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You've probably heard that dentists have the highest suicide rate of any profession. That's a myth. But here's what isn't: dental professionals experience alarmingly high rates of depression, anxiety, burnout, and suicidal thoughts.

In Australia, 1 in 6 dental practitioners reported thoughts of suicide in the past year. In the UK, 17.6% of dentists admitted to seriously considering it. And 43% of dental hygiene students report moderate to severe depression before they even enter the workforce.

But here's the problem no one is talking about: we're only tracking dentists. The ADA collects mental health data on dentists—but dental hygienists? Dental assistants? The workforce that is 95% female? No systematic tracking exists. If you're not counted, you don't count.

In this episode, I break down the myth vs. reality of suicide in dentistry, the data gap making the female-dominated workforce invisible, the education gap leaving students unprepared for a high-stress profession, and what needs to change—for the industry, for practice owners, and for clinicians.

This episode is personal. I lost a mentor to suicide early in my career. She seemed fine. She showed up. She smiled. And she was struggling silently. That experience changed how I see this industry.

We can't fix what we don't acknowledge.

It's time to start counting everyone.

If you or someone you know is struggling, here are resources:

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: call or text 988.

Crisis Text Line: text HOME to 741741.

For dental-specific support, the Dental Mental Health Network and your state's ADA well-being program are available.

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What if dental hygienists in every state could open their own practices, set their own hours, and bill patients directly - without a dentist signing off on every decision?

That’s not a fantasy. It’s Canada. And they’ve been doing it for decades.

In this episode of Rooting Within Health, Kimberly Williamson dives into how Canadian hygienists achieved self-regulation - and why the American system is designed to keep clinicians limited. She covers:

• The 30+ year timeline of Canadian self-regulation
• How the ADA removed “dental hygiene diagnosis” from our standards — with no evidence
• The GDC research showing direct access is safe
• Why dental boards dominated by dentists create a conflict of interest
• The real reason behind the hygienist shortage — and why OPAs aren’t the answer
• What we can actually do to demand change

This episode is for every dental professional who’s ever felt silenced, overlooked, or stuck in a system that wasn’t built for them.

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It's legal in Arizona. Missouri is running a pilot program. And more states are considering it: the Oral Preventive Assistant (OPA) model allows dental assistants with just 120 hours of training to perform "dental cleanings."

In this episode, I break down what OPAs can and cannot do, why this model is being pushed as a solution to the dental hygiene shortage, and why it's actually a symptom of much bigger problems in dentistry.

We'll talk about:

• The training gap between OPAs (120 hours) and dental hygienists (2-4 years, 2,000-3,000 clinical hours)
• What "supragingival scaling only" really means for your oral health
• Why patient satisfaction surveys don't measure clinical outcomes
• The gender dynamics of creating cheaper substitutes for female-dominated professions
• What happens when an industry regulates itself with zero independent oversight
• Real solutions that would actually address workforce shortages

This isn't about gatekeeping. It's about patient safety, professional standards, and the systemic devaluation of healthcare workers - especially women.

If you've ever wondered why your dental office feels like a production line, or why there's no independent body watching out for patients in dentistry, this episode connects the dots.