National Board Prep Review
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Andy RDH has partnered with CDHA to provide dental hygiene students with the best board prep review in the nation! Check out their packages and PASS your national boards with ease by clicking here.
PRO TIP: Attend CDHA student events for a chance to win a free board prep package! Giveaways are always happening at student events -- you never know if an event you attend will have a free board prep review giveaway! |
10 Tips for ACING Your Dental Hygiene Program
- Have a separate binder for each course. Each binder should include: binder front cover of the course name, the course syllabus, 5 dividers (labeled... Handouts, Lecture, Tests, Homework, Lab/Projects), binder paper for last minute notes. Be ready with all of your binders on day 1!
- Frontload your academic stress - Get ahead on homework and assignments by 2-3 weeks. Yes, you will give up weekends and long nights, but will ultimately reduce your stress and have more time for studying for the BIG things -- like final exams, skill evaluations, etc.
- Look ahead at large projects and essays. Don't wait last minute to start! Brainstorm and/or work on these a little each week. Complete these projects a week before it is due to allow yourself time to review and fine tune for submission.
- Find a small group of like-minded classmates whom you can discuss confusing topics with to clarify the subject matter. Lean on each other for emotional support throughout the program if needed.
- Juggling didactic courses and lab will be the most challenging for most students. By frontloading your didactic courses, you will allow yourself more time to practice hand instrumentation. Do NOT only practice hand scaling in lab classes. Make time to practice at home at least 30-minutes a day.
- Know your instruments inside and out -- where the working end is, V-to-the-D, what surfaces they're used for, at what depth they can properly clean at, alternate/advanced instrumentation techniques.
- Seek out help early on from your instructors if you are not understanding hand instrumentation, especially the basics. It does not make you dumb, it makes you determined to understand and build a strong foundational skill set.
- Avoid the gossip girls in your class (even your instructors). Yes, every class has them and they will only drain your mental/emotional focus. Focus on why you are in the program -- to pass and enter into a rewarding career. PRO TIP: When you enter the dental field, walking away from gossip will be the best thing you do for your professional career. No one wants to work with a drama queen.
- In school your appointments will range from 3-4 hours per patient. In the real world, you will have closer to 30 minutes-1.5 hour per patient. While you're in school, continue to work on optimizing your movements and making your appointments more and more efficient. Write out a timeline for yourself on paper if you need to see it laid out.
- Apply for scholarships while you are in school. You will have large expenses that show up towards the end that financial aid will not cover...such as board prep review costs, national board exams cost, etc. Start saving in your first semester so that you're ready for those expenses in your second year.
Study Resources
Diagrams
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Eruption Pattern
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EASY Tips to Remember Primary Tooth Numbers:
PRACTICE QUIZ: 1.) At what age does a child's first tooth erupt? 2.) A patient's mother is concerned that her 9-year old son's permanent canines have not erupted. Is this normal 3.)#C and #H were first to erupt. Is this a typical eruption pattern? 4.) A new 10-year-old patient is missing #D and #G with no XRAY history. Their lateral incisors have not erupted. Are Anterior PAs indicated? 5.) A new 15-year-old patient has retained #L primary tooth. This is their first time in a dental office. Is a PANO or PA indicated? 
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Video Demos
PSA Injection: