Kristen Fisher, BScDH, RDH

My name is Kirsten and I have been practicing dental hygiene for the last 14 years, and with every passing year, my love and dedication for the field grows. Growing up, my mother was a dental assistant. She would take me to work with her when I was young, and I was fascinated with every aspect of her job. From taking x-rays, taking impressions for people and even sterilizing instruments and cleaning rooms. I loved going to the dentist with my friends and helping them choose their ortho band colors and sit in on their appointments while my mother worked away. Once I was old enough for a job, the dentist hired me as a sterilization assistant and to do some light administration work. I was in my glory.

Fast forward 10 years, and you will find me at the University of Alberta in the Dental Hygiene program, alongside like-minded individuals, nervous about their future but so excited to be in a profession where they can help people and make an unexpected difference in people's lives. Entering into the workforce after hygiene school, I thought I knew it all! I succeeded very highly academically, my instructors praised my clinical skills, but once I was in the “real world”, it was a very humbling experience. If there’s anything the last 14 years taught me, it’s that a large aspect of our career is to continue learning and growing so that we can better serve our patients. Each experience, conference and patient or professional interaction is a learning opportunity that each dental professional must seize to better serve not only our profession, but our patients as well.

Over the years, physical challenges including shoulder and back injuries required me to reduce my clinical hours. At the time, this shift was heartbreaking, as chairside care and the relationships I built with my patients and colleagues were at the core of my identity as a dental hygienist. However, stepping away from full-time clinical practice unexpectedly opened the door to a new and meaningful way to serve both my profession and my patients.

For the past year and a half, I have had the opportunity of working with BioGaia Canada, where I share education and evidence-based knowledge on how oral probiotics can support not only oral health, but overall systemic health. This role has been incredibly rewarding, as it has allowed me to continue contributing to the dental community while sharing both my lived clinical experience and my passion for the oral–systemic connection.

Through this work, I strive to inspire and remind dental hygienists that we are so much more than “teeth scrapers.” We have the ability to truly change lives. As some of the few healthcare professionals who see their patient’s multiple times throughout the year, we are uniquely positioned to build trust, recognize patterns, and view our patients through a whole-body lens. Dental hygienists are natural detectives, we can identify subtle changes in the oral cavity that often serve as windows to systemic health.

While my impact chairside may look different today, my purpose remains the same. I am passionate about empowering dental hygienists and dental professionals to remain curious, open-minded, and confident in their knowledge, and to consider adjunctive and emerging therapies that may better serve the individual needs of their patients. Dentistry is ever evolving, and it is vital that we continue to grow with it, remembering the power we hold to help people improve not only their oral health, but their overall well-being.

Additionally, what I value in this chapter of my career is the opportunity to support and guide fellow dental hygienists as they explore professional growth beyond the clinical setting. I am often asked how was able to find a job outside of the dental office, and I love being able share my experience on the transition I took to a non-traditional role as an RDH. I am able to help mentor colleagues, and guide them to expand their skill sets, so they too can continue contributing meaningfully to the dental profession in diverse ways. Although this path is unconventional, it has allowed me to adapt, remain engaged, and continue sharing my knowledge and passion for dentistry. I am grateful for the ability to evolve within my profession and look forward to continuing to serve the dental community in a thoughtful and meaningful way.

Friends and family joke that my life is centered around teeth, but I am so grateful that I have been able to find a career that I love and continues to inspire me daily. I would love to be considered for the Phillips Heart to Hands award because I hope that my story can inspire other hygienists who are maybe feeling lost or defeated in our profession. I want to encourage them that there are other avenues that can be taken as an RDH, and that being a dental hygienist is not limited to just a clinical setting. I hope to remind colleagues that what we do as dental hygienists does matter, and as we continue to strive for better standards for our patients, I believe that we will see a truly integrative, interprofessional approach to oral and systemic health, resulting in better health for all.

Thank you for your consideration!

All the best in 2026,

Kirsten Fisher BScDH