Workplace Wellness Corner

Oh Canada! Workplace Wellness

Workplace wellness encompasses being healthy both physically and psychologically. When we experience wellness in the workplace, we feel happier, more engaged, and less stressed at the office and at home. A healthy and respectful workplace is one that supports and promotes the physical and psychological well-being of each member of the team.

To support dental hygienists in their efforts to achieve a healthy work environment, CDHA publishes a Workplace Wellness column in our member magazine, Oh Canada! Each article shares insight into the different approaches dental hygienists can take to maintain their physical and mental health to enjoy long, healthy careers. Read the articles by selecting the year below:

Select a Year:

2025

Creating a Culture of Respect and Wellness in Dental Practices: Two New Resources for Dental Hygienists

Dental hygienists are essential members of the oral health care team, yet many face workplace challenges that impact their well-being, job satisfaction, and ability to provide optimal patient care. According to CDHA’s 2023 Healthy and Respectful Workplace Survey, 6 in 10 respondents had experienced or witnessed mistreatment in the workplace, including incivility, verbal abuse, and harassment.

Enhancing Dental Hygiene Wellness Through Recognition and Connection

Oprah Winfrey is known the world over. There is something about her survival to thrival story, charisma, and unparalleled self-made success that has given her a relatability factor that few people ever reach. So, when Oprah says she’s learned something from the more than 50,000 people she has interviewed in her career, we lean in and learn.

2024

Take a Stand: How Better Ergonomics Can Boost Your Dental Hygiene Career

We’ve all heard the saying, “Sitting is the new smoking,” and for oral health professionals, it couldn’t be more relevant. Our work demands long hours of sitting, hunching, and leaning over patients, often leading to musculoskeletal pain, especially in the neck, back, and shoulders. It’s no surprise that many oral health professionals experience acute and chronic pain throughout their careers.

Sources of Hidden Stress

Some of the stress you experience as a dental hygienist is obvious: a client being late or rude, feeling like your appointment time isn’t long enough to provide proper dental hygiene care, frustration with a problem in the office or with a person at work or home. But then there is some stress that isn’t as obvious. It is “hidden.”

2023

Your Key to a Long, Healthy Career

Workplace wellness encompasses being healthy both physically and psychologically. Learn about the resources CDHA has available to support dental hygienists in maintaining good overall health.

The Key to Growth: It Is Here

Whether at work or at home, it is a given that at some time or another a disagreement will happen. Like it or not, we are confronted with conflicting ideas from time to time.

I Don’t Have Time: You Are Either Engaging in Self-Care or Self-Neglect

In the dental hygiene profession, we talk a lot about self-care due to the physical and emotional demands of our day-to-day work. Learn about 3 challenges we face.

2022

Why Exercise Is Practical for Dental Hygienists

I definitely missed the class in dental hygiene school where they told us proper ergonomics and body position would help…to a certain point. That is, until you get the client who can’t lie back and barely opens their mouth, or the one who says no to the Cavitron, or the squirmy kid—all in one lovely 10-hour day!

How to Set Your Emotional Thermostat

Life has been really challenging these past two or so years. And now, it’s possible that you may be experiencing negative emotions more frequently than you used to, and maybe for longer periods of time before you are even aware of feeling that way. This might be because, over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, you have unknowingly adjusted your emotional thermostat. Here’s what I mean.

Believing People Want to Do Well: Searching for Hidden Greatness Even in Toxic Behaviours

As Chief Recognition Officer at Greatness Magnified and having conducted or led a team that has engaged in over 100 health care team consultations, I can tell you that I can count on one hand the number of people who set out to deliberately and systematically tear down other people, their team, and the organization.

2021

Unlocking Freedom: Iyengar Yoga for the Dental Hygienist

I am dangling upside down from my wall ropes after a day of clinical practice, tuning into the subtle popping of my body as it opens by the passive pull of gravity. I visualize the release of connective and muscle tissue fibres that have been held all day in support of my oral hygiene work. Interestingly, the opening reminds me of the releasing feeling one has when a ledge of calculus cracks off during instrumentation. I think all dental hygienists can relate to that moment of “ahhhh” or “yes!” when the tension breaks and the foundation of the tooth structure is felt. Feeling the support of the ropes holding and caring for me in the most unusual way, I am reminded of how oral caregivers support clients, each one unique in their own way, and how we find ways to create space and openings in our interactions to bring wellness and health into the conversation.

Building Mental Immunity: Providing Dental Hygienists with a Mental Skill Set That Allows Them to Flourish

The year 2020 presented dental hygienists with many unpredictable challenges: developing and adhering to new COVID-19 protocols; managing the disjunction between the different regulatory bodies; mitigating our own vulnerability to the virus while providing care to our clients; learning to master our craft while wearing an N95 mask, a shield, and disposable gown (not an easy task while experiencing a hot flash!); managing our clients’ anxiety; acquiring new verbiage to explain to our clients why we are not using ultrasonics or polishing their teeth; and worrying about transmitting the virus to our families. Just to mention a few. During this time, we all saw some of our colleagues decide not to return to work due to the stress of dealing with these and many other issues.

You Are Here: Mindfulness for the Dental Hygienist

As a dental hygienist, mother, and lifelong learner, I have benefitted greatly from the practice of mindfulness. I completed a certificate on the foundations of mindfulness and mindfulness meditation at the University of Toronto and learned how to practise daily and teach others. Despite my hectic schedule, I have learned to pause, pay attention, and prioritize self-care. I’ve written a children’s book on mindfulness, and I provide experiential education for those who are interested in learning about the application of mindfulness. Based on my positive experience, my intention is to share how mindfulness can help my colleagues.

2020

Conquering Stress at the Office

Feeling stressed and too busy at work? Managing stress during “normal” times was one thing, but now with COVID-19, everything at the office (and at home) seems more overpowering. Stressors are everywhere you turn, from following proper infection control guidelines to dealing with overwhelmed and maybe even confrontational clients and co-workers. It may feel that the world is falling down around you, yet you must put on an, “everything is fine” face for your clients. Your stress level is rising. Let’s look at how to decrease it.

The Yoga of Sitting

I am a dental hygienist and movement educator focused on yoga and strength training. The following article is intended to raise awareness of supportive seated posture. It should not replace the advice of a medical professional (physician, chiropractor, physiotherapist, etc.). If you are in pain, please seek individualized medical advice from your health care provider.

Protect Your Resilience by Improving Your Sleep Patterns

Many of us take our sleep for granted. We get so busy with our work commitments and our family responsibilities that sometimes our sleep becomes neglected and an afterthought. But what if I told you we are damaging our well-being and health by not better prioritizing our bedtime?

2019

Identifying Three Common Happiness Hackers

The most significant aspect of your daily routines is likely with whom you spend time. In even the briefest of interactions, people have a way of bringing out the best in you and refueling your spirits or sucking joy from your day, draining you of motivation and happiness. Although most seem blindly unaware of the negative impact they can have on those around them, people’s attitudes and energy are as contagious as any physical pathogen.

Building a Culture of Respect and Civility in the Dental Office

Since the 1900s, the dental hygiene profession has been dominated by Caucasian women. Today, more than 97% of Canada’s dental hygienists identify as female. One result of this has been the institutionalization of a patriarchal power structure in which dental hygienists are seen as subservient to dentists. Another is frequent reports of discrimination based on sex and gender identity.