Heart to Hands Submission
What makes you love dental hygiene?
I love that dental hygiene is a relatively young profession, yet it has rapidly evolved, with the scope and role of the dental hygienist expanding in exciting ways. I love that the possibilities within this field are limitless and that we’re only beginning to uncover the full potential of this vital role. I am deeply passionate about advocating for and advancing the profession because dental hygienists are essential members of the multidisciplinary care team. It’s both an honor and a privilege to be a dental hygienist, and I’m thrilled to witness and contribute to the continued growth and evolution of our profession.
I love working as a dental hygienist in a hospital setting because it allows me to make a profound impact on the lives of pediatric patients and their families. Using a family-centered approach, I educate not only the patients and families but also nurses and providers, fostering a collaborative environment that enhances care. Many of the children I see have never been to a dentist and come from across the state with severe health challenges. By providing essential oral hygiene education, I’m not only setting these children up for a healthier future but also helping to prevent infections and improve outcomes, often playing a critical role in saving lives.
Moments that Inspire
The moments that inspire me the most are when I bring dental hygiene students along for weekly rounds and see the light in their eyes as they realize the immediate impact they’ve made on a patient’s life. Watching them take this newfound knowledge and apply it to their clinical patients, knowing they’re making a difference chairside, is incredibly rewarding. Their curiosity about the oral-systemic link and their eagerness to build meaningful connections with patients and families reaffirm the importance of this work.
Sometimes, inspiration comes from simply offering comfort—a hug to a parent who’s just received devastating news, playing on the floor with a little one during tummy time, or rocking a newborn who’s inconsolable because their parents are still hospitalized elsewhere, or watching you tube videos with the child who just underwent a transplant.
Other times, it’s teaching a nurse how to provide oral care for a patient recovering from a traumatic brain injury after a severe car accident or educating a child what a toothbrush is and how to brush teeth now that they are under the care of the state due to abuse/neglect.
These moments remind me of the profound difference we can make, both clinically and emotionally, in the lives of those we care for.
My most memorable patient
I have so many memorable patients but the one that made the biggest impact on me was in a letter written to the hospital to showcase what this role had done for her child. The letter states……
I would like to commend Katharine Martinez for taking such wonderful care of our family specifically our 14-year-old son, who is at Phoenix Children’s Hospital suffering from AML Leukemia.
My son’s lips, mouth and throat were so swollen with sores and bleeding ulcers, that he had to be admitted to the ICU for breathing concerns, and was unable to eat, drink, swallow or talk for 28 days due to his extreme case of mucositis. He eventually had to learn to swallow and talk again with a speech pathologist here at PCH.
When we returned from the ICU, is when we met Katharine, and she went over our oral care plans for my son. We had not been cleaning around his braces and using the proper toothpaste, mouth rinse, swabs or technique to keep his mouth clean to prevent the sores from getting worse. We were not informed how to care for his mouth during chemotherapy, but thanks to Katharine we started to get things under control, and we were able to deal with the mucositis and heal my son’s mouth back to health.
Her frequent visits with her warm and positive attitude and instructions made our extreme situation much more bearable. Katharine was able to comfort us and share with us knowledgeable information about taking care of my son’s oral health care and the best way to make him more comfortable in and then out of the hospital as we were getting discharged.
I would like to extend our extreme gratitude to Katharine for helping us get through one of the most difficult situations we have ever experienced. Her follow up today with our re-admission made our experience even more personable and warm, which led me to write this letter. I highly commend Katharine’s knowledge and expertise and now consider her to be someone I would call a friend and an angel who got us through one of the most difficult times in our life.
What keeps me excited about my career?
What keeps me energized and passionate about my career as a dental hygienist is the opportunity to continually push the boundaries of what this profession can achieve. Being part of a multidisciplinary team allows me to see firsthand the significant impact I make on patient care. Other hospitals are reaching out, asking how to improve their oral care guidelines to reduce infection risks, a testament to the growing recognition of our role. I see how expanding the knowledge and scope of dental hygienists is making a tangible difference—whether it’s addressing the oral-systemic link during a medical history review or providing detailed education bed/chairside. Every day, I’m grateful for choosing this profession, knowing the ripples I’m creating are spreading across the Nation. I’m excited and hopeful to transform these ripples into waves of change for the future of dental hygiene.