Assisting with Home Oral Hygiene 
Treating Patients in their Familiar Environment
Helping Those Who Have Limited Mobility Receive Care

Assisted Oral Hygiene/Guided Oral Hygiene

Hygiene students, dental assistants and caregivers are hired to serve as oral hygiene leaders in group home facilities. They help caregivers improve their skills with oral care by serving as knowledgeable leaders. This is not a replacement for the standard oral care. It supplements by providing leadership, improving caregivers skills, serving as a regular reminder of the importance of oral care, providing an accountability documentation system (can be found on our handouts page) and sometimes incentivizing caregivers to more actively participate in oral care. Our assisted oral hygiene professionals also provide excellent hand's on oral oral care at a minimum of once per week per participant. 

This is was piloted with a few residents in both DeSano Place and Creekside in Jerome, ID. It was made possible by a HRSA grant that ran between 2019-2022.  COVID-19 put a damper on fulfilling our sustainability plan in the time allotted. Our grant terminates September 2022. At this point, we are looking for organizations to help us sustain the program for those residents currently receiving the services. We have seen much improvement in their oral health through this program and we do not want to see them decline if we lack the funding to continue providing these services. 

Dr. Brooke believes in this program so much that she does not take any personal pay for her work with this program. Any pay she "receives" with this program she donates 100% back to the program.  The money for the program goes to paying the Assisted Oral Hygiene/ Guided Oral Hygiene Providers, for PPE, insurances, equipment, subscriptions, education, and for supplies and needed. 

This program is the best thing our practice has done for community health, but it unfortunately will be the least funded once the grant ends in September.

The Idaho Health Care Association Foundation also saw this program to be valuable and has partnered with us in a new pilot program. With this program, we will solicit tax deductible donations from businesses, service organizations, and private donors to keep the program running. Really ANYONE can donate and no amount is too little.  It is an expensive program to run. To offer the service for the entire year for 20 residents costs us over $60,000.  For more program information and costs of the program click HERE.

If you or your business would like to help, Click HERE .  Any amount helps. We have the oral care part figured out. We are still working on documentation and sustainability. Once we have those things figured out, plan to share the model with dental practices across the nation so this model can help residents everywhere. This has been the best thing our practice has done and has great potential. Please consider helping us financially so we can keep it going.

Other Services

Services we offer:​

• Screening Exams

  • Generally done in person, but may be a combination of in person and teledentistry​

• Limited Emergency Exams​

  • Generally done with  teledentistry​​

• X-rays​

  • Generally will be taken by the hygienist and read by the dentist offsite but also may be taken by the dentist/dental assistant. 

• Professional Cleanings ​

  • These are generally done by our hygienists​, however may be done by the dentist if hygienist is unavailable. 

• Fluoride Varnish: ​

  • This is a sticky substance that contains fluoride and  helps strengthen the teeth. It helps prevent cavities. ​This may be applied by the dentist, hygienist, dental assistant, or with supervision by the caregivers. 

• Chemical Cavities Control : ​

  • Sometimes we can manage oral disease with topical chemicals. The most commonly used chemical for this is called Silver Diamine Fluoride. This does well to control the cavity, but leaves a black stain where the cavity is on the tooth.  ​This may be applied by the dentist, hygienist, dental assistant, or with supervision by the caregivers.  

• Fillings​

  • Most of our of our fillings are SMART restorations utilizing Silver Diamine Fluoride and Glass Ionomer. 

• Extractions: ​

  • We are very limited on what we offer with extractions, we often have patients see the oral surgeon or come into a more traditional clinic for extractions.​ Few exceptions are made. 

• Denture Adjustments/Repair:​

  • We do minor adjustments and minor repair

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We do NOT offer the Following Services: 

• We do not make dentures or partial dentures

• We do not offer crowns, veneers, bridges, or implants

• We do not offer whitening

• We do not consider our care comprehensive

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If you are seeking comprehensive care or need care when Dr. Brooke is not at the facility, she also works at Family Health Services Advanced Delivery Dental Clinic which is open Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday 8:30am-7:00pm.  (208) 737-6778

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We provide portable services only in Jerome, ID for residents of Desano Place, Creekside Care, and Communicare. We are currently at capacity and are not longer contracting with new facilities.  

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Paperwork: 

• Minimum Necessary HIPAA Form

• Notice of Privacy Practices HIPAA

• Teledentistry Consent Form