Pursuing New Avenues of Care

Amanda LaPean, RDH, BA, began her journey into the field of dental hygiene via the practice of massage therapy. Says LaPean, “I really enjoyed this practice, but felt I could make more impact on patients’ lives being more specific and prevention related.”

After earning an associate’s degree in dental hygiene from Wisconsin’s Fox Valley Technical College, LaPean began working as a clinical dental hygienist. “I found this a fulfilling and fun career choice,” she recalls. But she felt there was still more she could do to help patients. 

LaPean kindly shared her experiences as a practitioner and perspectives as the 2021-2022 immediate past president of the Wisconsin Dental Hygienists’ Association (WI-DHA).

1. You earned a Bachelor of Arts in Specialized Administration and also practice myofunctional therapy. What led you down these paths?

It seemed important to diversify my skill set. A 4-year degree provided more options for further opportunities in my career path. With training through the Academy of Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy, I became a practicing myofunctional therapist. This allowed me to integrate my interest in movement, massage therapy, and general physical therapy into my dental space.

In myofunctional therapy, the goal is to improve oral rest posture by getting the lips to seal and the tongue to rest on the roof of the mouth, while ensuring patients breathe through their noses. This is especially helpful for mouth breathers and in orthodontic relapse cases in which the tongue is pushing the front teeth forward. Because my dental office is striving to be airway focused, this was a great service to add to our treatment menu. 

2. What do you see, or hope to see, as the future of dental hygiene profession going forward? 

Dental hygienists being able to further integrate into the medical community for whole body health and prevention. It is also vital to provide dental hygienists the ability to work at the top of their scope of practice.

3. From your perspective as recent past president of the WI-DHA, what are the main reasons for dental hygienist shortages in Wisconsin, and what kinds of solutions are being considered?

The real question is: Is there a shortage of dental hygienists or are they just not dispersed where the demand is? Another question is: How many licensed dental hygienists are still working in clinical roles? Many licensed hygienists become sales reps or educators, assume leadership positions, or seek further education and are no longer at the chair. 

When dental hygienists renewed their licenses this past fall a survey was conducted in Wisconsin to answer such questions, but I have not yet seen the results. The WI-DHA has supported solutions to help increase access to care. For example, dental therapy received strong support among WI-DHA members last year to improve access to care in underserved areas. This is still in legislation. 

4. During your tenure as WI-DHA president, of which accomplishments are you most proud?  

Communication. By pivoting our communication processes quickly, changing to a digital format and utilizing tools such as Zoom, we’ve seen an increase in attendance and engagement in events we’ve sponsored. We’ve also been able to reach more members—and potential members. It seemed our organization felt a greater sense of community.

5. What is your advice to others looking to grow from where they are today?

It’s important to have confidence and faith in yourself and to learn from struggle. When you see opportunity, say “YES!” I always ask myself, “What’s the worst that can happen?”  The answer normally is, “Nothing. I will just end up back to where I am today.”