Dental Hygiene Basics
Do you dream of becoming a dental hygienist? 🦷✨ Welcome to the Dental Hygiene Basics Podcast, your go-to resource for getting into and succeeding in dental hygiene school! Hosted by Dana Paladino, a dental hygienist, educator, and mentor, this podcast was created to fill a major gap—helping students before they even step into dental hygiene school. While many resources focus on surviving school or advancing a hygiene career, few exist to guide students through the application process and their first year. That’s where Dental Hygiene Basics comes in! We cover: ✅ Admissions insight – How to strengthen your application and excel during your dental hygiene school interview ✅ Dental hygiene school survival – Study strategies, clinical tips, & NBDHE prep ✅ Career pathways – Exploring alternative and traditional RDH careers ✅ Community & mentorship – Real stories from dental hygienists who’ve been in your shoes Dana has worked closely with first-year dental hygiene students and has seen their struggles firsthand. She knows that preparation powers performance—and by sharing expert advice, personal experiences, guest interviews, she’s here to help YOU succeed. More than just a podcast, Dental Hygiene Basics is a growing community of hygienists helping aspiring hygienists. Because when we lift each other up, we all succeed. 💙 Dana's personal mission is to award $100,000 in scholarships by 2035. Learn more about Dental Hygiene Basic's Services and Scholarships at www.dentalhygienebasics.com. Wondering if this podcast is right for you? Here are some questions we answer on the Dental Hygiene Basics Podcast: How do I get into dental hygiene school? What should I expect in dental hygiene school? How can I prepare for a dental hygiene school interview? What are the biggest challenges of dental hygiene school? How can I improve my instrumentation skills as a dental hygiene student? What are the best study tips for dental hygiene students? How do I manage stress in dental hygiene school? What career options are available for dental hygienists? How can I network and grow my dental hygiene career? Are there scholarships available for dental hygiene students? Subscribe now and start your journey to becoming a Registered Dental Hygienist! #dentalhygieneschool #dentalhygiene #futurerdh #studentrdh #dentalhygienebasics Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
Scholarships can help to relieve the financial burden of tuition in school, which is why it is my passion and goal to continue awarding dental hygiene students money with the Dental Hygiene Basics Scholarship! In this process, I've reviewed a plethora of applications and picked up on where students are going wrong when applying to scholarships. This episode goes over my tips for students when applying for scholarships and crafting ...
Amanda Hale, a dental hygienist for 18 years, has developed such a versatile resume and has truly done the most she can with her career! Our conversation in this episode covers her RDH origin story, her journey as a clinical hygienist, and what keeps her busy outside of the operatory. If branching out of clinical hygiene piques your interest, I highly recommend giving this episode a listen. Also, be sure to give Amanda a follo...
It may sound strange, but some things are better left behind when entering dental hygiene school. Your mindset is something that has a substantial impact on everything you do, including your education. Mindset is something you have control over and can use in your favor! This ten-minute episode can change your thinking when it comes to dental hygiene school and make you an overall better learner.
Timestamps:
(00:00) How to ...
Are you preparing to start dental hygiene school soon? If so, this is the perfect episode for you! Marie Richey, a current dental hygiene educator, joins me on this episode to give insider tips and tricks for incoming and current students. Listen to her perspective as a professor to have a clear understanding of what dental hygiene school will look like and be ready to go on your first day!
Timestamps:
(00:00) Marie’s RDH O...
Two years ago, Dental Hygiene Basics was founded to provide educational tools to aspiring dental hygienists and help students transition into DH programs. Today, the mission remains the same, with the addition of awarding scholarships to dental hygiene students! I'm proud of the trajectory of DHB thus far and hope to continue supporting Future RDHs. Feedback for DHB is always appreciated, so please never hesitate to reach out with ...
Starting dental hygiene school soon? You've come to the right place! Anistinn joins me on this episode to share her RDH journey so far. She's currently in an accelerated dental hygiene program and is on track to graduate in October. She's staying busy building a social media platform, tutoring other dental hygiene students, and studying for boards. If you're starting your dental hygiene journey, you'll love this episode!
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Maggie Moodie started her dental hygiene career early, getting into a DH program at the early age of 18! Her career has taken her through various working environments from temping, working in public health, and now being an educator. As an educator of 5 years, she's cultivated ways to help dental hygiene students have better understanding of their curriculum. Game-based learning is something she hopes to implement in dental hygiene...
Shelley Brown joins me on this episode to share her dental hygiene journey from struggling to get accepted into a program to now, being an educator in Utah and practicing as a public health hygienist! She's done so much for the dental hygiene community and continues to expand her functions to propel this career forward. Find all of her latest educational material on her website www.shelley.dental.
Timestamps:
(01:40) Shelley’...
My favorite RDH origin stories are the ones of people who didn't originally plan to become dental hygienists and somehow fell into it and end up loving this career. That was the case for Wafaa, @the_hijabi_hygienist, an influencer hygienist practicing clinically for 9 years now. She faced challenges in her pre-req classes as a pre-med student, and just so happened to be getting orthodontic treatment at the university she was attend...
Dental hygiene programs require students to be up to date on all their vaccines and submit their records prior to starting school. This episode focuses on what vaccines your dental hygiene program will most likely require and where you can go to access your records. It's so important to start this process early in your application process to avoid delays in starting dental hygiene school or being denied entirely!
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Ever wondered how to provide dental hygiene care to patients with cancer? Jill is a dental hygienist who recognized the limited course material she was given in school when caring for cancer patients and sought to learn more. Her passion stems from seeing her mom's oral health suffer after her breast cancer diagnosis. Jill founded Side Effect Support, an online resource for both dental professionals and patients wanting to learn mo...
Future RDHs who have been listening to my podcast for a while know I am a huge advocate for scholarships and encourage all students to apply to as many as possible. But I also want to shed light on scholarship scams and how students can avoid them. Listen now to learn some of the red flags you can look out for when applying to scholarships.
Timestamps:
(00:00) Applying to Scholarships
(02:33) Scams in Scholarships ...
The transition from dental hygiene school and working in a dental practice may sound overwhelming. If this sounds like something you're experiencing, you're in the right place! In this episode, I talk about all the things I wish someone had told me when entering the dental field as a new grad. You'll find advice on interviewing, when to leave an office, personal finances, clinical advice, and more!
Timestamps:
(00:00)...
Future RDH's, finals week is just around the corner and the stress is probably starting to kick in. Trust me, I've been there before, and I get that it can be overwhelming so I've put together my best tips for students to follow so they can be successful on their finals. They're simple and easy to implement, so make sure you tune in to get motivated and in your best headspace. Best of luck on finals!!
Timestamps:
(00:00) S...
This episode is the second and final part of my interview with Makya Smith, the first student to receive the Dental Hygiene Basics Scholarship! In this episode, you'll get to learn how Makya lost access to her full-ride scholarship halfway through dental hygiene school and still managed to graduate with zero debt! I love her perspective on receiving scholarships because it allows her to be more committed to her education. We are ho...
Congratulations to Makya for being the first Dental Hygiene Basics Scholarship recipient!! We're celebrating with two episodes dedicated to sharing her story and showcasing her dedication to helping others. Before dental hygiene school, Makya spent three years volunteering with YWAM Medical Ships as a dental clinic manager, helping to provide dental services to underserved communities in Papua New Guinea. She talks about how excite...
Brittany Cox, a dental hygienist for 10 years, joins me on this episode to talk about her career. She graduated DH school at the age of 19 while raising a toddler and working full-time! As if that wasn't impressive enough, she recently graduated with a Master of Arts in oral health promotion and has become a key leader in implementing sustainability in the dental field. Her drive to continue learning to provide the best care for he...
Building foundational knowledge is key to being successful in school, especially in dental hygiene school, where all the topics overlap with each other. I've dedicated this episode to explaining why it's important and tips on implementing this into your study routine. As a former educator at several dental hygiene programs and tutor for the DH national board exam, I've seen a pattern in students of those who succeed and those who f...
Heather DeJonge joins me on this episode to share her journey in dental hygiene and how she's become known as The Relaxed Hygienist! Her self-proclaimed title is earned through years of working on herself and regaining her mental and physical health to achieve a more relaxed lifestyle. We cover all topics relating to burnout, stress, and the long-term effects of neglecting your health. She has some amazing stress management tips th...
In this episode, you can hear all about Jazmine's amazing dental hygiene career and how she founded a dental hygiene-independent practice in the state of New Mexico! She's been a practicing RDH for ten years, with experience as an educator and recently took over a dental business development company, Dental HyGenius. Jazmine has found many outlets in this profession that I'm excited to share with you all. I love sharing the differe...
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