Everybody’s Different and I Find What Works for That Individual

Get to Know Missy Hall, Dental Hygienist at Personal Care Dentistry
If you read any of Personal Care Dentistry’s patient testimonials and reviews it won’t take long before you come across some glowing praise for a hygienist named Missy. For 15 years Melissa Hall has been providing the highest level of professional treatment with her characteristically compassionate chairside manner. Her winning ways are in part from her training at the University of Minnesota and by following Dr. Walter Hunt’s Golden Rule of treating Personal Care Dentistry patients as they themselves would want to be treated.
Missy graduated in 2004 with her undergraduate degree and remembers her interview with Dr. Hunt, who founded Personal Care Dentistry in 1977. “We spoke briefly on the phone and he told me to come in at 6 a.m. to chat in person. I remember at 22 years old thinking, ‘6 a.m.?’ What kind of place is this?” Missy laughs. Having grown up on a dairy farm she was very familiar with getting up early and hard work. “Dr. Hunt and I spoke for a while and as we were wrapping up he asked what I was doing that weekend. I told him I was baling hay and he hired me on the spot.”
Her love of academia led Missy to pursue a Master of Science graduate degree which she completed in 2015, teaching undergraduates at the University of Minnesota. “I loved teaching and working with students. It was very rewarding,” she says. The skills she learned while teaching translate into her work with Personal Care Dentistry’s patients. “I’m really focused on preventative care, but I can only do so much. I educate patients, make recommendations and try to empower people to make the best choices in oral health.”
When asked about how she applies Dr. Hunt’s Golden Rule at the practice she explains, “It’s not something I actually think about – it just comes naturally. I customize treatment plans to the patients needs. Everybody’s different and I find what works for that individual.”
The dentists at Personal Care Dentistry also look to Missy to work quite a bit with people who have dental fear or anxiety. “I’m a pretty calm person and I try to put them at ease. I’m not about judging people. That’s not my place,” she says. “Much of it has to do with listening to them and finding out what the foundation of their fear is. It’s not a science. They want to be heard, they want understanding and to have their concerns validated. I can empathize with them,” she says. “Again everybody is different. Some people want details about their treatment and some would rather not know and just get the work done. I pushed for hour-and-a-half treatment sessions instead of the standard hour because people who are affected by this need a little more time and it’s appreciated.”
Missy is quick to tell you that her favorite part of the job is the people. The ones she works with and the people she treats. “Everyone at Personal Care Dentistry is really good about helping each other. We are all great friends. More like family really,” she says. And about working with the dentists, Missy explains, It’s effortless. “The doctors are confident in my recommendations and it’s easy to work with them.”