Hygiene Happy Hour (Jamaica Edition) with Misty Mattingly and Brittany Lonas

This episode, Misty sits down with Brittney Lonas, Director of Hygiene at Gen4 Dental Partners, for an unfiltered, beachside conversation about leadership, voice, and what it really means to think for yourself in dentistry. Brittney opens up about her journey from "people-pleaser by nature" to a leader who isn't afraid to call out generalizations in the room even when it's uncomfortable. The two dig into a question that's stuck with hygienists for generations: is the instinct to agree, to defer, to say "right, right" instead of speaking up rooted in being a woman, or in being conditioned as a dental hygienist who's historically been told what to do rather than asked what she thinks? Brittney shares how she's learned to pause, digest, and ask herself "is that really my thought?" before falling into autopilot agreement and why pushing back on easy generalizations (like "nobody recommends fluoride") matters for moving the profession forward. A candid, off-the-cuff conversation about authority, perspective, and finding your own voice in dental hygiene.