Annual Hygienist Night Out
Kandice Swarthout, RDH, LPC is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Registered Dental Hygienist. She is a full-time dental hygiene educator in Texas. Kandice is the owner of Inspired Education & Wellness where she is a speaker, writer, and private practice therapist. She has worked in the trenches in clinical mental health for over 10 years with extensive work in trauma and with incarcerated individuals. She combines her clinical dental and mental health experience to help other healthcare professionals have a fulfilling work-life experience. Kandice is a provider of human trafficking training that is approved by the Texas Health and Human Services Committee on Human Trafficking. Take her course live or virtually at inspirededucationce.com. Read Kandice’s articles in Dentistry IQ, Today’s RDH, and her blog on Facebook titled Fearless Compassion: Stories of Personal Triumph.
This event is designed to be educational, but it is also a “Night Out” for Hygienists. Please be courteous to others and keep conversation down to a minimum during the program. We look forward to seeing you there!
Please keep AOS updated if you are not able to attend, so others may have an opportunity.
Looking forward to seeing you all on October 26th for FUN..FOOD..DRINKS..PRIZES..&…CE!!
The Origins of Dental Fear: Providing Trauma-Informed Care for Anxious Patients
For some patients, a history of trauma, anxiety disorders, or substance abuse can create a sense of real fear around a dental appointment. The relationship between the dental professional and patient is the key factor in what helps trauma survivors in recovery and building resilience to end the vicious cycle of dental fear. The fear of a dental appointment may leave the patient and clinician feeling exhausted and confused. Awareness of the neurobiological responses to trauma can help dental professionals provide optimum treatment with empathy and compassion. This course will discuss many non-dental related traumas that may cause the patient severe anxiety during a dental appointment. It will address treatment from a trauma-informed care mindset that will guide dental professionals to a deeper understanding of dental fear and management.
Upon completion of this course, participants should be able to:
- Understand how previous trauma effects patients in the dental office
- Learn the neurobiological responses to trauma
- List the key factors in creating a safe space and empowering patients that are victims of trauma.
- Discuss modes of patient communication and approaches that reduce retraumatization
- Learn the definition and key components to implementing trauma-informed care in the dental setting.
