Quote to illustrate how big-time changes have historically happened in the world, and in health care systems, and finally in oral health care systems:

"Productive Outrage:  Sometimes outrage is the first step in innovation.  Not outrage at some-one, outrage at some-thing.  Productive outrage says, 'This is ridiculous.  There's got to be a better way.'

"There's nothing wrong with frustration and outrage.  It means you care.  The issue is what you do with that feeling.  You have the choice every minute to channel the energy into a solution or blame others for making you feel frustrated."                                 -Mark Shapiro, E-Myth.com

For those of you coming to the "anger" phase-of-grief due to the status of the hygiene profession's past imprisonment, allow yourself time.  Your grief will work itself out as you allow yourself the space to move through the phases.  Observe the phases as you pass through them.  It's fascinating and empowering.  Try not to resist the grief process.  Your grief is warranted!  Let it have its time.  (Boy I sure did!)  Realize that until the grief has been worked through, you will have a vulnerability to respond to the dental landscape 'reactively' rather than productively.

But realize that on the other side of grief something called "Now" is happening.  And NOW we hygienists are working together more than ever, rolling up our sleeves, and marching forward as a group to take our place in the health care setting as practitioners in our own right.... eliminating the barriers people have faced in the past in accessing maximized, evidence-based, early intervention and preventive oral health services.

Taking our place in the world of open access to health care will be a direct result of:  productive outrage. 

The restraint-of-trade shenanigans in oral health care systems are NOT scientifically backed.  The science is here and it IS backing us, and we can't ignore it any more.  There is PLENTY of high-quality research that proves access to non-surgical care by hygienists can DRASTICALLY reduce populations' oral disease status (perio and caries), and more's-a-comin all the time.  Its a new day in oral health awareness and access.  We just had to wait this long until the scientific research was abundant enough to back us up.  Welp... its here.  Lets move productively, not reactively.... decisively, not fearfully.  Outrage needn't be set aside.  In fact it will keep us focused on creating systems that are evidence-based rather than clinging to dinosaur-aged oral health systems.  Productive outrage is key.

Society's lack of access to direct care from a hygienist WAS ridiculous; it was and is a population-based medical mistake.  There is a better way to serve our fellow human beings: direct access to preventive and early intervention care.  We can't undo the past.  But we are creating the past right NOW.  The time for change is NOW.

When you feel better, join your fellow hygienists in moving forward!  Join the HIIP Study Club (see link on left side of page).  Join the ADHA who has worked tirelessly behind the scenes even when we individual hygienists were too defeated to be members.  They need our support and we need them more than ever.  www.ADHA.org