The Ask the Expert column features answers to your most pressing clinical questions.

One of the dental hygienists in the private practice where I work took a lunch break and never returned, even though she had several patients scheduled for the afternoon. Is this considered patient abandonment?

Could you provide an example of appropriate documentation by a dental hygienist after the administration of local anesthesia?

I have seen prophylaxis pastes advertised that claim to whiten teeth while polishing. Are these worth a try?

I see patients every day from 7:30 am to 4 pm. Lately, I have been experiencing back problems specific to my dominant side, just at the bottom of my scapula. Do you have any suggestions for exercises or stretches that might help?

Do patients need to be comprehensively charted at each periodontal maintenance visit?

What is the best daily oral hygiene routine for patients with periodontal attachment loss?

In my dental practice, prophy angles are bagged individually, unlike other single-use items.

In our office, patients return for a 5-week re-evaluation after localized or full-mouth scaling and root planing (SRP). In the past, our office used a D4910 (periodontal maintenance) code at the reevaluation appointment, which was not…

I have a patient who is interested in tooth whitening—both in office and at-home. However, she has one porcelain laminate veneer on an anterior tooth. What should I recommend?