🎙️ THE UNHINGED HYGIENISTS

Michelle Strange, MSDH, RDH: Why Dental Hygienists Need to Stop Asking Permission

What happens when a dental hygienist refuses to accept "because that's the way we've always done it" as an answer?

In this episode, we sit down with Michelle Strange, MSDH, RDH—practicing hygienist, educator, entrepreneur, infection prevention expert, speaker, and owner of an independent dental hygiene practice.

Michelle shares her journey from feeling trapped in traditional hygiene to building a career that spans education, business ownership, infection prevention, travel hygiene, and healthcare advocacy.

We discuss:

✨ Why hygienists feel stuck—and how to break free

✨ The future of independent dental hygiene practices

✨ Why curiosity is the most important skill in healthcare

✨ Dental hygiene licensure frustrations across the United States

✨ Why "that's how we've always done it" is a dangerous mindset

✨ The importance of evidence-based thinking and challenging your own beliefs

✨ How to create change in dentistry without waiting for permission

✨ Why hygienists deserve a stronger voice in shaping the future of the profession

✨ The difference between being a scaler and being a healthcare provider

✨ Patient autonomy, informed refusal, and meeting people where they are

One of our favorite takeaways from Michelle:

"I got tired of asking permission to do the right thing."

If you've ever wondered whether there is more to dental hygiene than simply cleaning teeth, this episode is for you.

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CONNECT WITH MICHELLE STRANGE

📸 Instagram: @michellestrangerdh

🦠 Infection Prevention: @levelupinfectionprevention

🌐 www.michellestrangerdh.com

🌐 www.levelupip.com

🦷 www.smile-logic.com

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🎙️ Connect with The Unhinged Hygienists

🌐 Website: https://theunhingedhygienist.com

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theunhingedhygienists

🌐 Lauren Kennedy, RDH: www.themyocoach.com

💌 Join our community, access resources, and stay up to date with new episodes, guest announcements, and oral-systemic health content.

🎙️ New episodes every Wednesday

Have a guest recommendation, topic idea, or want to collaborate with us? We'd love to hear from you.

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

✔ Stay curious

✔ Challenge your own assumptions

✔ Progress happens when people ask better questions

✔ Dental hygienists are healthcare providers

✔ The future of dentistry is collaborative

✔ You don't need permission to create change

🎙️ EPISODE 9: THE MOUTH IS THE MESSENGER

What if your bleeding gums, bad breath, cavities, fatigue, headaches, snoring, or even your child's bedwetting weren't random?

What if your mouth was actually trying to tell you something?

In this episode of The Unhinged Hygienists, we're diving into one of our favorite topics—the oral-systemic connection. We discuss how signs in the mouth can reveal deeper issues involving airway health, sleep-disordered breathing, nutrition, gut health, chronic inflammation, stress, and nervous system dysregulation.

Because your mouth isn't separate from your body.

It's the messenger.

🦷 In this episode: • Why bleeding gums are never normal • Why snoring isn't cute or harmless • Airway health and sleep quality • The connection between oral health and gut health • Nutrition, inflammation, and cavities • Stress, cortisol, and your oral microbiome • Why healthcare providers need to collaborate more

If your hygienist is asking about your sleep, your diet, your digestion, or your stress levels… now you know why.

📩 Want to be a guest on the podcast? theunhingedhygienists@gmail.com

⭐ Follow, subscribe, and share with someone who needs to hear this conversation.

#TheUnhingedHygienists #OralSystemicHealth #AirwayHealth #WholeBodyHealth #DentalPodcast

🎙️ Episode 8: Skip the Scrape? Challenging the Status Quo with Joy Davis, RDH

What if one of the most important things a dental hygienist can do is stay curious?

In this episode of The Unhinged Hygienists, we sit down with Joy Davis, RDH, educator, airway advocate, biofilm enthusiast, and founder of Skip the Scrape. Together, we challenge some of dentistry's most common assumptions and explore what happens when hygienists stop accepting "that's how we've always done it" as the answer.

From air polishing and Guided Biofilm Therapy (GBT) to airway health, thyroid screenings, burnout, Medicaid dentistry, and the myth of the six-month recall, this conversation is packed with practical insights and plenty of unhinged moments.

Joy shares her journey from working in public health and Medicaid dentistry to becoming an educator who trains dental teams across the country. We discuss how curiosity can transform patient care, why hygienists should feel empowered to identify concerns beyond the teeth, and how embracing new evidence can help prevent burnout while improving outcomes.

In this episode, we discuss:

🦷 Air polishing and biofilm management

🦷 Why six-month recalls aren't one-size-fits-all

🦷 Airway health and sleep-disordered breathing

🦷 Thyroid screenings and oral-systemic health

🦷 Burnout in dental hygiene

🦷 Expanded scope of practice

🦷 Evidence-based dentistry

🦷 Patient-centered care

🦷 The importance of staying curious

One of our favorite takeaways:

✨ "Be curious, not judgmental."

IG Joydavisrdh

Skipthescrape.com

Whether you're a hygienist, dentist, healthcare provider, or someone passionate about preventive health, this episode will leave you questioning old assumptions and thinking differently about patient care.

🎧 Follow, subscribe, and share with a fellow hygienist who is ready to challenge the status quo.

#TheUnhingedHygienists #JoyDavisRDH #SkipTheScrape #DentalHygiene #HealthcareHygienist #AirwayHealth #GBT #BiofilmManagement #OralSystemicHealth #DentalPodcast