RDH's...Are you taking BP at every visit?

In this episode of the Tooth or Dare Podcast, Irene and Victoria break down one of the most common questions in dental hygiene:

“Is taking blood pressure at every visit mandatory?”

Patients often say:

“I’ve never had this done before.”

So what do the guidelines actually say?

We discuss:

• Is blood pressure screening mandatory in Canada or the U.S.?
• What provincial and ADA guidelines recommend
• What to do when a reading is over 180/110
• Can patients decline?
• When to defer treatment or refer
• Real clinical stories from practice
• The disconnect between dental and medical care

Clinical stories shared:

- A patient with BP over 200 systolic who went to ER and was later medicated

- A young patient with elevated BP who turned out to be pregnant with gestational diabetes

- Patients dismissed to physicians

- What happened when a patient was told by physicians, “We’re not concerned and monitor.”

- The disconnect between dental and medical frameworks

Blood pressure screening is strongly recommended — but in most places, not legally required. So, where does that leave us as preventive healthcare professionals?

We unpack it and discuss the following Resources & References:

CDHO Hypertension Advisory

https://cdho.org/advisories/hypertension/

CDHO Hypertension Factsheet

https://cdho.org/factsheets/hypertension-in-adults/

American Dental Association – Hypertension

https://www.ada.org/resources/ada-library/oral-health-topics/hypertension?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Today’s RDH – Pre-Operative BP Screening

https://www.todaysrdh.com/heart-health-importance-of-pre-operative-blood-pressure-screenings-in-the-dental-office/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Peer-Reviewed Study (PMC) – BP Screening in Dental Settings

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7523566/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

If you’re a hygienist, dentist, or healthcare provider navigating this conversation in your operatory — this episode is for you.

If you made it all the way down here, hit a like and share a comment.

Until next time, Peace out peeps! ✌️

_______________________________________

📦 Amazon Store with my FAV things:

https://www.amazon.ca/shop/toothlife.irene?listId=YLX0271390I3

Follow on Social Media:

_______________________________________

💁🏼‍♀️Personal Instagram @Toothlife.Irene

https://www.instagram.com/toothlife.irene

🙋🏼‍♀️Facebook Irene Iancu

https://www.facebook.com/irene.iancu

💃🏼TikTok @Toothlife.Irene

https://www.tiktok.com/@toothlife.irene

🛒Online Store and Instagram @Toothlife

https://www.instagram.com/toothlife

🥼Office Instagram @ToothlifeStudio

https://www.instagram.com/ToothlifeStudio

_______________________________________

🎤Podcast @ToothorDare.Podcast

https://www.instagram.com/ToothorDare.Podcast

_______________________________________

🔗🌲Cool links in my Linktree

https://linktr.ee/TOOTHLIFE.IRENE

f you're a dental professional curious about using technology to SEE sub-G this is the episode for you!

In this episode, Irene sits down with Kristen Ranaldo, a perio-focused hygienist who has spent her career using dental endoscopy to treat advanced perio and failing implants. Kristen shares how seeing below the gumline transforms diagnosis, treatment, and patient communication and why blind SRP and laser-only approaches often fall short. They also discuss how desiccation gels like PerioDT and Hybenx fit into workflows and what it takes to implement this technology in everyday practice.

In this episode, we talk about:

▪️ Kristen’s early hygiene career and how she became part of the 1% of hygienists using an endoscope routinely

▪️ When to use endoscopy alone vs. combining it with lasers, biologics, and desiccation gels like PerioDT

▪️ Practical implementation: appointment flow, patient communication, coding, fees, and how general practices can keep more advanced cases in-house

▪️ The bigger picture: technology, insurance, and why hygiene needs better protocols, standardization, and support to truly move forward

Connect with Kristen:

Instagram → @thesubgingivalqueen

_____________________________________________________

If you made it all the way down here, hit a like and share a comment.

Until next time, Peace out peeps! ✌️

_______________________________________

📦 Amazon Store with my FAV things:

https://www.amazon.ca/shop/toothlife.irene?listId=YLX0271390I3

Follow on Social Media:

_______________________________________

💁🏼‍♀️Personal Instagram @Toothlife.Irene https://www.instagram.com/toothlife.irene

🙋🏼‍♀️Facebook Irene Iancu https://www.facebook.com/irene.iancu

💃🏼TikTok @Toothlife.Irene https://www.tiktok.com/@toothlife.irene

🛒Online Store and Instagram @Toothlife https://www.instagram.com/toothlife

🥼Office Instagram @ToothlifeStudio https://www.instagram.com/ToothlifeStudio

______________________________________

🎤Podcast @ToothorDare.Podcast https://www.instagram.com/ToothorDare.Podcast

_______________________________________

🔗🌲Cool links in my Linktree https://linktr.ee/TOOTHLIFE.IRENE

Dear Dental Hygienists,

If your patients keep coming back with the same amount of calculus, this is the episode for you.

In this Op Talk edition of Tooth or Dare, Irene and Victoria take one of the most misunderstood tools in modern periodontal care and pull it apart clinically, practically, and honestly.

Desiccation therapy is often described as “drying,” “etch-like,” or “just another add-on.” In this episode, we explain why none of those descriptions are quite right — and why that misunderstanding is exactly why so many clinicians either misuse it or underutilize it.

Using real Instagram questions and real operatory experience, we walk through what desiccation therapy is doing at the tooth, tissue, and biofilm level, how it changes the feel and efficiency of scaling, and how to integrate it into everyday periodontal appointments without disrupting workflow, patient comfort, or ethics.

This episode is supported by the folks at Young Specialties, the company that brings PerioDT to the American dental market. Their efforts to expand the reach of this innovation led to this episode and the use of this product nationwide.

To learn more about this therapy, visit this link for a FREE 1-hour webinar: https://yng.ink/4qClAef

If you’ve ever wondered whether desiccation therapy is “worth it,” if you’ve used it but never felt confident explaining it, or if you want to tighten up your perio workflow without adding chaos — this episode is for you.

📲 Questions or Episode Topic Requests?

@toothlife.irene — Check the top 3 pinned posts to access the download and leave your questions in the comments.

We'll be answering them in upcoming episodes!

Until next time, Peace out peeps! ✌️

_______________________________________

📦 Amazon Store with my FAV things:

https://www.amazon.ca/shop/toothlife.irene?listId=YLX0271390I3

Follow on Social Media:

_______________________________________

💁🏼‍♀️Personal Instagram @Toothlife.Irene

https://www.instagram.com/toothlife.irene

🙋🏼‍♀️Facebook Irene Iancu

https://www.facebook.com/irene.iancu

💃🏼TikTok @Toothlife.Irene

https://www.tiktok.com/@toothlife.irene

🛒Online Store and Instagram @Toothlife

https://www.instagram.com/toothlife

🥼Office Instagram @ToothlifeStudio

https://www.instagram.com/ToothlifeStudio

______________________________________

🎤Podcast @ToothorDare.Podcast

https://www.instagram.com/ToothorDare.Podcast

_______________________________________

🔗🌲Cool links in my Linktree

https://linktr.ee/TOOTHLIFE.IRENE