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Tooth or Dare Podcast

Tooth or Dare Podcast

Irene Iancu @Toothlife.Irene 201 Episodes Jun 15, 2026

Irene, a Canadian Restorative Dental Hygienist known as @Toothlife.Irene, hosts this podcast about dentistry, career, practice ownership, and social media. She answers dental questions and shares insights with guests including hygienists, dentists, and researchers. The show aims to be entertaining and educational, offering actionable advice for dental professionals and anyone interested in oral health.

Episodes

Are Lead Aprons Still Required for Dental X-Rays? | Tooth or Dare Podcast with @Toothlife.Irene Jun 15, 2026 1667 Breaking Down The Truth Behind the 1999 vs. 2022 Radiation Guidelines In this episode of the Tooth or Dare Podcast, Irene and Victoria tackle one of the most misunderstood topics in dentistry today: radiation protection guidelines and the confusion surrounding lead aprons. You've probably heard the statement: "Lead aprons are no longer required." But what does that actually mean? With the transiti
RDH with 30 Years of Experience Starting Over in a New Office | Tooth Or Dare Podcast with Toothlife.Irene May 26, 2026 889 A follower left a comment asking if their 30 years of experience mean something. Sure, it means a lot...but it doesn't automatically mean you're current. I've been an RDH for 20 years. I know what it looks like when experience is the real thing, and I know what it looks like when someone has done the same thing on repeat for two decades and called it tenure. Both exist. Dentistry is full of both.
Restorative Dental Hygiene & the CE struggle in Canada | Tooth Or Dare Podcast with Toothlife.Irene May 2, 2026 1243 I might get "speaker" cancelled for this, but I believe it would be a worthy cause and perhaps the right hill to die on for our profession. Trying to register for a continuing education course shouldn't feel like repeatedly hitting a brick wall. But for many hygienists, it does. Many have given up on fighting for it, sadly.    In this episode, Irene and Victoria talk about why quality restorative
I lost my dad to lung cancer & his oral care during tx | Tooth Or Dare Podcast with Toothlife.Irene Apr 16, 2026 1533 Dental peeps, this one is super personal… what happens when oral care is overlooked in cancer patients? We see these patients in our ops, but what happens when that patient is your Dad? My dad... My patient In this episode of the Tooth or Dare Podcast, I share the story of my father’s battle with cancer and the parts of care that too often get missed. It began with the kind of phone call no one i
What Dentistry in New York City is like | Tooth Or Dare Podcast with Toothlife.Irene Mar 24, 2026 1741 Dentistry in NYC is changing, and in Tribeca, there's a little hidden gem. I sat down with Cody Levine, and honestly, this conversation felt like stepping into what dentistry could be when it’s done differently. We talked about the kind of journey that doesn’t look linear. From doing dentistry under a cellphone light on mission trips to building one of the most intentional, beautifully designed p
Taking Blood Pressure as Dental Hygienist? | @Toothlife.Irene & Tooth or Dare Podcast Mar 11, 2026 1322 RDH's...Are you taking BP at every visit?  In this episode of the Tooth or Dare Podcast, Irene and Victoria break down one of the most common questions in dental hygiene: “Is taking blood pressure at every visit mandatory?”   Patients often say: “I’ve never had this done before.”   So what do the guidelines actually say?   We discuss: Is blood pressure screening mandatory in Canada or the U.S.?
What it's like SRP Scaling with an Endoscope vs. Blind | Tooth Or Dare Podcast with Toothlife.Irene Mar 5, 2026 1731 f you're a dental professional curious about using technology to SEE sub-G this is the episode for you! In this episode, Irene sits down with Kristen Ranaldo, a perio-focused hygienist who has spent her career using dental endoscopy to treat advanced perio and failing implants. Kristen shares how seeing below the gumline transforms diagnosis, treatment, and patient communication and why blind SRP
Desiccation Therapy- How to perform better periodontal treatments | Tooth Or Dare Podcast with Toothlife.Irene Feb 13, 2026 1551 Dear Dental Hygienists, If your patients keep coming back with the same amount of calculus, this is the episode for you. In this Op Talk edition of Tooth or Dare, Irene and Victoria take one of the most misunderstood tools in modern periodontal care and pull it apart clinically, practically, and honestly. Desiccation therapy is often described as “drying,” “etch-like,” or “just another add-on.” In
Dental Hygiene Workforce Trends in Canada | Tooth or Dare Podcast with @Toothlife.Irene Jan 22, 2026 1694 Is there statistical proof of a decline in dental hygienists in Canada? The answer isn’t as simple as social media headlines suggest. In this episode of Tooth or Dare, Joe Siegfried and I unpack the current climate of dental hygiene in Canada and challenge the idea that fewer hygienists are entering the profession. Graduation numbers and class sizes haven’t declined. What has changed is retention
Coming Out During Dental Hygiene School | Tooth Or Dare Podcast with Toothlife.Irene Jan 8, 2026 1299 What happens when you choose authenticity, even when it feels risky? In this episode of Tooth or Dare, Joe Siegfried opens up about his life beyond the dental chair. From growing up in rural Ontario and pursuing acting, to becoming a father, coming out during dental hygiene school, and building a supportive blended family, Joe shares the personal experiences that shaped who he is today. This conve
How to organize your dental office using Color Method | Tooth Or Dare Podcast with Toothlife.Irene Dec 15, 2025 1878 This episode is dedicated to all dental professionals who have ever discovered expired materials hiding at the back of a drawer, couldn’t find what they needed mid-procedure, or found themselves buying supplies from the dollar store with no real system, strategy, or purpose. My office had just celebrated its 4th birthday when I discovered a bag of materials that were already two years expired. Tha
RDH meets Yoga Therapy with Caitlin Parsons aka @thealignedhygienist Nov 7, 2025 1720 In this episode, Caitlin Parsons talks about her journey through dental hygiene, the pain she experienced early in her career, and how stepping away from the operatory led her to study yoga therapy. She shares what it was like to return to clinical practice after three years, the parts of hygiene she missed, and the challenges she didn’t. We also discuss how yoga therapy works using breath, moveme

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