Rita Goddard, RDH
Licensure
Certified registered dental hygienist, licensed in both Nevada and Florida. Local anesthesia certified in both states. Certified in N2O (nitrous oxide) in Florida.
Years in practice
Over 25 years, in both general and periodontal practice
Hygiene program
University of Pittsburgh, School of Dental Medicine — Dental Hygiene Program
Perioscope training
Trained in 2016 on the Zest Perioscopy system. Master trainer for OraVu, now Perio View.
Case experience
300+ perioscope cases treated
Memberships
[ADHA, state association, AAP affiliate]
Liability coverage
HPSO
Perio On Point brings over 25 years of experience in both general and periodontal dental practice. Training on the perioscope began in 2016, in a general dental office. Two years later, that experience moved to a second general practice serving a more remote, rural community — and it was there that Perio On Point became a master trainer for OraVu (now Perio View), traveling the country to train and support dental teams on the successful implementation of the system. That work led to an opportunity with a highly rated periodontal practice in Las Vegas, where the perioscope has been used daily for over 25 years. Perio On Point now brings that same chairside experience directly into general practices, so patients can be treated in the office they already trust — without adding equipment, training, or overhead to the practice itself.
I knew when I was 18 years old that I wanted to be a dental hygienist. Starting out at the ripe age of 22, I wanted a big career — but I never thought it would lead me to where I am today.
I was introduced to the Perioscope in 2016. I remember being so excited, admiring the training hygienist and the fellow hygienist I worked with at the time. I wanted to be as good as they were, but I doubted my own ability. The scope is one of the most humbling — and one of the biggest teachers — I've had in my career. I am so grateful I was trained on this equipment. It changed the way I've treated every patient since.
The Perioscope has allowed me to treat periodontal disease in a way that still fascinates me every single time I get to sit down and work with it. I can see anatomy of the teeth that is otherwise only ever illustrated — we can't see what's covered by gum tissue. Compare it to wanting to see inside your own nostrils: you normally see only a small area just inside your nose. But if you had a small camera to magnify, illuminate, and see the entire surface area in there — what would we find? What would you see? That's what seeing the root surfaces of the teeth is similar to. As a dental nerd, I find it fascinating.
Seeing old, missed calculus living adhered to the root surfaces — causing bone destruction, inflammation, bleeding, and pus around the teeth — removing all of it, and then watching the healing process happen over weeks, months, into the next year: it's incredible, and it never gets old.
How such a small camera, with this kind of micro-precision scaling — a two-handed, two-footed, non-surgical procedure — can have such profound results shows how our bodies respond to a host: a home to bacteria. The destruction that can happen, to the healing that does happen, once that host is completely removed.
Perioscopy is a true passion of mine. It brings visualization to an area of the body that is most often treated with zero visibility. No surgery, no stitches, minimal downtime, faster healing, less money, and better results.
I want every periodontal patient to know they have options. Perioscopy brings a great option to periodontal care.