Valerie Yates

Valerie Yates

Valerie Yates has been a registered dental hygienist since 2001. She has been practicing in Hays, Kansas, since that time. Valerie enjoys learning and bringing value to her patients. She has taken a special interest in myofunctional disorders and has enjoyed bringing a new avenue of health to her patients. Valerie has always had a love for reading and writing. While she enjoys reading a good mystery novel, she finds her writing passion in freelancing. When Valerie has leisure time, you can find her with her husband, two daughters, and their menagerie of animals. Her nature for helping others does not stop with humans and she is sucker for four-legged friends.

Dental hygienist exam

5 tips for becoming a dental hygienist

Deciding on a career path is no small feat. It can be a very confusing and exciting time in your life. Dental hygiene is a rewarding and in-demand career and may be the right fit for you. Here are five tips for becoming a dental hygienist.

Read More

What Is The Average Dentist Salary?

By David Rice | November 3, 2022

By: Dr. David Rice It’s easy to find the median dentist salaries in the United States. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) publishes this data. BLS data shows a median salary of $163,220 per year, or about $78 an hour. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, here is on average what dentists…

Separation of Medicine and Dentistry

By Savanah Craig | November 3, 2022

By: Savannah Craig The separation of medicine and dentistry has always confused and fascinated me. As a dentist, we are acutely aware of the impact of oral disease on the rest of the body, but why aren’t medical doctors taught anything about teeth? This question becomes even more apparent when you realize that over a…

Stylohyoid Calcification: Case Study

By Dr. Jennifer Bell, DDS, FAGD, FICD | November 2, 2022

By: Dr. Jennifer Bell, DDS, FAGD, FICD Have you ever had a patient with stylohyoid calcification? Here is a case study of my experience with it.

Periodontal Infection: Case Study

By Dr. Jennifer Bell, DDS, FAGD, FICD | October 26, 2022

By: Dr. Jennifer Bell, DDS, FAGD, FICD Have you ever had a patient with a periodontal infection? Here is a case study of my experience with it. Periodontal Infection Patient Information: The patient presented with CC of mobile lower #25 The patient reported mild pain but managing with NSAIDs The patient is concerned that the…

Dental Mobile Outreach Program

By Chris Casterline | October 24, 2022

By: Chris Casterline My name is Chris Casterline and I’m a general dentist in central Kentucky. I currently direct a mobile dental outreach program at a Federally Qualified Health Center, serving over 20 elementary schools. The schools we target are deemed “Tier 1” schools. To be eligible for this designation, over 50% of their students…

Physical Fitness and Dentistry 

By Savanah Craig | October 20, 2022

By: Savannah Craig When I started dental school we had one lecture on ergonomics and that was it. I was still trying to figure out where to fulcrum to get my bur on the tooth I was working on. I didn’t have time to think about where my knees were positioned or how the focal…

Fractured Tooth: Case Study

By Chad Duplantis, D.D.S, F.A.G.D | October 19, 2022

By: Dr. Chad Duplantis, D.D.S., F.A.G.D Have you ever had a patient with a fractured tooth? Here is a case study of my experience with it. Fractured Tooth: Patient Information 73-year-old female Healthy Extensive dental work in the past, numerous restorations, hx of trigeminal neuralgia controlled by oxcarbazepine CC: I feel I broke a tooth on…

Calcifications/Radiopacities: Case Study

By Chad Duplantis, D.D.S, F.A.G.D | October 12, 2022

By: Dr. Chad Duplantis, D.D.S., F.A.G.D Here is a case study on my experience with a patient with calcifications/radiopacities. The Patient with Calcifications/Radiopacities 55-year-old female Healthy New patient to our practice From Patient: I’ve been wearing a denture since I was 22 years old. I can’t stand looking at it, and I can’t afford implants at…

Words of Wisdom from Accomplished Dentist: Dr. Alan Stern

By Jennifer Murphy | October 10, 2022

By: Jennifer Murphy, DDS, FAGD Dr. Alan G. Stern graduated from the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Dentistry in 1981. He completed a 1 year GPR, then worked as an associate dentist for 5 years before opening his FFS practice in Ocean, NJ in 1987.  Dr. Stern is also an ACE Certified Health Coach and…

Forming Good Habits after Dental School

By Savanah Craig | October 6, 2022

By: Savanah Craig Graduating from dental school marked the first time in my life where ‘student’ wasn’t my primary role. For so many years my life had been ruled by the academic calendar. Now, I had a choice in how I wanted to structure my time spent outside of working hours. I really wanted to…