Stop Saying 'Cleaning': The Language That’s Costing Us Our Profession

If you say ‘just a cleaning,’ you’re part of the problem!

These three words are quietly destroying the dental hygiene profession—and most hygienists say them every day. Every time we say, "Today it's just a cleaning," we chip away at the very foundation of our profession. While it may seem harmless or patient-friendly, this language has long-term consequences for how we are perceived, respected, and valued within the healthcare system.

The most forward-thinking and professionally grounded dental hygienists understand this. They avoid using language that minimizes our expertise, knowing that how we describe our work directly shapes public perception and professional boundaries. But the truth is, the majority of hygienists still use these phrases. Whether due to habit, time pressure, or the culture of their practice, they unintentionally reinforce a dangerous narrative: that our work is basic, replaceable, or secondary.

Professional Identity Starts with How We Speak

Calling a preventive or therapeutic procedure "just a cleaning" reduces a clinical service to a cosmetic touch-up. It undermines the diagnostic judgement, anatomical precision, and therapeutic strategies required to perform preventive procedures that involve supra-gingival scaling, root surface debridement, and comprehensive periodontal assessments.

This language not only affects patient understanding but also opens the door for policy shifts that threaten our professional autonomy. If the work we do is perceived as simple or routine, then it seems justifiable to delegate it to less-trained personnel. And that’s exactly what we’re seeing in some states across the country.

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 47.2% of adults aged 30 years and older have some form of periodontal disease, and that percentage increases with age. In spite of this, the care required to manage these chronic conditions is often referred to as a "cleaning," undermining the seriousness and complexity of the treatment.

Every Time You Say It, You Shrink the Profession

There is a growing trend of dental assistants being allowed to perform certain dental hygiene functions in specific states and under the supervision of dentists. This shift is often framed as a solution to access-to-care issues or staffing shortages. But underneath that justification lies a narrative we helped perpetuate: that it’s "just a cleaning."

When we diminish our scope through language, we create loopholes that others can exploit. If the public and policymakers believe that oral prophylaxis or periodontal maintenance can be delegated without any loss in quality or safety, it’s because we failed to communicate its complexity.

A Hidden Threat: Fraud and Clinical Competency

In some settings, dentists themselves are billing for prophylaxis or periodontal maintenance procedures they are not clinically equipped to perform. These procedures are carried out without adhering to current evidence-based protocols or therapeutic standards, and without the diagnostic rigor that trained dental hygienists provide. This practice isn’t just unethical, it borders on fraud.

Preventive procedures such as prophylaxis, scaling in the presence of gingivitis, and periodontal maintenance are recognized as core dental hygiene services, and in many states, they are legally protected under dental practice acts. When performed by individuals without formal education and licensure in dental hygiene, it delegitimizes the expertise required to manage oral diseases such as periodontal disease and dental caries. These are not optional services; they are medically necessary interventions that fall under the scope of a licensed dental hygienist. Competency matters. And knowingly performing or billing for preventive services without the qualifications to do so is not just unethical, it is a violation of trust, a disservice to patients, and a threat to public health.

Influence Without Substance Is a Risk to the Profession

In today’s social media-driven world, dental hygiene influencers have become powerful voices in shaping public and professional narratives. But not all influence is created equal. Too often, these influencers lean into humor, aesthetics, or trendy content that simplifies and commercializes the profession. While visibility is important, entertainment should never come at the expense of clinical credibility.

When influencers joke about "cleanings," focus on dental hacks, or create viral content that glosses over the science behind our work, they contribute to the dumbing down of dental hygiene. They unintentionally reinforce stereotypes that we’ve fought hard to dismantle.

We need influencers who use their platforms to educate, elevate, and empower. Those who truly understand the clinical depth, systemic impact, and policy relevance of dental hygiene should lead the conversation, not those who water it down for likes.

It’s not corporate dentistry. It’s not insurance companies. It’s not the dental boards. It’s us.

When we tolerate the downplaying of our work, whether through silence, humor, or influencer content that trades clinical accuracy for popularity, we participate in rewriting the public’s understanding of what dental hygiene is. And once our role is seen as optional or interchangeable, it’s no longer respected as essential to healthcare delivery. This perception doesn’t just harm clinical credibility, it seeps into educational policy. When our work is trivialized, curriculum developers, academic leaders, and even dental boards may begin to question the depth and necessity of hygiene education. Reduced clinical hours, diminished science-based instruction, and the rise of fast-track training programs are all consequences of a system that no longer sees us as highly skilled, critically thinking clinicians.

Reclaiming the Narrative

We cannot expect respect from others if we don’t first respect the depth and value of our own work. That begins with language.

• Instead of "cleaning," say preventive periodontal therapy, periodontal maintenance, or dental hygiene visit.

• When a patient says, “I just need a cleaning,” don’t let it slide. That’s your cue to educate and let them know they’re receiving oral biofilm disruption, a medically necessary procedure that supports both oral and systemic health.

• Shift your internal mindset: you are a clinician performing evidence-based care that impacts systemic health, not a technician providing a luxury service.

A Call to the Profession

This is not just about semantics. It's about strategy. If we want to maintain our scope, expand our opportunities, and preserve the integrity of dental hygiene, we must stop minimizing our role.

We need fewer hygienists who fit in and more who speak up. We need professionals who correct patients, challenge employers, and call out unethical billing. We need you to stop saying “just a cleaning” before there’s nothing left to fight for. If we fail to articulate the clinical and systemic value of our role, we leave space for others to diminish, redefine, or erase it!

The most empowered, intentional, and professionally conscious dental hygienists already know this. They’ve stopped using language that undermines the profession. The question is: will the rest follow?

Until I write again,

In gratitude,

Shavonne R. Healy, MSDH, RDH

CEO, A Higher Learning LLC