Latest Episodes

Ep 57: Debunking Popular Dental Myths and Handling Misinformation on Social Media

In this episode of Straight Up With Steph, I’m joined by returning guest and online dental educator Whitney, also known as Teeth Talk Girl, to discuss the spread of dental health misinformation on social media. Tog...

July 04, 2025 • Season 1 • Episode 57 • 53:51

Ep 56: ADHA Leaders Speak Out On Moves To Replace Hygienists

In this episode of Straight Up With Steph, I sat down with Erin and Lancette, the President and President-Elect of American Dental Hygienists' Association’s (ADHA), as we talk about their ongoing initiatives, including their drive for ...

June 27, 2025 • Season 1 • Episode 56 • 1:21:34

Ep 55: Mastering Case Acceptance: Real Strategies to Connect and Communicate Better with Dental Patients

In this episode of Straight Up With Steph, I’m joined by Kim McGuire to discuss case acceptance, a topic that every dental professional faces. We explore the challenges and solutions surrounding why patients say “no” to needed treatmen...

June 20, 2025 • Season 1 • Episode 55 • 53:10

Ep 54: What To Know About Guided Biofilm Therapy: Protocol, Patient Education, And Practice Growth

I get so many questions about Guided Biofilm Therapy (GBT), and truthfully, I don’t know as much about it as I would like to. That’s why, in this episode of Straight Up With Steph, I'm joined by Kevin Ohashi Lopez to uncover what GBT i...

June 13, 2025 • Season 1 • Episode 54 • 45:30

Ep 53: Workforce Shortages, Hygiene Autonomy, and ADA's Vision for the Future

In this episode of Straight Up With Steph, Dr. Brett Kessler, president of the American Dental Association, returns to the podcast to dive headfirst into a conversation about the complex and contentious state of our industry. Our goal ...

June 09, 2025 • Season 1 • Episode 53 • 56:14

Fan Mail

Hi Stephanie, I just listened to your podcast with Rachel Wall. Thank you for what you do! I wanted to touch on the subject of labor laws which wasn't evaluated upon what/why we get paid what we do in your podcast. I live in CA and can tell you that majority of hygienists do not have time for mandatory breaks and some even still get paid a daily rate vs hourly and work into their lunch. Think about about it, we generally work 8 to 5 and one hour per patient. Where is our scheduled mandatory break?? There are numerous dentists who don't follow labor laws, meal time laws, and don't pay accordingly... but they keep piling on work for their hygienists. Our job is very fast paced and demanding! It requires many skill sets and compromising our bodily comforts. As hygienists we should definitely stick together and not let our profession be overthrown by assistants who can get a license to scale. It's not a matter of assistants versus hygienist but of a matter of who is qualified.

Milpitas, California