 Hello everybody, Andrea here with Dental L. So are you a patient who is lucky enough to see an independent dental hygienist, meaning you see your dental hygienist who has their own practice for your teeth cleanings? You might be wondering, well, how do I see a dentist? Is it necessary? And how does that work exactly if there's not a dentist on site? So it's very, very simple. I've had my own practice since 2018 now. And I see patients every six months, sometimes even three months, if they have more gum problems for teeth cleanings. And if I feel they need to see a dentist, then I just simply refer them back to the dentist that they have and let the dentist know why I'm sending them there. Or if they're looking for a new dentist in town, then I will help them find one. I do still suggest that every patient have a dental checkup once a year. It doesn't mean you have to have x-rays every single time. But that way, if you have a dental checkup, the dentist is kind of taking another look. And if they feel like you might need an x-ray or two, they can do it at that office. Since I'm an independent dental hygienist and I travel to patients' homes, so more specifically, I am a mobile dental hygienist where I travel into patients' homes. I can't take x-rays because I can't just bring an x-ray machine into patients' homes. That's not how it works. So I do still tell my patients to see their dentist every year. And if the dentist feels they need x-rays, they can do it at the same time. I do like x-rays. We cannot see things perfectly without x-rays. So I tell patients, even if you don't want a dental checkup every year, you're being honest and you're just too anxious to go to a dental office. That's kind of why you saw a dental hygienist in the first place. Or you just would rather not. We have our reasons. I do still tell patients, I would love x-rays at least once every three years because a lot can happen in three years inside the mouth, especially if you're not brushing twice a day. If you're not using the water pick every day using mouthwash, watching sugar, it's very easy to get cavities, especially in between the teeth so you might not be able to see them. Just because they're not causing you pain, it doesn't mean they're not there, but in three years you can see a lot. I don't feel that x-rays are needed every year, but it's still nice to have a dental checkup every year just to make sure that we're not missing anything for you. So yes, it's still necessary to see your dentist. And if you are just seeing your dental hygienist for cleanings, we can help to send that referral to you. And the dentist doesn't care that you walk in and say, I'm just here for a checkup and x-rays. I have another dental hygienist to clean my teeth so I don't need to teeth cleaning at your office. They're okay with that. If for some reason they're not because they feel like they're losing money, you don't want to go there anyway. I hate to say it, but it's true. So let me know you guys if you have any questions. Thank you so much for watching and I'll see you guys in the next video.