“Making a list and checking it twice—sounds familiar this time of year, doesn’t it?” This is the season for spending time with family and friends and for appreciating those we care about. It is a time for reflection, anticipation, and celebration. The holidays are definitely the season for honoring our own special traditions. A dental hygiene colleague recently shared a wonderful idea with me that I’d like to share in the hope that it may become a new tradition for you.
She explained how she uses the holiday season to inventory her in-office supplies. Just as there are certain cues throughout the year that alert her to perform other tasks (spring cleaning comes to mind), the time between Thanksgiving and the New Year reminds her to thoroughly review all of her products and equipment. While she performs this to some degree throughout the year, she is more thorough during her “holiday stocktaking.” For instance, she notes the equipment and devices that need to be updated. This ensures that her instruments are in good working order. A true professional, she often uses her holiday bonus to purchase something for herself (last year it was a pair of loupes and the previous year a new ultrasonic scaler.) She prefers buying much of her own equipment, explaining that it’s a way for her to treat herself. It also shows her coworkers and employer that she’s serious about her profession. She refers to the Dimensions of Dental Hygiene Annual Product Guide to help her sort through the many types of dental hygiene products and manufacturers. What a great idea! Since the Product Guide is written in an easy-to-use format, it’s the perfect tool to help her inventory her supplies. The Product Guide contains information and color images of the latest products available for dental hygiene practice today. So she makes her “wish list” by marking items in the Product Guide to research and consider.
So grab this list and check it twice. Reflect on what products are important to your dental hygiene practice. Start a new tradition for yourself. And while you’re at it, remember to treat someone who truly deserves it…..YOU! From the entire staff here at Dimensions of Dental Hygiene, we wish you a safe and joyous holiday season and a prosperous New Year!
—Jill Rethman, RDH, BA
jrethman@belmontpublications.com
From Dimensions of Dental Hygiene. December 2005;3(12):9.
