Hygiene Rising

Matt sits down with Australian dental hygienist and entrepreneur Tabitha Acret for a conversation that moves from career inspiration to life-saving advocacy. Tabitha shares how she discovered dental hygiene while working as a dental assistant during law school, then built a dynamic career across clinical practice, academia, her own periodontal education company, and co-hosting Disrupting Dentistry Podcast. The ...

Workplace violence in healthcare is reaching crisis levels – and dental hygienists aren't immune. Host Matt Crespin sits down with Jeff Schill, Vice President of Training at the Crisis Prevention Institute, to tackle a challenge many face but few discuss. With 81% of healthcare workers experiencing workplace violence in the past year, the need for de-escalation skills has never been more urgent. Jeff explains why poor communication...

Discover your power to drive change in dental hygiene. Derik Sven reveals model legislation for dental hygiene autonomy—a blueprint hygienists can champion in their states. Federal lobbyist Quardricos Driskell shares how to amplify your voice through federal advocacy and Congressional relationships. Abby Rennau demonstrates the impact of taking ...

Final day from the ADHA25 exhibit floor brings conversations on collaboration, global leadership, and innovation. Amber Mendoza of Heartland Dental discusses building career ecosystems for 6,000 hygienists through mentorship infrastructure. IFDH President Jill Rethman shares the federation's global white paper series and previews the 2026 Intern...

ADHA25 Podversations Saturday (Ep 167)

Day two from the ADHA25 exhibit floor features conversations on prevention and professional longevity. Haley Buckner...

Straight from the Long Beach Convention Center, Matt takes you to the exhibit floor of the ADHA25 Annual Conference. Joining him is Jennifer Hill, ADHA CEO in her first appearance on the program discussing ADHA's recent governance transformation to a competency-based board, the newly completed three-year strategic plan focusing on autonomy for the profession, and she shares exciting news about a rebrand of this podcast program: loo...

Matt Crespin welcomes Michelle Strange as co-host for a timely conversation with Michelle Lee from the Association for Dental Safety (ADS) during Dental Infection Control Awareness Month (DICAM). When the CDC eliminated its Division of Oral Health back in April, ADS stepped up to fill the gap. They launched the ADS Institute for Dental Safety and Science to oversee the dental infection prevention guidelines that thousands of practi...

Get ready for ADHA's Annual Conference returning to California for the first time in 25 years! ADHA Director of Meetings, Leah Johnson, joins host Matt Crespin with everything you need to know before heading to Long Beach, Oct. 4-6. Discover exciting new events including Colgate's Science Hub demo, fireside chats, free professional headshots, rapid-fire education sessions, beach cleanup, and celebrations. Plus AI transforms you int...

ADHA President Lancette Van Guilder join host Matt Crespin for the conversation every dental hygienist needs to hear right now. ADHA's modernized governance structure is finally enabling rapid response to today's real legislative threats that challenge your livelihood, while ADHA pushes toward self-regulation – hear why this matters for your career. Their candid conversation addresses barriers to change – fear, mindset, and resista...

When Nevada's Senate Bill 495 threatened to eliminate educational requirements for dental hygienists, ADHA and local Nevada hygienists sprang into action. In this must-listen episode, ADHA President Elect Lancette VanGuilder of Nevada together with Dr. JoAnn Gurenlian, Nevada's Karen Solie and host Matt Crespin - all ADHA past presidents - reveal the inside story of the legislative strategy and success in Nevada. Hear how tight coo...

Malia Taylor, RDH shares her incredible journey of obtaining licenses in nine states since graduating in 2019. What started as a necessity for her during the COVID-19 pandemic became a unique career showcasing the challenges and opportunities of multi-state practice. Malia shares her insider perspective with Host Matt Crespin, including navigating complex licensing requirements, managing multiple renewals and tracking varied contin...

In this thought-provoking episode, Dr. Emily Boge brings her passionate advocacy to the forefront as she shares her journey from pharmacy student to influential voice in dental hygiene. Host Matt Crespin engages Dr. Boge in a candid discussion about how the profession's code of ethics and clinical standards serve as the bedrock of public trust. They tackle head-on the alarming industry trends threatening to dilute educational requi...

Michelle Strange brings 20 years of dental hygiene expertise to this compelling episode, sharing her journey from practicing across multiple states to establishing her own independent hygiene practice in Colorado. She candidly discusses overcoming resistance to her independent model, navigating complex state licensure requirements and her unwavering focus on evidence-based care and infection control. Michelle highlights how profess...

Work culture can make or break dental practice success. Host Matt Crespin welcomes Kara Kelley, CEO of Clinical HR LLC, for a conversation about creating positive workplace environments in today's dental landscape. Kara shares valuable insights on effective communication, and helping dental hygienists understand practice owners' perspectives while advocating for their own needs. Discover how workplace culture varies across practice...

ADHA's pivotal Standards for Clinical Dental Hygiene Practice have been updated for the first time since 2016. Host Matt Crespin welcomes ADHA President Erin Haley-Hitz and Crest + Oral-B representatives Beth Jordan and Andrea Johnson to discuss this momentous release. Beth, who also served as a Content Expert on the Standards Committee, shares insights on key changes including the shift to person-centered care, the importance of d...

The "Hygienist Inspired" chairside recruitment program launched this week – a partnership between ADHA and the Foundations of Delta Dental. Three incredible dedicated Advisory Committee members share their dental hygiene journeys with host, Matt Crespin, and explain how this initiative builds diversity in dental hygiene and addresses workforce shortages while improving access to care in underserved communities. Learn about becoming...

Hospital-based dental hygiene care is literally saving lives by preventing infections. ADHA member Katharine Martinez joins Matt during National Children's Dental Health Month to share her unique work as a prevention educator at Phoenix Children's Hospital using a successful innovative care model that other states could easily adopt. She shares her passion for reaching pediatric patients and ensuring they remain free of preventable...

Fluoride misinformation spreads faster than the facts. Spring Hatfield joins host Matt Crespin for an important conversation about fluoride information, identifying credible scientific sources and how to spot misinformation online. Their conversation examines how dental professionals can effectively evaluate and address fluoride misconceptions and problematic claims that are appearing in publications, online and in social media cha...

End-of-Year Episode! Matt catches up with ADHA officers on crucial dental hygiene issues, recent concerning proposals that impact the profession, patient care and scope of practice, and how the organization is opposing and addressing these. They look back at 2024 successes and look forward at the work ahead in 2025 work on professional autonomy, recruitment, education, policy, leadership development and more. The key is involvement...