🎙️ 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