S4 E7: From Chairside to C-Suite: Leading 260+ Hygienists + Building a Culture of Support w/ Misty Mattingly, RDH | Inspired Hygiene Podcast

From Chairside to C-Suite: Leading 260+ Hygienists + Building a Culture of Support w/ Misty Mattingly, RDH | Inspired Hygiene Podcast Welcome back to the Inspired Hygiene Podcast! This season is focused on rebuilding the dentist–hygienist relationship—because when providers collaborate with trust and respect, it creates a win for patients, the team, and the practice. In today’s episode, Rachel is joined by Misty Mattingly, RDH—Chief Dental Hygiene Officer at Sage Dental, where she supports and leads 260+ full-time hygienists. Misty shares her remarkable journey—from entering dentistry at 14, putting herself through hygiene school, and working across nearly every role in a dental practice… to stepping into executive leadership inside a growing DSO. This is a candid, practical conversation about what it really takes to retain hygienists, build alignment between providers, and lead change with clarity—without losing the human side of dentistry. In this episode, you’ll learn: Misty’s path from clinical hygienist to Chief Dental Hygiene Officer What respect and support looks like in real-life leadership How Sage drives strong retention and builds hygienist engagement at scale Why doctor–hygiene case review meetings matter (calibration, alignment, confidence) How DSOs can create a “peer-to-peer” dynamic between doctors and hygienists The role of communication + change management (and why it starts months early) What’s happening with hygiene staffing, compensation pressure, and access to care Practical ways hygienists and dentists can support each other today  Check out Misty’s podcast: 🎧 Hygiene Happy Hour — real conversations (with cocktails or mocktails) about dentistry and life outside the op. If you’re a hygienist, dentist, practice owner, or DSO leader trying to build a culture where people feel valued, heard, and aligned—this episode is for you. ✅ Subscribe for more episodes on rebuilding the hygiene–dentist partnership 👍 Like, comment, and share with your team—especially if this sparked an idea you want to implement. #InspiredHygiene #DentalHygiene #Dentistry #DSO #DentalLeadership #Hygienist #PracticeCulture #DentalTeam #Retention #LeadershipDevelopment #DentalPodcast #SageDental #HygieneHappyHour #PatientCare #Communication #ChangeManagement 🎧  Hygiene Happy Hour Podcast Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Flow on Instagram