Objectives: 

• Define basic health and wellness coaching techniques to motivate patients
• Identify the power within the patient themselves to achieve successful habit building. 
• Construct new habit building with the utilization of patient self-determination and self-efficacy. 
• Learn how to regain passion for the profession and let go of the power struggle with patients.

Building good habits is the backbone of all health and wellness success for patients regardless of the practice setting. By bringing a coaching mindset into the dental setting dental hygiene professionals will have more success in motivating dental patients to achieve better success within their oral health routines and ultimately affecting their overall total health. When we make the mistake of always remaining in the expert seat, we can make the experience in the dental chair more about the provider than the patient. By supporting patient autonomy, we can create patient driven goals, which will then result in patient driven results. As dental hygienists, this is what we all strive for, less stress and more fun in our career through healthy habits.