02:13.409 --> 00:02:17.569
So I I mean, I've been in dentistry since I was 16.
00:02:17.729 --> 00:02:30.610
Um, my uncle's a dentist, and so I started all the way at the bottom, you know, doing sterile tech and unlicensed dental assisting, and then moved into like more traditional dental assisting.
00:02:30.770 --> 00:02:38.530
Um, I've been a dental hygienist for 10 years, and I just absolutely fell in love with dental hygiene.
00:02:38.849 --> 00:02:45.009
And I want to be very abundantly clear, I am still very much in love with dental hygiene.
00:02:45.250 --> 00:02:50.449
Um it is not something where I'm like, oh, I'm just moving on to something else.
00:02:50.769 --> 00:02:54.769
I see dental therapy being so integrated.
00:02:54.930 --> 00:03:08.689
It is like they are one in dental therapy and dental hygiene, especially when we talk about the models where you have to be a hygienist to even get into this profession to get into these programs.
00:03:08.849 --> 00:03:10.769
That's how I think it should be designed.
00:03:10.849 --> 00:03:13.250
That's how I fully support this.
00:03:13.889 --> 00:03:34.449
Um, but I've always just had that kind of like innovator pioneer calling of like, I want to lead the way with some of my leadership and having the opportunity where my dental hygiene program actually branched out and opened a dental therapy school a few years ago.
00:03:34.689 --> 00:03:38.049
And I was like, ooh, this might be a good opportunity for me.
00:03:38.289 --> 00:03:44.129
And I mean, I want to show people, including my students, including anyone, that you can do this.
00:03:44.289 --> 00:03:45.490
Like you can go back.
00:03:45.650 --> 00:03:49.810
I'm your teacher and now I'm your classmate, and we're gonna get through this.
00:03:49.889 --> 00:04:00.930
And it's it's a fun like challenge to show people that like there is pathways beyond, you know, just getting stuck in your own, you know, bubble.
00:04:01.169 --> 00:04:03.889
And um, it's been super rewarding.
00:04:04.049 --> 00:04:08.849
I've really, really enjoyed advancing my skills and branching out.
00:04:09.009 --> 00:04:10.769
It's been amazing.
00:04:11.250 --> 00:04:12.049
I love that.
00:04:12.210 --> 00:04:16.769
Would you be willing to share a little bit of like what is it like for you as far as schooling?
00:04:16.850 --> 00:04:19.329
Like, is it a full-time, part-time program?
00:04:19.650 --> 00:04:21.170
I know that you're a mom genness.
00:04:21.329 --> 00:04:26.129
How have you been able to kind of hit handle just a day-to-day life?
00:04:26.370 --> 00:04:26.689
Yes.
00:04:27.250 --> 00:04:32.050
Also managing this higher level, mid-level, you know, training.
00:04:32.290 --> 00:04:32.689
Yes.
00:04:32.930 --> 00:04:33.329
Yeah.
00:04:33.569 --> 00:04:40.449
So um as far as the program goes, uh it's super important to investigate the school.
00:04:40.530 --> 00:04:42.610
What does our program schedule look like?
00:04:42.850 --> 00:04:46.449
Um, currently there's only five programs in the United States.
00:04:46.610 --> 00:04:49.009
Minnesota has three of those five.
00:04:49.170 --> 00:04:57.490
Um, so that's also important to kind of know is if you're planning on going on this path, like most likely you're gonna move for a few years.
00:04:57.649 --> 00:05:03.569
Um, even within the state, we have a few girls that travel from quite a far ways, like four or five hours.
00:05:03.730 --> 00:05:09.969
Um, and they understand that it's a sacrifice and a commitment for the two-year, two and a half years that you're in the program.
00:05:10.370 --> 00:05:15.250
And that is one of the silver linings is it's temporary, it's only for a few years.
00:05:15.569 --> 00:05:20.850
And um, funny story, I decided to do this program and the next week found out I was pregnant.
00:05:21.009 --> 00:05:24.689
So I did all of this while becoming a mother.
00:05:25.089 --> 00:05:28.209
Um, life has a funny way of working in that regard.
00:05:28.370 --> 00:05:41.329
But wow for my school, my school's in southern Minnesota, and um, it's uh primarily there's a large portion of the material that's online, which allows for a lot of flexibility.
00:05:41.490 --> 00:05:54.529
And then, of course, you are doing clinical work, you are doing fillings and exams and extractions and all of these types of clinical procedures that requires you to be in clinic.
00:05:54.689 --> 00:06:02.449
Um, and so it ranges from three to four days a week, um, depending on the semester that you're in.
00:06:02.610 --> 00:06:10.850
Um, so current this current semester, I just have three days a week, um, which is completely manageable as a mom, as a professional.
00:06:11.170 --> 00:06:27.089
For those that um don't have other family obligations, they're working as a hygienist the other two days a week or two and a half days a week, which is so nice to not feel like you're just slowly going into debt, that you're having a little bit of income coming your way as a dental hygienist.
00:06:27.409 --> 00:06:33.329
Um, so I have really felt like the program schedule has worked wonderfully.
00:06:33.409 --> 00:06:37.250
It's it was way less than I was anticipating.
00:06:37.329 --> 00:06:40.370
You know, you're thinking I'm gonna be here till 11 p.m.
00:06:40.610 --> 00:06:41.810
and you know how it is.
00:06:41.969 --> 00:06:43.569
It's not like that at all.
00:06:43.810 --> 00:06:47.089
It's been a wonderful experience.
00:06:47.649 --> 00:06:48.610
That's amazing.
00:06:48.769 --> 00:06:51.009
So, do you have to find your own patients?
00:06:51.170 --> 00:06:53.329
Are you allowed to choose the sites?
00:06:53.490 --> 00:06:55.649
Like, are they choosing the sites for you?
00:06:55.730 --> 00:06:56.290
Like, what is that?
00:06:56.529 --> 00:07:03.089
Because you know, when we're in traditional hygiene school, we were providing the services on site.
00:07:03.250 --> 00:07:08.290
So I would love to know like how do they handle that for such a new profession?
00:07:08.610 --> 00:07:09.409
Yeah, yeah.
00:07:09.490 --> 00:07:14.209
So um well, new profession here in the US because this is something that's modeled out of Alaska.
00:07:14.529 --> 00:07:16.769
Yes, yeah, we're behind the eight ball in the US.
00:07:16.850 --> 00:07:30.290
This but so um our clinical experiences range, so we do external rotations, those are preset by the school, so we don't have to go out and find our own rotations.
00:07:30.449 --> 00:07:44.050
I know there's a couple other programs that have a little bit more flexibility in like choosing an office, but there's uh as we know as educators, there's coda requirements for accreditation and those types of things.
00:07:44.209 --> 00:07:51.250
So we have a couple public health, they're federally qualified health centers that we go out to in the southern Minnesota area.
00:07:51.490 --> 00:08:02.769
And so we do clinical rotations through those throughout the semesters, and then we see patients here um at our dental hygiene program um in the dental clinic.
00:08:03.009 --> 00:08:18.290
And one of the things that I have really appreciated is we've really made our dental clinic um in our dental hygiene and now dental therapy program um kind of a main hub for um our underserved populations.
00:08:18.610 --> 00:08:31.730
So love that there's not a lot of dental offices that um take state funded insurance, and we've really kind of made ourselves like a dental home in our area.
00:08:31.889 --> 00:08:38.610
And so, I mean, we have people traveling from hours away just to come to our facility to seek out care.
00:08:39.490 --> 00:08:51.970
So I have had the wonderful opportunity to see these amazing humans, and I haven't had to like, you know, it wasn't like dental hygiene where I'm on the side of the road, like, please, someone come get your teeth cleaned.
00:08:52.290 --> 00:09:21.490
These people are seeking that service out, and then you also have a pipeline from the dental hygiene students because they are getting dental exams at their dental hygiene cleanings, and those fillings are being directly funneled to dental therapy, so it really has opened up such a beautiful thing, yes, for the students selfishly, but yeah, for me, this is like the exact population that needs this type of care.
00:09:21.649 --> 00:09:22.850
We're exactly.
00:09:23.009 --> 00:09:27.490
I mean, that's why this model works, yes, that's why it's necessary.
00:09:27.970 --> 00:09:35.009
Created, yes, it's created to bridge that access to care to help these underserved communities.
00:09:35.169 --> 00:09:40.529
This isn't just to be uh, you know, rich moneymaker like a mini dentist.
00:09:40.610 --> 00:09:43.169
That's not at all what this is created to be.
00:09:43.330 --> 00:09:48.450
This is exactly something that I mean, it is so incredibly rewarding.
00:09:48.689 --> 00:09:59.970
And I mean, the bulk of our education is on public health and service and access to care and you know, having culturally competent providers out in the community.
00:10:00.210 --> 00:10:06.370
So I can see that it really is its own unique profession.
00:10:06.689 --> 00:10:17.009
And I know that we can kind of get a little like turf wars in dentistry where it's like, no, you're coming into my turf and um that sort of thing.
00:10:17.169 --> 00:10:35.970
But I really see that there is a place for this, and it is so incredibly needed, and just seeing day after day the patients coming to me and coming to our clinic and saying, like, I am so glad that you guys are here and that you're providing these services reinforces that.
00:10:36.370 --> 00:10:47.809
Yeah, I mean, when I when I have learned first of the profession, especially here in the US, um, I remember I think the very first one is Christy.
00:10:48.049 --> 00:10:48.850
Christy Jo.
00:10:49.250 --> 00:10:50.210
Yes, Fogerty.
00:10:50.289 --> 00:10:50.370
Yeah.
00:10:50.689 --> 00:10:51.490
Yes, Fogarty.
00:10:51.570 --> 00:10:53.169
Okay, I can remember her last name, right?
00:10:53.330 --> 00:10:55.970
And I I have never met her, I just knew her name.
00:10:56.129 --> 00:10:56.610
Yep.
00:10:56.850 --> 00:11:03.730
And I remember seeing her in this film that I always share in my public health class called Dollars and Dentist.
00:11:03.970 --> 00:11:04.210
Yes.
00:11:04.370 --> 00:11:16.450
Um, and I kept thinking to myself how important this was, because at that time when I um was first introduced to her was through the death of Diamante Driver.
00:11:16.529 --> 00:11:28.049
Diamante Driver was a young boy that died here in not here because I don't live in uh Maryland anymore, um, but in Maryland who died from a tooth from tooth decay.
00:11:28.210 --> 00:11:38.129
That essentially the mother was trying to get the services, they were getting all of this red tape, things had to be canceled by the time they get back on the list.
00:11:38.289 --> 00:11:46.769
Now we're talking months because they can't find someone that's willing to accept their uh state insurance for for the dental care.
00:11:47.250 --> 00:11:52.529
And unfortunately, by the time that he was able to get service, it had spread to his brain.
00:11:52.689 --> 00:12:21.730
He had to have surgery in his brain, and this young boy, 12 years old, in one of the richest states, okay, we're right by DC, okay, passed away, yes, in a modernized country, yes, you know what I'm saying, with access like a first world country where yes, they're down the road, but it's like the first disparities and the gaps are like absolutely remarkable.
00:12:21.970 --> 00:12:23.250
Yes, absolutely.
00:12:23.409 --> 00:12:40.850
So I just it warms my heart to see how excited you are about this and how I just wish we could get out of our feelings and ego, yes, okay, and really think about who we took an oath to serve.
00:12:41.009 --> 00:12:45.570
So in Maryland, we tried to pass the dental therapy, right?
00:12:45.649 --> 00:12:53.889
Yep, and I remember specifically, I came to that lobby day, and I remember the people who were giving their remarks of opposition.
00:12:54.049 --> 00:12:55.649
One of them was a doctor I used to work for.
00:12:55.730 --> 00:12:57.649
You know, I was side eyeing them, y'all.
00:12:57.730 --> 00:12:57.970
Okay.
00:12:58.129 --> 00:12:59.649
I was like, what you doing over here?
00:12:59.889 --> 00:13:00.210
Okay.
00:13:02.769 --> 00:13:13.409
Well, all of the dentists that were lining up in opposition, one of them has Chanel, a Chanel bag, was decked out in a gorgeous outfit.
00:13:13.570 --> 00:13:15.649
You can see Botox was on fleek.
00:13:15.730 --> 00:13:24.769
I don't even know if you can use that word anymore, but opposing it, you would never serve the patients that need a dental therapist.
00:13:25.009 --> 00:13:25.250
Right.
00:13:25.490 --> 00:13:26.610
Why are you opposing it?
00:13:26.769 --> 00:13:28.129
You would never do that.
00:13:28.450 --> 00:13:31.169
So it's just there's a lot of ego in it.
00:13:31.409 --> 00:13:42.850
One of the things that's at least given me hope is you know, Minnesota was the first state to pass legislation to allow dental therapists as this mid-level practitioner.
00:13:43.409 --> 00:13:46.210
And that was back in like 2011.
00:13:46.450 --> 00:13:56.450
So fast forward, you know, now we're getting close to the you know 20-year mark here in the next few years.
00:13:56.769 --> 00:14:03.409
And the it the tides have started to turn where we're seeing more acceptance with dentists.
00:14:03.649 --> 00:14:07.169
Obviously, good this model doesn't run without a dentist.
00:14:07.570 --> 00:14:13.490
So these aren't just the Wild West providers out there providing care without oversight.
00:14:13.809 --> 00:14:24.370
You have to have a dentist that has your like heart and your vision and your mission, and you are collaborating and doing this hand in hand together.
00:14:24.689 --> 00:14:40.529
And so that's one of the other things is I understand that it's a concern of you know, having these new providers come in and they're taking away the patients of the dentist, but this is very much a collaborative um practice.
00:14:40.689 --> 00:14:50.129
This isn't something where we're coming in and trying to steal, and you know, it's like the Starbucks down the street is trying to take the Duncan people, you know, for coffee.
00:14:50.289 --> 00:14:52.210
This is it's not that.
00:14:52.370 --> 00:14:56.529
It's let's work together and make a really good, you know, service.
00:14:56.689 --> 00:14:59.090
Um that's a great analogy, by the way.
00:14:59.330 --> 00:15:01.090
Such a good one about coffee.
00:15:01.250 --> 00:15:02.210
That's so good.
00:15:02.529 --> 00:15:09.090
It's not we're not trying to steal like the same market, like these are different markets, they really are.
00:15:09.490 --> 00:15:10.210
I love that.
00:15:10.289 --> 00:15:15.809
And at the time of this recording, I believe Florida just passed for the dental therapy.
00:15:15.889 --> 00:15:22.850
Um, and it's slowly starting to make its way, and even after it passes, that's a huge win.
00:15:23.009 --> 00:15:31.490
But there's still a ton more that has to go on behind the scenes to even get me started, let alone start a school out there.
00:15:31.730 --> 00:15:39.970
So I think that's the barrier right now is like a lot of these people are like, I want to do this, but now can I move to Minnesota for two years?
00:15:40.129 --> 00:15:43.169
I don't know if I want to do that, you know, that sort of thing.
00:15:43.330 --> 00:15:46.129
Um it's well worth it, by the way.
00:15:46.289 --> 00:15:58.850
But um, I've told a lot of my classmates and students that are interested going into this um that they have to really understand that you are going to be a pioneer in this field.
00:15:59.090 --> 00:16:09.250
Where we are in dental therapy was where nurse practitioners and physician associates, physician assistants were, you know, decades ago.
00:16:09.570 --> 00:16:17.490
And I remember when PAs and NPs had a lot of opposition, and they were like, absolutely not.
00:16:17.889 --> 00:16:22.929
Now I almost can exclusively see NPs and PAs.
00:16:23.090 --> 00:16:25.409
It's almost harder to find an MD to see.
00:16:25.570 --> 00:16:25.889
Yes.
00:16:26.129 --> 00:16:34.850
And so I see like our trajectory going that way because there's gonna be opposition, it's gonna be a hard barrier to entry.
00:16:35.169 --> 00:16:47.169
But once we start to get the tides to turn and we start to see that this model is working, I really do believe that this is going to be like the nurse practitioners and the PAs of the medical world.
00:16:47.409 --> 00:16:49.490
This is us in dentistry.
00:16:49.809 --> 00:16:50.370
I love that.
00:16:50.529 --> 00:16:51.409
I love that so much.
00:16:51.570 --> 00:17:08.769
Another thing that you're really passionate about is mental health, and I want to talk a little bit about that um as well, because I I do feel that in my years of entrepreneurship, I felt like it wasn't talked about enough.
00:17:08.850 --> 00:17:11.490
I do feel like it's talked about a little bit more.
00:17:13.090 --> 00:17:16.049
Um, but there's still a lot of stigma around this.
00:17:16.769 --> 00:17:17.809
Absolutely.
00:17:18.049 --> 00:17:28.610
Yeah, there is a lot of there's a lot of stigma in that like you feel a little more open to talk about things, but then oh my gosh, I'm gonna be judged or people aren't gonna take me seriously.
00:17:29.009 --> 00:17:32.690
Um, and I kind of I look at it from two different lenses.
00:17:33.010 --> 00:17:41.010
One, as we have a mental health crisis in this country now, more so than we've ever seen.
00:17:41.330 --> 00:18:00.930
And one of my things, again, as moving into this mid-level practitioner role, but also hello, we are still very much healthcare professionals as dental hygienists, anyone in dentistry, um, that we should be seeing our patients with that lens.
00:18:01.570 --> 00:18:13.490
And if we're having no qualms about, oh, you have you know a broken tooth, we're gonna send you over to a root canal specialist or we're gonna send you over to an oral surgeon.
00:18:13.650 --> 00:18:20.210
Why are we not taking patients like mental health and referring them to providers that can help them with that?
00:18:20.370 --> 00:18:32.530
There's oftentimes cases where we're seeing patients on a very consistent basis, and we can notice a marked change in their personality or their behavior that we know something is wrong.
00:18:33.170 --> 00:18:44.770
Um, and I I've had patients, I had a a teenager that came in and she just didn't look great and hadn't brushed her teeth in who knows how long.
00:18:45.250 --> 00:18:54.130
And um, you know, it's easy to just say, like, well, you need to be brushing your teeth more, and like, how, you know, could you let it get that bad kind of a thing?
00:18:54.290 --> 00:18:59.650
But I really kind of dug a little deeper and didn't talk about you need to brush your teeth.
00:18:59.810 --> 00:19:01.650
I said, Well, how are things going with you?
00:19:01.810 --> 00:19:02.450
How is school?
00:19:02.690 --> 00:19:04.530
How is you know your mental health?
00:19:04.690 --> 00:19:12.210
And she said that she had stopped taking her medication and she had really kind of fallen into a deep hole.
00:19:12.450 --> 00:19:19.650
And that is really where she needed to be nurtured and loved on, not just brush your teeth more.
00:19:19.810 --> 00:19:20.850
And exactly.
00:19:21.090 --> 00:19:26.930
So I see this as an opportunity for people in dentistry to help bridge the gap.
00:19:27.090 --> 00:19:29.090
You know, we don't have to have all the right answers.
00:19:29.250 --> 00:19:38.530
We're not clinical therapists, we're not psychologists, but we can tell people where resources are located, and that you can do with anyone.
00:19:38.610 --> 00:20:44.810
And I bet even just now sitting where you're at, you can think of friends or family or someone that you know personally that might be struggling or having a hard or difficult time, or you've noticed a change in their behavior or their personality, that seek out those resources when you are in the hole of deep dark mental illness, you don't have the strength or wherewithal to find those resources.
00:20:44.970 --> 00:20:47.290
It is too hard, it's too much.
00:20:47.690 --> 00:21:01.210
So if you feel like you have the you know, resources and the time and the care to look up resources and to share those, that I can't tell you how much of a difference that can make.
00:21:01.610 --> 00:21:02.250
100%.
00:21:02.650 --> 00:21:13.610
And I think um I'm really glad that you share that because a lot of times we're focused on we've got to change your behavior, but change your behavior for oral health and not really seeing them as a as a whole person.
00:21:13.690 --> 00:21:16.010
It just reminds me of Maslow's hierarchy of needs.
00:21:16.330 --> 00:21:22.250
Like we can't talk about what you must do if you don't have a roof over your head.
00:21:22.410 --> 00:21:26.170
Yes, you're physiologically not safe, right?
00:21:26.970 --> 00:21:37.770
And it's forcing us to just think and just treat them as humans, but also be okay of understanding that our obligation is for total health, not just oral health, it's for total health.
00:21:37.930 --> 00:21:46.250
So that means that maybe perhaps we're not discussing, like you said, about the um their toothbrushing technique, it's giving them resources.
00:21:46.330 --> 00:21:49.690
It reminds me of a young lady who um was positive.
00:21:49.850 --> 00:21:54.890
Her mom contracted HIV through her mother, who wound up passing away.
00:21:55.130 --> 00:22:10.250
And unfortunately, the aunt who wound up taking care of her was extremely mean um and would not allow her to eat from the same plate and utensils as the rest of her family, which we know you cannot contract HIV that way.
00:22:10.490 --> 00:22:21.210
And so, because of the lack of social support in the eyes of someone looking from the outside, they would be concerned about some of the behaviors that were happening.
00:22:21.370 --> 00:22:31.050
Yeah, but the foundation of that was I have no one, yeah, I'm depressed, I I I need safety.
00:22:31.610 --> 00:22:46.650
And it wasn't until a worker who happened to be someone that I had the privilege of working with in Baltimore was called in, where she happened to be like literally close to her death, won't take any HIV medications, all of that.
00:22:46.890 --> 00:22:50.250
And the woman said to her, Why don't you come and live with me?
00:22:50.810 --> 00:22:52.010
She didn't know her.
00:22:52.570 --> 00:22:53.850
She did not know her.
00:22:54.250 --> 00:23:03.930
And that young lady, young girl, went to live with her and wind up getting the love that she hadn't had in her entire life.
00:23:04.730 --> 00:23:05.130
Wow.
00:23:05.450 --> 00:23:11.690
This woman now is because of that person, that caseworker that came in and asked her to live with her.
00:23:11.930 --> 00:23:14.970
Now she's out doing the same work that the woman is doing.
00:23:15.130 --> 00:23:18.170
And she's she's in a long-term relationship.
00:23:18.330 --> 00:23:19.450
She has a daughter.
00:23:19.610 --> 00:23:21.930
Like those are things that have occurred.
00:23:22.010 --> 00:23:23.050
She's healthy, right?
00:23:23.130 --> 00:23:23.530
Yes.
00:23:23.770 --> 00:23:27.610
Those things occurred because someone was willing to look at her as a whole person.
00:23:27.690 --> 00:23:30.330
I'll never forget that story and the way that it made me cry.
00:23:30.490 --> 00:23:30.810
Yes.
00:23:31.290 --> 00:23:33.770
And I think people that are dealing with those issues every day.
00:23:34.010 --> 00:23:34.410
Yes.
00:23:34.570 --> 00:23:45.290
I think we undersell just how powerful and impactful our words, our actions, our kindness really can change a person's life.
00:23:45.610 --> 00:24:08.810
And I've said many times to my students and people that uh are in my circle that there are some times that a patient will come into your chair, and the best thing they need that day is not a teeth cleaning, is not a you know, filling or an exam, is sometimes they just need someone to listen to them.
00:24:09.130 --> 00:24:27.930
And it is incredible how much that can impact people just to be that listening ear and to validate what they're going through because we all come from different walks of life and you don't know the story behind the person that sits in your chair.
00:24:28.090 --> 00:24:31.770
And you can make a huge difference with what you do.
00:24:31.930 --> 00:24:53.370
And we're seeing that not only in dental hygiene, now we're seeing it in dental therapy that you really can make such a profound impact on the trajectory of someone's life if you just take the time and the care to listen and be present and you know see how you can be of service and how you can be available for them.
00:24:53.770 --> 00:24:55.370
Yes, absolutely.
00:24:55.530 --> 00:24:59.370
Um, this has been such a wonderful conversation.
00:24:59.690 --> 00:25:02.250
Um, I love your public health heart.
00:25:02.490 --> 00:25:02.810
Okay.
00:25:03.130 --> 00:25:08.170
I don't know if you remember the old like diagram when they used to show like the roles of the dental hygienists.
00:25:08.250 --> 00:25:12.090
Yes, the old one that looked like a flower had public health in the middle.
00:25:12.330 --> 00:25:12.810
Yes.
00:25:13.050 --> 00:25:13.290
Yeah.
00:25:13.530 --> 00:25:23.130
I feel again, I am biased because I love my public health class, but that's what that is what makes the world go around for us as hygienists.
00:25:23.370 --> 00:25:24.090
Absolutely.
00:25:24.250 --> 00:25:28.570
And I let me tell you, when you before you said that, I was like, oh my gosh, the dental hygiene flower.
00:25:28.650 --> 00:25:34.970
I like need to get that tattooed on me or something because my it's my jam.
00:25:35.050 --> 00:25:39.690
Like all my students will be like, oh my gosh, here she goes about this dental hygiene flower.
00:25:40.010 --> 00:25:42.570
Listen, it's still in my lecture, and I don't care.
00:25:42.810 --> 00:25:44.090
Yeah, I don't care.
00:25:44.490 --> 00:25:54.490
It is maybe you know, it's it's the center of the flower, it's the earth beneath the flower, it's everything, it all funnels into it.
00:25:54.650 --> 00:25:57.770
Like health is in our DNA.
00:25:58.330 --> 00:26:00.970
So once you graduate, what's the plan?
00:26:01.690 --> 00:26:03.610
So let us know.
00:26:03.850 --> 00:26:04.410
Yeah, yeah.
00:26:04.570 --> 00:26:16.490
So um, I'm definitely keeping things open as far as like exact practice setting, but obviously, I want to continue to work on my clinical skills as a dental therapist.
00:26:16.650 --> 00:26:30.810
The model in Minnesota, um, you become a dental therapist, so you have a little bit more oversight by a dentist until you earn about 2,000 hours, and then you can become an advanced dental therapist.
00:26:31.050 --> 00:26:38.650
And at that point, you can do a little bit more off-site work or um a little bit less in the supervision.
00:26:38.810 --> 00:26:45.530
Um, and so that's kind of my next goal is to earn my advanced dental therapy standing in my state.
00:26:45.690 --> 00:27:07.610
Um, and so again, what that might look like as I kind of return to teaching, I'd like to um sprinkle in a day or so a week where I can be providing dental therapy services either at like a federally co-opied health center or um maybe here at the school and just kind of bridging those two worlds together.
00:27:07.770 --> 00:27:16.010
Um, but I definitely am keeping everything open because I really feel like you're kind of called and led into the positions that you're meant to be in.
00:27:16.170 --> 00:27:19.050
I feel very much like this happened with the program.
00:27:19.210 --> 00:27:24.650
It's like, you know, everything just kind of lined up perfectly for me to do this.
00:27:24.730 --> 00:27:29.930
And so I'm gonna go into the same mentality for after school.
00:27:30.090 --> 00:27:31.450
What does my life look like?
00:27:31.690 --> 00:27:35.690
And I just know that I want to make an impact and I want to make a difference.
00:27:35.930 --> 00:27:38.170
And with that heart, you can.
00:27:38.650 --> 00:27:40.170
Yes, I love that so much.
00:27:40.330 --> 00:27:54.650
So if we were to go back in time, like Alyssa, age 16, just starting in dentistry, or even now, the season of life that you're in, like what's the what's the word of advice you would give yourself?
00:27:55.450 --> 00:28:04.010
Um, I think I I'm actually laughing at my past self because uh my uncle was like, you just need to go to dental school.
00:28:04.090 --> 00:28:07.450
And I was like, absolutely not, I'm not doing that much schooling.
00:28:07.530 --> 00:28:14.330
And look at me now, I'm like, have done probably more schooling than if I had just begun a dentist, you know?
00:28:14.490 --> 00:28:14.810
Yeah.
00:28:15.130 --> 00:28:18.890
But I would just say that, you know, don't sell yourself short.
00:28:19.130 --> 00:28:25.210
I think that there are gonna be hurdles, there's gonna be obstacles.
00:28:25.450 --> 00:28:54.810
It is a really high barrier to get into dental hygiene programs and now dental therapy programs, and really not to give up on that dream and to keep working hard and keep digging in and trying it because you really can have an impact and try to gain skills and learn things in the waiting, in the obstacles.
00:28:54.970 --> 00:28:58.890
You know, don't just throw your hands up and say, okay, well, I have to wait a whole year.
00:28:59.050 --> 00:29:01.290
Why don't you get a job at a dental office?
00:29:01.450 --> 00:29:08.650
Start to earn some skills, start to learn on the job and see what it's like to be in patient care.
00:29:08.810 --> 00:29:15.210
Um, so I always try to maximize the time that you have, no matter if it looks like you are picturing or not.
00:29:15.370 --> 00:29:23.130
Um that's really one thing that I try to encourage because it might look different than what you had originally planned.
00:29:23.450 --> 00:29:23.770
Yeah.
00:29:24.010 --> 00:29:25.050
Oh, that's so good.
00:29:25.130 --> 00:29:29.130
Let the listeners know where they can find you if they want to come here.
00:29:29.370 --> 00:29:29.610
Yeah.
00:29:29.770 --> 00:29:30.170
Yeah.
00:29:30.330 --> 00:29:41.050
So um I am like most frequently on either LinkedIn, so that's just Alyssa Delgado, um, or you can find me on Instagram.
00:29:41.210 --> 00:29:42.570
It's at Mrs.
00:29:42.730 --> 00:29:44.090
Alyssa Rdh.
00:29:44.410 --> 00:29:49.290
Um, and so those are kind of the two best places to find me.
00:29:49.610 --> 00:29:53.850
But um, yeah, I would love to answer questions.
00:29:54.170 --> 00:30:06.410
And even if you're just wanting to talk a little bit more about dental therapy and what it looks like and what is the scope of practice, um, I'm totally open to providing that.
00:30:06.890 --> 00:30:08.730
Well, this has been such a pleasure, Alyssa.
00:30:08.970 --> 00:30:10.890
Thank you so much for joining us today.
00:30:10.970 --> 00:30:12.890
I really have enjoyed this conversation.
00:30:13.210 --> 00:30:14.570
Yes, this has been awesome.
00:30:14.730 --> 00:30:15.930
Thank you so much.
