With the warm weather arriving and the sun finally shining, it has me thinking about what’s just around the corner for us at rdhu.
We have one more month of courses wrapping up our 2025–2026 academic year, including live-streaming programs, hands-on courses, and our in-person Hygiene Masterclass™. This weekend we also welcome another Myofunctional Therapy group for a full weekend of learning and connection, with dental hygienists coming from different areas in Canada and the United States to learn together at rdhu.
Then… summer begins.
While we won’t be hosting courses, webinars, or events again until September, summer at rdhu is far from quiet.
In many ways, this is our implementation season.
It’s the time where we step back, reflect, assess, create, refine, and work on projects that are often difficult to fully focus on during the busy academic calendar. It’s the season where ideas become plans — and plans begin turning into action.
I’m personally looking forward to working on several exciting projects that we will be launching this fall, and it also has me thinking about dental practices and hygiene teams.
Summer can be an incredible time to ask:
Sometimes implementation doesn’t require a complete overhaul.
Often, it starts with one intentional decision.
Perhaps this is the summer your practice decides to:
Implement a laser program
Are all dental hygienists trained? Is there a diode laser sitting unused in a drawer waiting to become part of patient care?
Introduce disclosing and air polishing into periodontal therapy and biofilm management
Create an instrumentation program
A proactive approach that ensures your hygiene team is consistently working with instruments that are sharp, functionally safe, ergonomic, and designed for excellence — creating consistency across the team rather than reacting when instruments fail
Elevate oral hygiene protocols
Moving oral hygiene and home-care recommendations from a last-minute conversation to a central part of the patient experience
This may include:
• Power toothbrush integration
• Interdental aid recommendations
• Biofilm-focused education
• Creating consistency in messaging across the hygiene team
Introduce oral probiotics into your periodontal and wellness protocols
Supporting patients beyond the appointment by helping encourage a healthier oral microbiome and more balanced biofilm environment
Explore updating whitening systems and patient aesthetic offerings
Take part in a charity initiative or community outreach project
Develop a Welcome Package for new patients
Helping create a stronger “Before Experience” and first impression
Create a social media and email engagement strategy
One that not only shares your services but also continuously educates and connects with your patients between appointments
Implementation is where learning truly comes alive.
It’s where education transforms into patient care, systems, consistency, confidence, and culture.
This month, I had the opportunity to help curate a very special implementation-focused issue of Oral Hygiene journal, bringing together contributors and ideas centered around turning education into action.
If you’re looking for inspiration, ideas, or motivation for your own summer implementation projects, I encourage you to take a look at the digital issue:
Summer often creates space for ideas that have been sitting on the “someday” list all year long. Perhaps this is the season to finally bring one of them to life.
As always, thank you for being part of our rdhu community.
Warmly,
Kathleen
Kathleen Bokrossy, RDH, BSc ~ President, rdhu
