Health Info » Dental and Whole Body Health » Meet Our Hygienists! (Part 2)

Meet Our Hygienists! (Part 2)

We love our amazing team of dental hygienists, and we know you will too!

Click here to set up your hygiene appointment today.

Today is part two where we will introduce two more of our amazing hygienists…

If you didn’t see part 1, you can read it here.

Jilene Mecham

Hi, my name is Jilene Mecham, and I am a dental hygienist at Total Care Dental & Wellness.

I graduated from the University of Southern California in 1991 with a bachelor’s in Dental Hygiene; advanced dental hygiene 2005; laser therapy 2016; currently taking a test to be a certified naturopath and holistic health coach through the ANMCB.

As a child during the summers, I would work in my father’s office as an orthodontic assistant. He said to me that I would be a good dental hygienist . I have now been working as a dental hygienist since 1991.

I have been working for Dr. Jorgensen since 1999, and I still love working for her. Dr. Jorgensen is a great leader. She has a constant love for knowledge and growth.

Yes, there is lots of change. As we know the only thing that is constant is change.

Coming to the dentist is a vulnerable situation. Dr. Jorgensen has and still finds a way to help people feel comfortable at the dental office. This is done with continuing education and training those that work here.

I love learning and helping others on their health journey.

My favorite part of the job is connecting to people individually. Each person has a unique story. I love to learn about their health, and life journey.

I have learned many lessons from so many people working as a dental hygienists.

I am grateful for my life. I have learned that life is a journey full of many unique experiences. We each experience the same emotions through different circumstances. I have been constantly concerned about food, weight, and do I look good enough. I went to the extreme and started running and competing in many events.

I have run 60 marathons, many half marathons, 10k, and 5ks🏃‍♀️. I have completed 10 Leadville 100-mile bike races🚴‍♀️. I have completed an off-road ironman, many Xterra triathlons, and road triathlons. My husband and I have done 2 LoToJa bike races on our tandem. I am now currently completing the 100-time Timp Cave Challenge.

I have learned many lessons through these events. The first tip I would give is FIND A FRIEND💗. I know that I couldn’t have done any of these events without a friend. I have developed many beautiful relationships through these events. I have learned to love and appreciate my body.

I am so blessed to have a wonderful family. My husband and I have 4 awesome, fun, fantastic, independent, self-reliant children. We made it into the cool kids club and have one adorable grandson. We both have 5 siblings with many nieces and nephews. We sure love our family.

I hope you are finding ways to love your life journey! and I would love to help go through it healthy and happy.

I want to share a few tips for preparing for a dental hygiene visit and staying healthy.

The biggest product I recommend is to move your body🏃‍♀️ and get rest😴. If you keep your body stagnant you won’t know what it can do. When you move your body and give it rest, this will be the best product for your mouth. If you are moving you will need to give it energy which is food.

When you chew your food you are also cleaning your teeth. Try to chew around 25-30 times.

How can someone prepare for a hygiene appointment?

Come! Sometimes the hardest sit-up is the first one in the morning. Getting out of bed. When you show up, this is a great way to help your body stay healthy. We are here to assist you and find ways to better your life. Sure there are many reasons why not to come.

Can you find one reason to come?

Come for yourself💖.

-Jilene

Susan West

Hi, my name is Susan and I am a proud mother and dental hygienist.

I have 4 children who are all grown. I lost my husband to complications from a heart attack 3 years ago.

I have been on a journey of self-discovery and healing as a single person since he passed away. I had expected to grow old with my husband and watch our grandchildren grow up. We had plans and goals that we looked forward to. These things all came to a sudden halt and I had to change my thoughts and goals and plans for my life.

As my life took this unexpected turn I found the need to find close friends. I have found the need to do what I love. It took me a while but I have gotten to the point where I am actively engaged in things that make me happy.

I dance, run, road/mountain bike🚴‍♀️ and ride my motorcycle🏍️, I built a guitar🎸 and took voice lessons🎤, and knit🧶 during the winter months.

I have found that everyone has their struggles in life. It’s when we allow ourselves to recognize the yuckiness for what it is for a minute and then move forward with our heads high that we can grow and expand our minds.

Working at Total Care Dental & Wellness has been a huge part of my healing journey. I have learned so much from my fellow team members about how to heal myself physically and emotionallythrough understanding my mouth and body connection, eating well🥗 and being active🏃‍♀️.

I know Total Care Dental & Wellness can help you because it has helped me to find answers and heal.

As a child, my curiosity about dentistry began by watching my father who worked from home as a dental lab technician. Later in life as a mother, I found myself being curious about the health of my kid’s teeth🦷.

So when my youngest started school, I decided it was time for me to go to school. I chose dental hygiene and have never regretted that decision, it’s been awesome. I love doing dental hygiene.

By far my favorite part of being a dental hygienist is getting to meet all kinds of people and hearing their stories, believe it or not, you can still learn a lot about someone when you are working in their mouth.

I think people find Total Care Dental & Wellness to be a safe place and have learned a lot about people’s needs and concerns and I find it very satisfying when a patient feels comfortable enough to share experiences with me that they have not shared with others in the medical field.

Total Care Dental & Wellness has been great at supporting me emotionally and physically and as a hygienist, I have found I can be that emotional support for my patients.

My goal is for my patients to feel safe, comfortable, and supported.

I also wanted to share with you my thoughts on staying healthy.

First off, do what you love💗.

If you’re trying to create a healthy routine for yourself just because somebody says it’s a great routine, you’re not going to do it.

If you love going to the gym and lifting, do it.

But if that seems like a headache, do something else. Do something you love, go dance💃, do aerobics, there are so many things we can do.

So that’s what I found. When I do what I love, I’m going to do it.

And the same thing with any dental hygiene tips. If people say, what’s a good toothbrush? What’s good toothpaste? Well, my answer is “the one you’re going to use”. The act of doing is the most important factor.

Make it easy on yourself and find what works for you and do it!

-Susan

Total Care Dental offers the most amazing care. They look at the entire health of your body, not just your dental health. Each visit is so thorough. The staff is very professional and friendly.

~ Robyn