The Dental Handoff: Revolutionizing Periodontal Treatment with Marvalyn Navarro
In a fascinating episode of The Dental Handoff podcast, host Dr. Kelly Tanner welcomed dental hygienist and entrepreneur Marvalyn Navarro to discuss her journey from clinical hygienist to innovative business owner in the field of periodontal treatment.
The Path to Dental Hygiene
Marvalyn's dental career began at the front desk, where she handled billing, insurance, and receptionist duties while observing hygienists in action. This experience allowed her to witness the multifaceted role hygienists play in patient care.
"Hygienists wear so many hats," Marvalyn explained. "Not only are they there performing oral health and improving the oral health of patients, but also improving their overall health and their lives."
This front desk experience provided Marvalyn with valuable insights into the business side of dentistry, including familiarity with billing codes and procedures. After completing her education, she returned to the same office as a hygienist, bringing a well-rounded perspective to her clinical practice.
From Clinical Practice to Corporate Education
After gaining clinical experience, Marvalyn took a leap of faith by applying for a position as a clinical educator with Young Innovations, despite not meeting all the qualifications.
"I was like, hey, I don't qualify for everything, but that doesn't mean no, right? My husband and I always joke and we say, shoot your shot," Marvalyn shared. Her boldness paid off, and she was hired as a clinical educator and representative, a role she's held for nearly four years.
In this capacity, Marvalyn conducts trainings, onboards offices, and speaks nationwide about innovative dental technology. This experience expanded her perspective on dentistry and helped her build relationships throughout the industry.
Pioneering a Mobile Specialty Service
Marvalyn's true entrepreneurial journey began with her specialization in dental endoscopy, a technology that uses a fiber optic camera to visualize subgingival calculus at 100 times magnification. This tool allows hygienists to treat periodontal disease more effectively by ensuring thorough removal of calculus, one of the primary etiologic factors of the disease.
After being trained by a mentor who later passed away, Marvalyn saw an opportunity to expand access to this technology. She and her business partner, Katie, developed a mobile service model where they travel to dental offices in the Las Vegas area with their endoscope unit to treat periodontal patients.
"In essence, we are the traveling specialty dental hygienists," Marvalyn explained. Their business involves building relationships with dental offices, educating them about which cases are suitable for endoscopic treatment, and scheduling visits to treat their patients.
The Technology Behind the Innovation
Dental endoscopy requires a unique skill set. Practitioners must coordinate both hands and feet simultaneously while looking at a screen rather than directly in the patient's mouth—similar to playing a video game.
"Your dominant foot would use your cavitron or piezo pedal. Non-dominant, you would control the fiber optic camera," Marvalyn described. "Your non-dominant hand, you would hold the camera or the explorer. And then your dominant hand, of course, your piezo or your cavitron."
The procedure typically takes about an hour per quadrant, with most patients opting for full-mouth treatment in a single four-hour session. Currently, the procedure is billed using an unspecified periodontal procedure code (D4999) in conjunction with scaling and root planing.
Business Challenges and Growth
Transitioning from clinical hygienist to business owner came with new challenges, particularly in financial management.
"I would say the tax component," Marvalyn noted when asked about surprising aspects of business ownership. "Learning all the laws, the tax component, learning how to operate QuickBooks and how to pay yourself as a business owner."
Despite these challenges, Marvalyn's organized nature as a hygienist helped her develop an action plan with clear goals. "If you don't have an action plan with a goal set in mind, it's like an unsharpened pencil. It has no point," she shared.
Marvalyn and her partner have learned to balance perfectionism with progress, understanding that "nothing will ever be perfect" and that implementation and improvement are key to success.
Building a Community
With less than one percent of hygienists nationwide performing this procedure, Marvalyn and Katie are committed to growing the community of practitioners. They've created a Facebook group called the Dental Endoscope Network where clinicians can share cases and support one another.
"We're hoping that there is more," Marvalyn said of endoscopy-trained hygienists. "We've created a Facebook group for support... We're sharing cases. We can bounce ideas off one another."
Their mission extends to training fellow hygienists in this technology and collaborating with their alma mater to expose dental hygiene students to endoscopy as an educational tool.
The Future of Periodontal Treatment
Marvalyn believes dental endoscopy represents the future standard of care for periodontal disease treatment. The technology has existed for over 20 years but is now gaining momentum alongside other digital advances in dentistry.
"Technology is booming right now. And there's AI in dentistry now. There's digital x-rays. It's just booming. And I feel it's the perfect time and place," she explained. "And we're over that curve where this can finally be the next level of care for us as hygienists."
For Marvalyn, the ability to see what was previously invisible is transformative. "Bacteria and calculus knows how to hide," she noted, explaining how the endoscope has humbled her and made her a better clinician by revealing calculus she would have otherwise missed.
Marvalyn Navarro's journey illustrates how dental professionals can leverage their clinical expertise to create innovative business models that advance patient care. By embracing technology and entrepreneurship, she's not only built a successful business but is also helping to establish a new standard in periodontal treatment.
Keywords: Dental endoscopy, periodontal treatment, mobile dental services, dental entrepreneurship, dental technology innovation, dental hygiene specialization, calculus removal, periodontal disease, dental hygiene business, subgingival visualization, dental education, dental business model, The Dental Handoff podcast,