Bethany Montoya, MBA, BAS, RDH

Philips Heart to Hands Award Nomination

Nominee: Bethany Montoya, MBA, BAS, RDHNominated by: Aleah Diemand, RDH, BSDH, FADHA, Dental Student

Dear Philips and RDH Magazine Representatives,

Some dental hygienists stretch the boundaries of our profession, widen its reach, and make room for more people to belong, learn, and be protected. This is Bethany Montoya. She does not simply do dental hygiene. She advances it. She carries it into classrooms, onto stages, into editorial spaces, and out into the community with a sense of responsibility that feels personal, almost sacred. And she does it nonstop and with such consideration and intentionality.

Bethany is the kind of hygienist whose impact continues long after she leaves the operatory. With more than 14 years of clinical experience, she understands patient care at ground level, the realities, the constraints, the small moments that actually matter. But she refused to let her contribution stop at the chair. Instead, she built bridges: between research and real life, between clinicians and education, between where we are and where we should be as a profession.

Her work lives at the intersection of prevention, education, and advocacy. As a practicing RDH, educator, and Editorial Director of DentistryIQ’s Clinical Insights, Bethany has created one of the most accessible and thoughtful platforms for hygienists who want to think deeper, practice smarter, and stay grounded in evidence without losing their humanity. She doesn’t talk at hygienists. She talks with us. And especially when clarity is needed and misinformation is loud.

Bethany lectures across the country to elevate the standard of care. Whether she’s teaching infection prevention, airway awareness, radiographic excellence, or helping hygienists learn how to publish and use their voices, her goal is always the same: make the profession safer, smarter, and more confident. She has taught in rooms full of students and seasoned clinicians alike, and the effect is consistent. People leave steadier than when they arrived. More grounded. More capable. That matters.

What stands out most to me is that Bethany’s advocacy is not performative. It’s practical. She volunteers her time relentlessly. She mentors. She writes. She researches. She shows up to conversations others avoid because they’re uncomfortable or inconvenient. And she does it without theatrics. There’s no chasing credit here. If anything, she’s usually moving on to the next need before anyone stops to thank her. That’s just who she is.

Her educational reach is vast, through live lectures, academic institutions, digital platforms, and published work in RDH Magazine, DentistryIQ, and beyond. But the heart of her work is deeply human, which is why her social media aptly goes by The Human RDH. She wants hygienists to feel competent and protected. She wants patients to receive care rooted in prevention and dignity. She wants our profession to move forward without leaving people behind. Sometimes that means saying the hard thing. Sometimes it means building something from scratch. She does both.

The Heart to Hands Award honors hygienists whose compassion moves beyond intention and into sustained, meaningful action. Bethany Montoya embodies that in every sense. Her hands teach. Her hands write. Her hands build systems that keep patients safer and clinicians stronger. And her heart, well, it’s obvious in the way she lives her life in service of this profession.

As a dental hygienist, future dentist, and lifelong advocate for underserved communities, I don’t offer nominations lightly. Bethany Montoya represents exactly what this award exists to celebrate: a hygienist whose heart leads, whose hands follow, and whose impact continues to ripple outward, long after the work of the day is done.

Warmly and with deep respect,Aleah Diemand, RDH, BSDH, FADHA, Dental Student