Well, Look Who Made the Cover!” 😂❤️

There are some days when the mail is considerably more exciting than bills and advertisements.

This was one of them.

Two issues of The Conscious Smile Magazine arrived — and there I was, smiling back from the pages and, rather amazingly, the cover.

I’ll admit it: that was pretty darn fun.

But as I stood there holding those magazines, I realized the part that means the most to me isn’t really seeing my photograph in print. It’s seeing the conversations I care so deeply about continuing to grow.

For more than four decades in dental hygiene, I’ve been fascinated by what the mouth can tell us about the rest of the body. Somewhere along the way, I stopped being satisfied with simply asking:

“What are we seeing?”

I wanted to know:

“WHY are we seeing it?”

Why does one patient develop rampant decay while another doesn’t?

Why do gums continue to bleed when the teeth are beautifully clean?

Why does disease return after seemingly excellent treatment?

What role might the microbiome, inflammation, nutrition, hormones, airway, saliva, sleep, medications, or systemic health be playing?

Those questions changed the way I practice dental hygiene — and they continue to change the way I teach it.

That is why being included in The Conscious Smile Magazine feels particularly meaningful. These are conversations about looking beyond the tooth, beyond the pocket depth, and sometimes beyond what we were originally taught to consider.

The mouth is not separate from the body.

And dental hygienists have an extraordinary opportunity to notice the clues, ask better questions, educate our patients, and help uncover the WHY behind disease.

So yes, I did a little happy dance when these magazines arrived.

Not simply because my face was on the cover.

But because the conversation is getting bigger.

And I’m very happy to be part of it.

Still curious. Still learning. Still asking WHY. ❤️

Warmly,

Barbara 

Queen of Dental Hygiene… and apparently now a Dental “Cover Girl.” WHOOP WHOOP! 😄