As a dental assistant, I never thought much about taking blood pressure. It wasn’t until hygiene clinic that it was drilled into us as students by the clinic floor director. Now, I am ever so grateful!

I like to think I’ve “saved” a life or two — one, at least, I know for sure. Today, I’m a cuff carrying hygienist and I’m packing an arsenal of information that my patients tell me again and again, they can’t believe no one has ever shared with them before. What I can tell you for sure is that my patient’s not only appreciate it, they get the value of coming in and getting an unbiased education they don’t get anywhere else.

In fact, my experience is…

patient’s are starving for information and they love when we share research and findings,

natural alternatives, resources, healthy strategies they can implement

into their busy lives — all without doing the research themselves or

feeling “bad” for not knowing.

But, it wasn’t always that way for me. When I started hygiene in my first practice, I used to tip-toe around taking BP…apologizing when the patient would resist a little and coax them into “letting me” take it. Until just over a year into my first practice, I had an overweight (by at least sixty lbs), mid-forty year old male that I had been seeing every four months for hygiene. Taking his blood pressure every time, I would politely “warn him” as I watched his numbers creep up every visit. Until one day, after taking it for the third time, in a reclined position (in an effort to get his diastolic below 110)…I got REAL…with both of us!!! I stopped, sat him up and looked him in his eyes, I took a deep breathe and told him as honestly and compassionately as I could that if he did not see his physician ASAP I was afraid he wouldn’t be here in four months for me to clean his teeth. I wasn’t trying to scare him…I meant it. He got the message. Although, I didn’t know that at first. And, it would take over six months to find out what happened.

His name finally appeared on my schedule and when he came in he had shed thirty-five pounds, looked amazing and the first thing he did was give me a great big bear hug. I was shocked at first. And, then he told me…after his previous appointment he gave my talk a lot of thought and while he wasn’t entirely sure, he said he did know he wasn’t healthy and only HE could do something about it. He went to his physician and he was told that he was a “stroke waiting to happen”. They ran him through a battery of tests, discovered he not only had hypertension, he was diabetic; they prescribed meds, initiated a weight loss regimen and told him his hygienist saved his life. I told him that it was he who saved his own life and thanked him for giving me the opportunity to be a partner in his health. He maintained a three month recall and never missed an appointment. I watched him get healthy, vibrant and happy and even had another baby with his wife. Ron saved me from falling into becoming “average” as a hygienist. And, I have never forgotten him. It was in that lesson I learned my value in partnering with my patients and their health in a whole new way.

There is nothing more rewarding, more inspiring and more evidence for the impact we have as dental health care providers. When we create value for our patients they truly get it — that we genuinely care and they are getting so much more than just a simple cleaning when they visit our hygiene suite. When we are doing it right, they get lots of love that they simply don’t get anywhere else.

The American Heart Association website is a great place to find information and resources to share with patients. Here is a fabulous tool, Blood Pressure Tracker created by the American Heart Association. This can be useful in making available to patients for the month of May or as part of your commitment to wellness year round.

I’m sure you have a great story or two of your own…I invite you to share your stories with me and our community. Feel free to ask questions and comment. I look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you for reading and contributing and I’ll catch you next week.

To healthy hearts,