Cheryl Calmis, RDH, BS, MEd

“I'm my own dentist!” Those were the first words I heard in a social media video of a man demonstrating how to fill his own cavity. As a dental hygienist with over 30 years of clinical experience, my immediate thought was, “What could possibly go wrong?” Little did I know that this video would be the beginning of a journey that would eventually take me to the stage at the American Dental Hygienists' Association National Convention. It all started with Facebook. I had been noticing more and more posts in dental hygiene groups from fellow hygienists asking questions about products, viral videos, and questionable DIY dental procedures their patients were seeing online. Patients were coming into dental oPices asking about the latest whitening hacks, at-home scaling devices, and other trends promising quick, inexpensive solutions to dental problems. Some of these products and techniques seemed relatively harmless, while others raised serious concerns about potential damage to teeth and oral tissues. I realized that even experienced dental professionals could have diPiculty keeping up with the enormous amount of dental misinformation circulating on social media. So, I started researching. One video led to another. One questionable product led to five more. Before long, I found myself going down a seemingly endless rabbit hole of DIY dental trends. Some made me laugh, others made me cringe, and a few left me genuinely concerned about the people attempting these procedures at home. But the more I learned, the more I kept thinking about my fellow hygienists. How could we confidently answer our patients' questions if we weren't even aware of what they were watching? How could we help patients make informed decisions without understanding the claims being made online? I wanted hygienists to feel prepared, not caught oP guard, when a patient asked, “I saw this on TikTok. Does it really work?” I also wanted them to recognize that these questions were opportunities to educate, not judge. Patients who ask about social media trends are often simply looking for aPordable, convenient ways to improve their oral health. They deserve thoughtful, evidence-based answers.

That's when I decided to turn my research into a continuing education course, Social Media & Scary DIY Dental Trends. My goal wasn't simply to show entertaining or shocking videos. I wanted to give dental hygienists practical knowledge they could take back to their oPices, helping them recognize questionable claims, understand potential risks, and communicate confidently with their patients. For more than three years, I've had the privilege of sharing this course with dental professionals through numerous professional organizations and continuing education events. What began as a personal curiosity has grown into an opportunity to help hygienists become more informed and confident when addressing their patients' questions. This journey culminated in September 2026, when I presented at the ADHA National Convention to a standing-room-only audience, with many attendees unable to get into the room. The enthusiastic response, along with the messages I received afterward, reinforced just how relevant this topic has become. Those conversations meant more to me than the size of the audience. They confirmed that the questions I had been seeing on Facebook weren't isolated concerns. Hygienists genuinely wanted to understand these emerging trends so they could better serve their patients. After more than three decades in clinical dental hygiene, I still love caring for patients one- on-one. But earning my master's degree in education helped me discover another way to make a diPerence: sharing knowledge with the professionals who care for those patients. I'll never know how many patient conversations my course might influence, or whether something a hygienist learned from my presentation will help prevent someone from trying a potentially harmful DIY procedure. But I do know that when we share knowledge, encourage curiosity, and support one another, we strengthen our profession and the care we provide. To me, the heart of dental hygiene isn't just about what we do with our hands. It's about using our knowledge, compassion, and willingness to help others make a diPerence sometimes far beyond our own dental chairs. And to think, it all started with a man declaring, “I'm my own dentist!”

Cheryl Calmis, RDH, BS, MEd