I have found that, even in these beginning stages toward my future career, being a dental hygienist can be very gratifying and rewarding. However, I must admit, there have been moments that have momentarily erased these thoughts from my mind. When a client cancels last minute, because they “just do not feel like coming in today”, or when a person sits in the chair and openly proclaims “I hate coming here!”, I may start to feel a bit disheartened. When after my efforts of debridement and time spent demonstrating the modified bass method, there is no improvement; I start to feel discouraged, or even frustrated.

At these times, I try to remember my Philosophy of Practice. It’s rather plain, even a little bit dull – I just want to help others. I strive to improve the oral health, and by extension, the overall health of my clients in every action I take, every piece of advice I give, or simply in the time I spend with them. What happens outside of an appointment is out of my control, but I can do my very best to make a difference during my interaction with the client. Every person is different; they have different priorities, needs, values, and beliefs. My techniques and methods may be effective with some clients, and not for others. And that’s okay. Try again, try something new – just try. Even if you fail sometimes, you are bound to help someone in some way- big or small, all of the other times.

“We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean.
But if that drop were not there, I think the ocean would be less by that missing drop.”
— Mother Teresa

I thought it would be appropriate to conclude with this quote by Mother Teresa. Although she is referring to saving the lives of impoverished people, and well, I may be talking about tackling someone who doesn’t like to floss – the principle is the same. No matter what you do, if you are trying to help others, it is worth it in the end.