Colleen Rutledge

Colleen Rutledge, RDH enjoys a multifaceted career as a dental hygiene consultant, national speaker, practice administrator and well-respected dental hygienist focusing on the non-surgical approach to managing periodontal disease. Her dental career began 30 years ago in Philadelphia after completing a dental assisting externship at Temple University and graduating class president from National School of Health Technology. She continued her education and earned a Degree in Dental Hygiene at Coastal Carolina Community College in North Carolina and was the recipient of the Hu-Friedy Golden Scaler Award.

While in private practice, Colleen diligently incorporated several modalities of periodontal therapy in both insurance-driven and fee-for-service practices. Her skillfully honed communication skills positively affected patient compliance, subsequently increasing daily hygiene production by over 40%.

Her passion for providing dental offices and patients with evidence-based preventive care resulted in the establishment of her own consulting company Perio-Therapeutics & Beyond (www.PerioAndBeyond.com), which offers hands-on expert clinical hygiene consulting by teaching over-the-shoulder techniques in non-surgical periodontal therapy procedures. Published in several dental publications including Dental Economics and Dentistry Today, Colleen is recognized as a “Leader in Dental Consulting”. She is a member of several organizations including Speaking Consulting Network and several speakers’ bureaus.

Colleen’s speaking programs provide inspiration and motivation to dental professionals across the country. She is a popular speaker, presenting at major dental conferences such as Thomas P. Hinman, Greater New York, and Yankee Dental Congress.