Dental Hygiene Week: Appreciation, History, and Health
This year Dental Hygiene week is April 5-11. The week is a time to show appreciation and recognize the contributions of dental hygienists.
Dental Hygienists first were called “Dental Nurses.” In 1907, Irene Newman was employed by Dr. Alfred Fones in Bridgeport, Connecticut where she would perform a dental prophylaxis on a patient. The first Dental Hygiene program was established in 1913, and Irene became the first licensed Dental Hygienist in 1917. In the 1940s the education standards went from a year to a two-year program. As a hygienist, I would like to express my gratitude to Irene Newman.
Many people do not know that hygienists wear many hats. They are educators, supporters, motivators, therapists and friends. They help with your oral health by cleaning your teeth, and your overall health issues like diabetes, lupus and oral cancer, April is also Oral Cancer Awareness Month.
Some ways that you can recognize your hygienist is to make a “thank you” post and listen to their advice when they tell you to brush and floss twice a day. At our dental office in Spencerport, we have a special lunch for our hygienists. We always try to go somewhere in the Spencerport area to give back to our local businesses.
