My youngest daughter just got her driver’s license.  She is finding so much joy in hopping in “her” car and just driving around.  I told her about the game we used to play in high school called Right-Left-Straight, where when you pull up to an intersection and someone yells right, left or straight and you follow that to wherever it takes you.  There’s some freedom in that game, and while we are in the middle of a pandemic, with nowhere to go, this little bit of freedom is just what a teenager needs to keep it together.

I felt some of the same freedom when the new Safco Dental Hygiene Catalog arrived in the mail yesterday.  I looked through the pages much the same way I perused the Sears Wish Book Catalog that came around the holidays when I was little.  But instead of the newest Cabbage Patch Kid, my eyes were drawn to the power-driven scalers and a shiny new Montana Jack! It was strangely so fun to see all the products that I am able to order on my own, without a dentist’s account.  And it can come right to my house, just like an Amazon package!

While most offices supply what the hygiene department needs, I have a great deal of RDH friends that aren’t afraid to wield their purchasing power.  As someone who likes to temp, I feel empowered that I am able to take control of how I want to take care of patients.  Heading into an office with the instruments, PPE and oral hygiene aids that I’m comfortable with, make a day go much smoother and takes away the stress of “what if” they don’t have something.

The catalog is nicely laid out with pages of prophy angles, paste and handpieces, power scalers and inserts, hand instruments, fluoride and rinses, whitening products, home care items, PPE and even prizes for the treasure chest!  There’s even more that RDHs are allowed to purchase that aren’t listed in the catalog.  Recently a hygienist was looking for high evacuation suction tips that her office could not buy due to a supplier contract and thanks to Safco she was able to purchase what she needed to stay safe and have the freedom to do her job exactly how she wanted to.  That’s a big deal!

 Tiffany Harrison, RDH, BS said, “As a licensed dental professional I appreciate the recognition to purchase my own supplies through Safco. I am able to invest in myself as a hygienist and in my patient care through their company. It’s easy to sign up, make a payment, and stay connected with the latest deals from the dental hygiene catalog.”

While we could get into a heated debate over who “should” be purchasing what, keep in mind that dental hygiene doors are opening when it comes to access to care.  Many states throughout the country are passing legislation for hygienists to see patients on their own, be that in nursing homes, rural areas, school settings, or even mobile dentistry.  And the fact that Safco respects the Dental Hygienist enough to offer individual buying power says so much to me about their care for the dental profession as a whole.

And there’s nothing better than getting that smiley face box on your doorstep!

Go to https://www.safcodental.com/ to sign up to get your very own catalog and see how freedom feels!

Amanda Hill, RDH, BS has been in the dental industry for over 30 years, she earned her B.S. in Dental Hygiene at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia and has had the opportunity to experience dentistry around the world.   Amanda  has a love for learning and is obsessed with continuing education in all its many forms.  Amanda practices part time clinically and is an industry educator for the nation’s largest dental job board, DentalPost.net.  Amanda is a proud Navy spouse and mom of 3.