Suzanne Newkirk, RDH – 

A recognized key opinion leader in periodontal endoscopy, and a popular speaker, Suzanne has presented throughout the country for dentist and dental hygiene study clubs. She has presented at highly recognized national meetings including the American Dental Association, the American Dental Hygienists’ Association, the Star of the South, and is a speaker for the Seattle Study Club.

Ms. Newkirk has published numerous articles and co-authored several dental textbook chapters on minimally invasive non-surgical periodontal therapy. Suzanne is the national and international periodontal endoscopy instructor for Zest Dental Solutions. With more than 20 years’ experience, Ms. Newkirk is passionate about teaching others and is excited to share her knowledge and experience with the dental community.

When one thinks of Suzanne Newkirk it is difficult to categorize her professional status as a "hygienist". Suzanne, in many ways, is so much more. To my way of thinking, she is really a "true clinician".

Yes, her skills as a hygienist are superb. However, it is her ability to help her patients and the dentists she has worked with in so many additional ways that has separated her from the rest of the pack.

Suzanne's diagnostic and patient communication skills have been exemplary. These have been great assets in helping patients move forward with necessary care and even in ultimately shaping the course of their treatment.

Her commitment to continuing education and always striving to deliver the highest quality dentistry has elevated her recognition in our community both as a leader and a valuable source of "state of the art" scientific information. An example of this has been her interest in the field of Perioscopy. Not only has she mastered the skills involved in providing patients with far superior initial periodontal therapy but has shared this expertise in sacrificing many hours in teaching other healthcare providers.

Finally, I have always considered Suzanne special because of her ability to help those around her in life rise to their maximum potential. She has set the bar high and yet has been a great motivator for those who want to share in her successes. Her passion for dentistry (and life) has been contagious and those of us lucky enough to have been in her path have benefitted immensely

Michael Cohen, DDS, MSD, PS
Implant and Periodontal Associates NW
Founder and President Seattle Study Club
Seattle, Washington

Kudos to Suzanne Newkirk, who is an A+ hygienist and a superb Perioscopy trainer. I had the privilege of working with Suzanne in both capacities; she is energetic, enthusiastic and passionate in her approach to both patient care and professional training. Suzanne is also a model of organization and clinical efficiency. Dentists and hygienists alike will prosper under her training, and patients will benefit from her professionalism and passion for dental hygiene.

Donna Massoth, DDS, MSD, PLLD
Periodontist, Seattle, WA

Anyone who takes it upon herself to spend 10+ years taking a dream to “see” where periodontal disease lives and “do” what it takes to get there, combating all odds with equipment purchase, training options and controversies, disapproval, acceptance, practice, patience, and patients, then moving forward teaching (!) deserves: thanks, kudos, endorsement, praise and a promise to lend a hand in the process.

Suzanne Newkirk, RDH is a special breed of early adopter with a “vision” for her profession that through her passion, diligence and ingenuity will take dental hygiene to another level practicing and teaching periodontal endoscopy.

John Y. Kwan, DDS
Diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology
Associate Clinical Professor, UCSF School of Dentistry, Division of Periodontology
President/CEO Perioscopy Incorporated

I was excited to add the Perioscope to my office as a non-surgical option for the treatment of periodontal disease.  Suzanne came highly recommended as an instructor and I can truly state that Suzanne's knowledge and training was exceptional.  Suzanne gave us all a high degree of comfort in being able to offer this tremendous service quickly to our patients!  Suzanne left us well-equipped and confident!

Dr. Bruce Edelstein, Atlanta, Georgia

Dear Suzanne,

Thank you so much for the Perioscopy instruction you provided Erin, Anne and I. Prior to your arrival, I was hoping we would pick up a thing or two during your visit. But our training session vastly exceeded our expectations. I can’t imagine how we would have learned to master the Perioscopy technique without your training and hands on instructions. Thank you for being so kind and informative.

As you know, there is a learning curve with the technique. But we are feeling more comfortable day by day and patient acceptance has been great. Thank you too for being available to Erin and I with questions that we have had on the nuances of the endoscope. Our initial results have been incredible.  We will be sure to keep you posted and I am looking forward to our continued professional friendship!

Sincerely,

Fred Alger, DDS, MS

Suzanne,

I just want to thank you again for your time and help.  I truly enjoyed working with you and learned so much in the advanced instrumentation course your provided.  You helped me a ton!

I also want to thank you for such a great presentation.  You are an excellent speaker and your information was great!Thanks again, you are AWESOME!

Amy L. Curran RDH
Implant Coordinator
Dr. Ronald Watkins DDS, MS

The advanced dental endoscopy instrumentation training I received from Suzanne Newkirk was excellent! Even though I have been using the Perioscope for 9 years, Suzanne gave me great tips on how to perfect my skills. She is a very patient and encouraging instructor.  I would definitely recommend Suzanne to help any clinician who would like to advance their skills with the periodontal endoscope.

Ann Boyett, RDH
Lowell Street Dental Implant & Surgical Center, Silverdale, WA

I had the pleasure of hearing Suzanne Newkirk, RDH, lecture as part of the Great Blue Heron Study club and was impressed with her delivery style and obvious knowledge of her work with the Perioscope.

She subsequently came and lectured to our Periodontics II class and was a favorite guest speaker of the students. Her passion for excellence is inspiring and her story of working to become a master clinician is one that all dental hygienists can relate to.

Suzanne is a patient and focused teacher and I feel privileged to learn from her.

Lynn Stedman, Director/Assistant Professor
Dental Hygiene Department
Columbia Basin College
Pasco, WA

Suzanne is an extraordinary clinician and Perioscopy trainer. Her clinical expertise helps make Suzanne a thoroughly engaging speaker.

Lewis Meyers
National Sales & Marketing Manager
American Eagle Instruments, Inc.

"The training that Suzanne delivered to us for the Perioscope was nothing less than high quality, thorough and very professional.  Suzanne brings a wealth of experience and passion to her training which provides her trainees a very nice head start.

As with any new high-level technology, there is a learning curve. Suzanne was especially adept at providing some very appreciated support delivered in a very kind manner. She also communicated very well before our training and was always available for any follow up support and/or questions after completion of training. Quite simply, Suzanne is truly an expert trainer and educator!"

Sue Skipper, RDH

Suzanne Newkirk is a talented, evidence-based registered dental hygienist, clinician and speaker who is passionate about periodontal therapy and Perioscopy.  She is inquisitive and dedicated to serving patients with the utmost professionalism and care.

Her clinical skill set is only surpassed by her enthusiasm for teaching and mentoring others.  I am pleased to recommend Suzanne as a Periodontal Endoscopy Instructor, dental hygiene coach and mentor.

Lynne H. Slim, RDH, MS
Perio C Dent, LLC
RDH Magazine Perio Therapy Columnist
Owner/Moderator: Periotherapist Yahoo Group

When Suzanne Newkirk came to our office for a Perioscopy workshop weekend, she encountered a full range of clinical scope users and had the skill and knowledge to assist all of us.

She imparted "little nuggets" of information and techniques, as well as overall instruction to help us grow in our Perioscopy journey.

Suzanne makes herself available for after workshop assistance and has always been the very best example of the consummate professional. I would encourage you to seek her assistance for Perioscopy training at any skill level.

Suzanne is a true dental hygiene professional and a mentor that I can only aspire to be.

Peggy Chesser, RDH, BA 

Suzanne has been instrumental in causing a paradigm shift in the way I provide hygiene therapy. After years of scaling blindly our office now has a way to visualize what we couldn’t before. Utilizing perioscopy technology we can now see to scale the offending deposits in order to achieve health.

Her recommended methods are extremely time efficient and effective. Not only is she the perfect trainer, observing and keying in on the subtleties that make all the difference in success, but she is a mechanic too. Suzanne was able to get my scope up and running beautifully with only a few parts!

I am thrilled to be part of what Suzanne has started in our practice. The more she influences hygienists and dentists, the healthier our patients will be.

Connie Uberti, RDH, Everett, WA 

Suzanne Newkirk, RDH, is enthusiastically endorsed for her presentations on periodontal disease.  She is dynamic with her cutting edge science in clinical treatment.  Suzanne received rave reviews from everyone who attended her presentation at the Symposium for Oral Health Professionals.

Gene Patterson, Executive Director
Washington State Dental Hygienists' Association

Suzanne is a great teacher with an abundance of patience and enthusiasm, an excellent coach and mentor; she is amazing!

Suzanne makes you think about what you are doing and to ask questions. She makes the patients happy to be receiving treatment by having fun getting "down into those pockets" to remove the tartar.

Using the scope is not as easy as it looks, it is a commitment. It takes a lot of patience to clean teeth with the scope and Suzanne makes it look easy! It seems as if she works so effortlessly and yet when she hits a difficult area she never lets it get to her. Suzanne has tenacity and always gets the job done.

Using Perioscopy has dramatically altered the way I view traditional hygiene. I tried to prove to Suzanne that I was “just as good as the scope” and when Suzanne used the scope so that I could review my work- I felt awful. There was so much deposit that I had left behind! Suzanne reassured me that I had done a great job and reminded me that we can only "DO" what we can "SEE." Perioscopy gives us the vision we need.

I think it's CRAZY that hygienists are forced to work without vision. All schools and offices should be using a Perioscope, so that the BEST service is given to their patients.....

Thank you Suzanne for being my mentor.

Tamara Roy, RDH, Pasco, WA

Suzanne, Thank you so much for your class, you are a pro. I am so thankful to have you as a mentor. You are kind with your words, eager to share and teach and very nice.

It is fun and exciting to have a great example of the hygienist I strive to be.

Sharon Muth, RDH, Kennewick, WA

I recently attended an educational and lively presentation provided by Suzanne Newkirk, RDH, at the Star of The South Dental Meeting in Houston, Texas.  The wealth of knowledge Suzanne exhibited in instrumentation and the periodontal endoscope opened up ideas and possibilities for every practicing dental hygienist.

As clinicians, we are constantly challenged to keep up with information and technology to assist our skills in delivering quality care to our patients.  Suzanne provided an educational and innovative presentation that every hygienist could incorporate into daily practice.  I look forward to attending future continuing education presentations by Suzanne.

Betty Haynes, RDH  Houston, Texas

I had the incredible opportunity to experience Suzanne Newkirk’s in-office perioscopy training. Suzanne’s enthusiasm, patience and thorough knowledge of implementing perioscopy into practice allowed me to begin using the perioscope immediately, with confidence. The clinical results of using visualization during non-surgical periodontal therapy have been remarkable.

Greta Romero, RDH
The Fauchard Center of Collaborative Oral Care

As a recent graduate and newly licensed RDH, I was anxious about making the transition from student to practitioner. I had the amazingly good fortune to land in an office where Ms. Suzanne Newkirk had established herself as an integral component of the practice.

Without hesitation, Suzanne took it upon herself to ease my transition and yet challenged me to rise to the established standard of care within the office.

I was most impressed with her holistic approach to patient care, which I quickly learned, is based on a genuine desire to communicate effectively with all parties involved with the oral AND overall health of the patient.

Suzanne is a self-proclaimed "life-learner", however in my eyes she is a "life-teacher".

Natalie R. Tomaso, RDH   

As a dental hygienist of 16 years, I am very fortunate to be a member of a state of the art implant and periodontal specialty practice that uses Perioscopy for all non-surgical therapy cases, as well as for the cleaning portion of our surgical LANAP cases.

I recently had the pleasure of training under Suzanne Newkirk, RDH in Perioscopy. As an instructor, Suzanne was very thorough and helped make leaning to use this technology easy.

As a coach and mentor, Suzanne re-jump started my love for dental hygiene because of her dedication to our profession and the importance of preventing and fighting periodontal disease.
Her knowledge and expertise has given me a solid foundation to improve myself as a clinician and provide better care for my patients.

Suzanne is a very important asset in the world of dental hygiene and through her strong passion our profession will always be moving in a forward direction.

Renee Mathews, RDH, Kennewick, WA

I was initially trained in Perioscopy years ago by Dental View, the makers of the Perioscope, who taught me to use the one handed technique of “view-instrument-view”, which made instrumenting time consuming and difficult.

Suzanne has perfected the Perioscope 2 handed technique and when she came to our office with her calm and encouraging style, she opened the door for me with 2 handed Perioscope, making my experience with the technology more positive and efficient.

Suzanne really understands the Perioscope technology and can trouble shoot any technical or mechanical challenges that may occur.

The dental community is fortunate to have Suzanne and I encourage anyone to take advantage of the opportunity to have her as both an instructor and mentor.

Patsy Berg RDH, Seattle, WA