Crystal Spring, RDH, BS, LAP, FADHA

 My name is Crystal Spring, and my passion for dental hygiene began long before I ever chose it as a career. I grew up in the northeastern corner of Montana on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, where many of my family members, friends, neighbors, and community lived without consistent access to dental care. Pain, cavities, and tooth loss were common, not because people didn’t care about their health, but because care was often inaccessible. Watching people I loved go without dental care shaped how I see dentistry and became the foundation of my commitment to public health. 

It has always been the people in my life, and their stories, experiences, and injustices, that have influenced me the most. Their experiences, struggles, and resilience shaped my path. At its core, dental hygiene is a caring profession. We do not just treat teeth. We care for people, we listen to their stories, and we advocate for them and their health. 

Access to care has always been deeply personal for me. One of the moments that most influenced my path was watching my cousin wait in line all day to receive dental services, only to be turned away. It was not just the effort and exhaustion of that day that stayed with me, but also the shame and the loss of dignity that came with it. Watching someone I loved be dismissed after waiting patiently made it painfully clear that access to care should not come at such a high cost. That experience stayed with me and ultimately inspired me to start a mobile dental non-profit focused on bringing care directly to people who otherwise might go without. 

My brother is intellectually disabled, and he is on state assistance, making it very difficult to find access to care. I was fortunate to have the knowledge, relationships, and ability to help him access dental care and advocate on his behalf, ensuring he was treated equitably, with patience, dignity, and respect. I am deeply grateful for all the help he has and continues to receive. At the same time, it made me reflect on those who do not have the same connections within dentistry, financial resources, or the ability to advocate for themselves. Who steps up or advocates for them? Do they go without care, live with pain, or lose teeth that could have been saved? Those questions have stayed with me and continue to shape my work. 

I have been a dental hygienist for nearly 28 years, and throughout that time, my love for this profession has only deepened. I genuinely love dentistry, but more importantly, I love people. To me, dental hygiene is about health, confidence, and empowerment. It is about helping people understand that their oral health matters and that they deserve education, prevention, and compassionate care. 

This career has also given me a platform and a voice. Dental hygiene has allowed me to advocate for patients, communities, and the dental professionals who serve them. It has 

allowed me to speak up about prevention, access to care, and the importance of meeting people where they are. 

For more than a decade, my passion and life's work have been focused on public health. Through Smiles Across Montana, the nonprofit mobile dentistry organization I founded, I have had the privilege of working alongside an incredible team to bring preventive and restorative care directly into schools and communities across the state. Our focus is on education, prevention, and minimally invasive care, always building trust first and empowering patients. 

Just as important to me are the people doing the work. Over the years, I have seen how much it matters when dental professionals feel supported, valued, and connected to purpose. When that happens, they stay in the profession and provide better care. Creating programs that allow hygienists to practice fully, find meaning in their work, and feel proud of what they do has been one of the most meaningful parts of my journey. 

Patient education is at the heart of everything we do. Teaching someone why oral health matters, not just what to do, can be life-changing. I love watching patients gain confidence as they realize that small daily habits can influence their health not only today, but for years to come. 

Some of the most meaningful patient interactions in my career have been with children who believe that poor oral health is inevitable. I have heard students say that everyone in their family has cavities or that everyone loses their teeth eventually. Being able to gently challenge those beliefs is incredibly powerful. Teaching a child that brushing, fluoride, nutrition, and consistency can change their future helps break cycles that have existed for generations. 

Despite decades of progress in dentistry, access to care is still not a reality for far too many people, and that is what continues to drive me. All these years later, I still see patients who delay care until they are in pain, families who normalize tooth loss, and communities without reliable access to preventive services. I believe we can do better, and that belief is what keeps me going. 

Dental hygiene, to me, is hearts to hands in its truest form. It is showing up with compassion, using your voice when it matters, and continuing the work, because access to care should be a reality for everyone.