To stay healthy in the dental office, Patty Jordan, RDH—who has been practicing four to five days a week for 19 years—rotates her neck, hands, and shoulders several times a day to stay loose and comfortable.

One reason she has been able to practice pain-free for so long is that she always tries to position the patient instead of herself. “I feel this is the key to staying in clinical hygiene,” Ms. Jordan says. “I am constantly moving the patient to accommodate my position. I try not to strain to see. Wearing loupes also has been a wonderful addition, as I can see everything in most every position.”

Another dental hygienist, Donna Grzegorek, RDH, has been working full time for 28 years. This energetic woman happily works an average of 60 to 70 hours a week.

She and her fellow hygienist make it a priority to move! They get up from their chair as often as possible, take their own x-rays, seat their own patients, escort patients to the front desk, and walk to the doctors operatory for patient exams instead of using an intercom. They both do anything to get their bodies out of the chair as frequently as possible.