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Hygiene Hotspot: Find Joy in the Journey
By: Tina Tuck, RDH While hiking the 211-mile John Muir Trail in 2017, wearing my royal blue “Find Joy in the Journey” t-shirt, I realized that my life is a journey much like my trek in the Sierra Nevada Mountain range. Many a mountain, valley, rushing water crossing, or rocky path has challenged my critical thinking, mental or physical strength, and perseverance. Along the way, I’ve learned a few things I apply to my personal and professional life. For example, while hiking Duck Pass on the way to the town of Mammoth, my husband and I encountered an incredibly steep and icy stretch of the trail only a few hikers had attempted ahead of us. We had about 25 feet to walk along a narrow precipice above an icy lake. Each step I took was a victory I would celebrate at the finish, while also being part of the scariest experience of my life. Each step took courage, determination, and letting go of self-doubt. The moment my feet hit the solid ground on a much wider and safer section of the trail, I realized focusing on a positive finish helped me maintain courage and determination and distracted me from self-doubt. Fast forward a few years, and there I sat as the OKDHA Legislative Chair in 2020, quarantined at home like the rest of the world, trying to make sense of what was the current reality. My thoughts went back to the icy precipice and the lesson I learned, so I began to search for a positive finish. Since that time, I’ve had the opportunity to work with some amazing dental professionals across the state of Oklahoma while serving on various committees. Most recently, I had the honor of being installed as the 2022-2023 President of the Oklahoma Dental Hygienists Association. The Executive Board I serve is eager to provide community service, share experiences with other oral healthcare providers, and improve the overall health of Oklahomans. Over the past few years, we have enjoyed working with the ODA to provide a lunch-and-learn course at the ODA meeting. We look forward to working alongside ODA and other members of the dental community at the Oklahoma Mission of Mercy in February 2023, and we have had members participate in conversations with dentists to determine how we can help increase employee retention rates and the return of employees to dental offices after what Dentistry IQ magazine labeled as “The BIG Quit” in the September 2022 issue. We want to help and are ready to roll up our sleeves and do the work necessary to keep dentistry in Oklahoma strong. We are focusing on a positive finish to the post-pandemic issues we’ve all faced.
On October 1, 2022, the new OKDHA Executive Board officially took office, but the work began long ago. We have some exciting events already scheduled to begin our journey, some of which we will have accomplished before this article is published. We hope to share experiences with you, the Oklahoma dental community, as we all focus on the positive impact we can make on oral health in Oklahoma this year. • March Madness 1-day event Saturday, March 25, 2023:
“CBCT Use in Dentistry” by Dr. Eddie Lorents
“Patient Case Acceptance” by Dr. Cameron Clifford
“Diversity and Inclusion in the Dental Office” by Dr. Lena Crouso
“Thanantology in Dental Offices” by Marla Mercer-Cole, Fellow
Thanantologist • OKDHA Annual Session September 15-16, 2023 We are also excited to be participating in the 2023 ODA Annual Meeting again this year. We will be presenting a Lunch and Learn with Speaker Donna Wood during the meeting on Saturday, Apil 28.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Tina Tuck is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry in the Dental Hygiene Department where she serves at the Site Coordinator for the Weatherford campus. She teaches Community Health Issues and Practice Management to the second-year dental hygiene students. Tina completed an Associate of Science in Dental Hygiene at Rose State College in 1992 and provided dental hygiene care 4-6 days a week until 2005 when she began teaching. In 2006, she earned a Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene at the University of Oklahoma and went on to complete a Master of Human Relations with an Emphasis on Community Service in 2010 at the University of Oklahoma. Community involvement has been a lifelong passion for Tina. She is an American Lung Association Freedom From Smoking Facilitator, is a member of the Association of Career and Technical Education, the American Dental Education Association, has served as a member of the Weatherford Food & Resource Center (now called Connections) where she served as the Board Chairman, and is a member of the American Dental Hygienists Association. She has served in several component and state officer positions over the years including OKDHA President from 1997 to 1999 and was installed as President again this past September. Other community service activities include being a Tar Wars presenter at elementary schools, volunteering with the ODF mobile unit, served on the Western Oklahoma Tobacco Control Coalition, and founded the Seal-A-Smile program with Weatherford public schools and the Western Technology Center in 2010. She has continued to coordinate the project for the past 11 years with grant funding from the Oklahoma Delta Dental Foundation. When she is not involved in oral health initiatives, Tina enjoys time in the great outdoors. She and her husband hike, camp, kayak, and enjoys traveling. She has a son, a daughter, and a son-in-law she also enjoys spending time with.
