Tooth or Dare Podcast

What happens when a patient requests treatment that you don’t believe is in their best interest?  In this episode of the Tooth or Dare Podcast, Irene and Vic tackle a challenging question in a clinical setting: When is it appropriate to say no to a patient’s treatment request, can we dismiss them? Respecting patient autonomy doesn’t mean agreeing to every request. As clinicians, we have a responsibility to use our professional judgment, communicate our concerns, and ensure the care we provide aligns with ethical and professional standards. Together, Irene and Vic explore the difference between refusing a specific treatment and abandoning a patient, the importance of informed consent and documentation, and how referrals and alternative treatment options can help maintain continuity of care.   We discuss: ▪️When it may be ethically appropriate to decline a requested treatment. ▪️How to communicate treatment concerns professionally and respectfully. ▪️The difference between refusing treatment and patient abandonment. ▪️The role of informed consent, documentation, and referrals in ethical decision-making. ▪️How leadership and professional integrity shape patient care and practice culture. The goal isn’t simply to say no. It’s to provide care you can ethically stand behind while ensuring patients understand their options and know where to turn next.   Resources and References: Clinical Things and Questions: https://www.instagram.com/p/DFYGEgXp1nS/? hl=en&img_index=1 What Happens in a Peer Circle? https://cdho.org/what-happens-in-a-peer-circle/ Spring 2026 Optional Peer Circles: https://cdho.org/spring-2026-optional-peercircles/ Ontario Dental Association: Government & Low-Cost Dental Programs: https://www.oda.ca/visiting-the-dentist/government-dental-programs/ Dental Hygiene Programs in Canada: https://www.cdha.ca/cdha/Career_folder/Students/Dental_Hygiene_Education_in_Canada/  CDHA/Career/Students/Dental_Hygiene_Education_in_Canada.aspx What it's like SRP Scaling with an Endoscope vs. Blind | Tooth Or Dare Podcast with Toothlife.Irene PerioView Dental Endoscope: https://perio-view.com/ Laser Technology in Dentistry: From Clinical Applications to Future Innovations: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11674728/   If you made it all the way down here, hit a like and share a comment. Until next time, Peace out peeps! ✌️ _______________________________________ 📦 Amazon Store with my FAV things: https://www.amazon.ca/shop/toothlife.irene?listId=YLX0271390I3  Restorative Dental Hygiene Study Club:  https://rrdh.ca  Follow on Social Media:  _______________________________________ 💁🏼‍♀️Personal Instagram @Toothlife.Irene  https://www.instagram.com/toothlife.irene   🙋🏼‍♀️Facebook Irene Iancu  https://www.facebook.com/irene.iancu    💃🏼TikTok @Toothlife.Irene  https://www.tiktok.com/@toothlife.irene    🛒Online Store and Instagram @Toothlife  https://www.instagram.com/toothlife    🥼Office Instagram @ToothlifeStudio  https://www.instagram.com/ToothlifeStudio    _______________________________________ 🎤Podcast @ToothorDare.Podcast  https://www.instagram.com/ToothorDare.Podcast   _______________________________________ 🔗🌲Cool links in my Linktree https://linktr.ee/TOOTHLIFE.IRENE    

What does it look like when you walk away from something you’ve spent seven years building, only to create an entirely new definition of success? In this episode of the Tooth or Dare Podcast, Irene sits down with Michelle Strange, MSDH, RDH, CDIPC, a dental hygienist, educator, international speaker, author, entrepreneur, and independent practice owner with over 25 years of experience in dentistry. Michelle has never followed a conventional path in dental hygiene. From co-founding A Tale of Two Hygienists, one of the industry’s earliest and most recognized dental hygiene podcasts, to building Level Up Infection Prevention and establishing herself as a leader in dental education, Michelle has spent her career challenging what it means to be a dental hygienist. But what happens when the career you’ve built no longer aligns with the future you want? Michelle opens up about her decision to leave a seven-year podcast partnership, the realities of making difficult business decisions, and the importance of protecting your name, likeness, and professional interests when stepping away from something you’ve helped create. Today, Michelle is the owner of Smile Logic, an independent, prevention-focused dental hygiene practice in Broomfield, Colorado. After years of travelling, educating, and embracing a more nomadic lifestyle, she made the leap into practice ownership, navigating everything from financial due diligence and seller negotiations to securing financing as a non-dentist owner. Her journey also inspired her book, Independent by Design: A Dental Hygienist’s Journey to Practice Ownership, where she shares the lessons, challenges, and personal growth that shaped her path to independence. In This Episode, We Discuss: ▪️Why Michelle left A Tale of Two Hygienists after seven years ▪️The challenges of walking away from a successful podcast partnership ▪️Protecting your name, likeness, and professional interests in business ▪️Transitioning from a nomadic lifestyle to independent dental practice ownership ▪️Financial due diligence and what to look for when purchasing a dental practice ▪️Working with the previous owner during a practice transition ▪️Securing financing when traditional banks won’t lend to a non-dentist practice owner ▪️Redefining professional success, independence, and career fulfillment in dental hygiene Whether you’re a dental hygienist, entrepreneur, aspiring practice owner, podcast creator, or someone navigating a major career transition, this episode is a reminder that walking away from something successful doesn’t mean you’ve failed. Sometimes, it’s how you make room for what comes next. Connect with Michelle: Michelle Strange, MSDH, RDH, CDIPC: https://www.michellestrangerdh.com/ Michelle Strange on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michellestrangerdh/?hl=en Level Up Infection Prevention: https://www.levelupip.com/ Independent by Design: A Dental Hygienist’s Journey to Practice Ownership: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0H8TT44RF Smile Logic Dental Hygiene Practice: https://www.smile-logic.com/contact/ If you made it all the way down here, hit a like and share a comment. Until next time, Peace out peeps! ✌️ _______________________________________ 📦 Amazon Store with my FAV things: https://www.amazon.ca/shop/toothlife.irene?listId=YLX0271390I3   Restorative Dental Hygiene Study Club:  https://rrdh.ca Follow on Social Media:  _______________________________________ 💁🏼‍♀️Personal Instagram @Toothlife.Irene  https://www.instagram.com/toothlife.irene  🙋🏼‍♀️Facebook Irene Iancu  https://www.facebook.com/irene.iancu   💃🏼TikTok @Toothlife.Irene  https://www.tiktok.com/@toothlife.irene   🛒Online Store and Instagram @Toothlife  https://www.instagram.com/toothlife   🥼Office Instagram @ToothlifeStudio  https://www.instagram.com/ToothlifeStudio   _______________________________________ 🎤Podcast @ToothorDare.Podcast  https://www.instagram.com/ToothorDare.Podcast  _______________________________________ 🔗🌲Cool links in my Linktree https://linktr.ee/TOOTHLIFE.IRENE 

A follower left a comment asking if their 30 years of experience mean something. Sure, it means a lot...but it doesn't automatically mean you're current. I've been an RDH for 20 years. I know what it looks like when experience is the real thing, and I know what it looks like when someone has done the same thing on repeat for two decades and called it tenure. Both exist. Dentistry is full of both. In this episode, we dig into a real question from an experienced hygienist starting over at a new office, and we don't let either side off the hook. Because there are two very different versions of this story. Version one: you've kept up, you've grown, and you're walking into an office that's behind where you are. Version two: you've been doing the same thing for 30 years and calling it experience. In this episode: ▪️ How to tell the difference between expertise and habit ▪️ Why the interview isn't the time to pitch improvements, regardless of how right you are ▪️ How intentional questions help you vet a workplace before you're committed to it ▪️ What a team's response to new ideas tells you about the culture ▪️ Why trust has to come before change, even when the change is obvious ▪️ The question worth asking every time: "Is there anything here that would prevent me from growing?" The framework: Problem. Understand the consequences. Offer a solution. Experience is only an asset if it's actually current.   If you made it all the way down here, hit a like and share a comment.  Until next time, Peace out peeps! ✌️ _______________________________________ 📦 Amazon Store with my FAV things: https://www.amazon.ca/shop/toothlife.irene?listId=YLX0271390I3   Restorative Dental Hygiene Study Club:  https://rrdh.ca   Follow on Social Media:  _______________________________________ 💁🏼‍♀️Personal Instagram @Toothlife.Irene  https://www.instagram.com/toothlife.irene  🙋🏼‍♀️Facebook Irene Iancu  https://www.facebook.com/irene.iancu   💃🏼TikTok @Toothlife.Irene  https://www.tiktok.com/@toothlife.irene   🛒Online Store and Instagram @Toothlife  https://www.instagram.com/toothlife   🥼Office Instagram @ToothlifeStudio  https://www.instagram.com/ToothlifeStudio   _______________________________________ 🎤Podcast @ToothorDare.Podcast  https://www.instagram.com/ToothorDare.Podcast  _______________________________________ 🔗🌲Cool links in my Linktree https://linktr.ee/TOOTHLIFE.IRENE 

I might get "speaker" cancelled for this, but I believe it would be a worthy cause and perhaps the right hill to die on for our profession. Trying to register for a continuing education course shouldn't feel like repeatedly hitting a brick wall. But for many hygienists, it does. Many have given up on fighting for it, sadly.    In this episode, Irene and Victoria talk about why quality restorative education is so hard to access in Canada, what happened when they tried to sign up for a course and got nowhere, and what they decided to do about it.   What we cover: ▫️ Why most high-quality restorative courses require you to travel far to attend ▫️ The registration process and the advocacy that came with it ▫️ How rigid CE systems end up discouraging the most motivated clinicians ▫️ What it looks like to stop waiting and build something yourself ▫️ How the Restorative Dental Hygiene Study Club came together, four meetings per year, virtual and in-person, with hands-on components. Now Pre-registering at RRDH.ca    The bigger picture: The RRDH designation has existed in Ontario for 10 years, backed by George Brown College's post-graduate program, one of the only formal pathways to the designation in the country. It remains largely Ontario-specific. This episode is part of a larger conversation about what it would take for major Canadian conferences and regulatory bodies to open access, standardize registration, and formally recognize restorative dental hygiene as a designation across provinces.   There are real gaps in continuing education for dental hygienists. Limited access slows professional growth. Community-driven learning can fill those gaps, but someone has to build the community first.   Resources mentioned: Ontario Dental Association Annual Spring Meeting https://www.oda.ca/member-resources/events/event/annual-spring-meeting-2026/  Restorative Dental Hygiene Study Club https://rrdh.ca/  George Brown College Restorative Dental Hygiene Program https://www.georgebrown.ca/programs/restorative-dental-hygiene-program-postgraduate-s400  Southern Ontario Dental College Restorative Dental Hygiene Program https://sodentalcollege.com/academics/restorative-dental-hygiene/  Canadian Academy of Dental Health Restorative Dental Hygiene Program https://www.canadianacademyofdentalhygiene.ca/programs/restorative-dental-hygiene-diploma-program    If you made it all the way down here, hit a like and share a comment.  Until next time, Peace out peeps! ✌️ _______________________________________ 📦 Amazon Store with my FAV things: https://www.amazon.ca/shop/toothlife.irene?listId=YLX0271390I3   Restorative Dental Hygiene Study Club:  https://rrdh.ca   Follow on Social Media:  _______________________________________ 💁🏼‍♀️Personal Instagram @Toothlife.Irene  https://www.instagram.com/toothlife.irene  🙋🏼‍♀️Facebook Irene Iancu  https://www.facebook.com/irene.iancu   💃🏼TikTok @Toothlife.Irene  https://www.tiktok.com/@toothlife.irene   🛒Online Store and Instagram @Toothlife  https://www.instagram.com/toothlife   🥼Office Instagram @ToothlifeStudio  https://www.instagram.com/ToothlifeStudio   _______________________________________ 🎤Podcast @ToothorDare.Podcast  https://www.instagram.com/ToothorDare.Podcast  _______________________________________ 🔗🌲Cool links in my Linktree https://linktr.ee/TOOTHLIFE.IRENE 

Dental peeps, this one is super personal… what happens when oral care is overlooked in cancer patients? We see these patients in our ops, but what happens when that patient is your Dad? My dad... My patient In this episode of the Tooth or Dare Podcast, I share the story of my father’s battle with cancer and the parts of care that too often get missed. It began with the kind of phone call no one is ever ready for: “Your dad is coughing blood.” While I'm elbow deep in a 6mm pocket during an SRP.  From that moment on, life changed quickly. Emergency visits. Hospital admissions. A diagnosis that had likely been developing quietly for some time. The truth is, many lung cancers are not found until they are already advanced. But this episode is about more than the diagnosis and the outcome being tragic. It is also about something rarely talked about enough: oral health during cancer treatment. What I learned, what we created and how I shared it with the folks at the Cancer Center. If you want the same download, you can grab it here: Oral Cancer Products Digital Download from Toothlife.ca   We discuss: ⚪ How life can change in a single moment ⚪ Warning signs that were easy to dismiss: chronic headaches, rapid weight loss, persistent coughing ⚪ The emotional reality of watching a parent go through cancer ⚪ My memories of my dad: motorcycle rides, soccer, scuba diving, and the bond we shared. #1 dental dad.  ⚪ How families can be close, yet still silent about health concerns ⚪ What hospitals commonly recommend for oral care during treatment ⚪ Why “rinse with baking soda four times a day” is not enough   Clinical + real-world insight: ⚪ A firsthand look at how oral health can be overlooked in hospital settings ⚪ The absence of dental professionals on many cancer care teams ⚪ Four separate hospital admissions within 4 months and oral hygiene was never meaningfully addressed ⚪ The effects of radiation and cancer treatment can have on the mouth ⚪ Why preventive oral care should be part of treatment planning from day one At its core, this is not a story about my loss. It is a call to do better, and perhaps for us dental people who have not seen this journey firsthand to trust me and talk about this with our patients and teams.  Oral health is connected to overall health. Always has been, not new news to us, but to the folks at the hospital, I was speaking gibberish, apparently.   And when that connection is ignored in critical care, patients feel the consequences even if they don't know it. Increased risks of infections, lower immune response... the list goes on, and we discuss that here.  A simple takeaway: Awareness → Advocacy → Integration   Because patients deserve complete care, and that includes the mouth, too.  If you made it all the way down here, hit a like and share a comment. Until next time, Peace out peeps! ✌️ 📦 Amazon Store with my FAV things: https://www.amazon.ca/shop/toothlife.irene?listId=YLX0271390I3 Follow on Social Media: _______________________________________ 💁🏼‍♀️Personal Instagram @Toothlife.Irene https://www.instagram.com/toothlife.irene 🙋🏼‍♀️Facebook Irene Iancu https://www.facebook.com/irene.iancu 💃🏼TikTok @Toothlife.Irene https://www.tiktok.com/@toothlife.irene 🛒Online Store and Instagram @Toothlife https://www.instagram.com/toothlife 🥼Office Instagram @ToothlifeStudio https://www.instagram.com/ToothlifeStudio 🎤Podcast @ToothorDare.Podcast https://www.instagram.com/ToothorDare.Podcast 🔗🌲Cool links in my Linktree https://linktr.ee/TOOTHLIFE.IRENE