October is National Dental Hygiene Month and we are celebrating all month long! Where would we be without all the awesome, spectacular, fantastic hygienists in the world? We’d have less than perfect smiles that’s for sure! If you’ve been to our office, then you’ve had the pleasure of meeting the world’s best Registered Dental Hygienist Lisa Thurm!
Not only is Lisa beautiful and fun, she’s smart and passionate about what she does! We mean she really knows her stuff! Lisa started her dental career as a dental assistant, but has had passion for dental hygiene her entire life!
RDH Lisa tells us, “It all started when I was just a little girl. I was the only strange kid that brought a toothbrush to school and flossed without needing to be scolded. Now I’m proud to say as an adult, I’ve never had a cavity in neither my baby teeth nor my adult teeth. I believe everyone should have their teeth for as long as possible and as a preventative specialist, my goal is to get my patients there, that is the reason why I went into dental hygiene.”
At Advanced Dental Care, RDH Lisa provides each patient with a thorough hygiene evaluation on each visit. Lisa sees, diagnoses, and treats a wide-range of conditions. We asked Lisa, “What condition do patients have the most concern about?” She told us, “When patients come to me for their dental cleanings I often hear complaints about bleeding gums. Bleeding gums are caused by lack of consistent professional cleanings and meticulous home care. It is the many different forms of bacteria in plaque that cause bleeding gums, also known as gingivitis. When gingivitis is left untreated it can lead to active
Periodontal Disease, which is loss of the bone that supports our teeth.”
Active periodontal disease is one of the more common dental conditions Lisa diagnoses. Once a patient has developed active
Periodontal Disease, a Prophylaxis cleaning, or a “regular” cleaning, is no longer medically appropriate to treat the condition. Once Periodontal Disease is diagnosed, a patient requires
Scaling and Root Planing, also knows as a “deep cleaining” or SRPs. Lisa tell us, “A deep cleaning is also known as Non-Surgical Periodontal Therapy. During this treatment tarter and plaque are removed from
below the gum line, compared to a regular prophylaxis, where tarter and plaque are removed from
above the gum line. It is important to maintain good oral health, because your mouth is the gateway to the rest of the body. The same harmful bacteria in your mouth can and will travel to vital organs, negatively effect your overall health.”
Not all dental hygiene is scary! In fact, most conditions can be prevented by seeing RDH Lisa Thurm on her regularly prescribed visits of 3, 4 or 6 months. Lisa and Advanced Dental Care also have additional tools to help keep your gums healthy and pink! Check out this video where Lisa discusses the use of Non-Surgical
Laser Assisted Gum Therapy to help decontaminate the gums by clicking here:
RDH Lisa Thurm explains Laser Dentistry.
Lisa tells us her favorite part about being a dental hygienist is, “helping patients achieve a healthy, beautiful smile. Smiling is a very natural response and allows us to share our happiness with others. There are so many different reasons to smile!”. Outside of the office Lisa enjoys staying active by running, hiking, and swimming. She also enjoys spending time with her husband and son traveling, watching movies together and being outdoors.
One perk of being a dental hygienist in Southern California is that you sometimes run into, or even get to work on, celebrities. Lisa tell us her favorite celebrity in her career has definitely been
Beyoncé. “She is just as beautiful in person from the inside and out!”
