Dental Hygienist Danielle Kinsey Martin has joined the Chinook Dental staff

Editor's note: This story was submitted to Havre Weekly Chronicle and Havre Weekly Chronicle originally listed it as a press release. It was a story written by Steve Edwards first published in Blaine County Journal News-Opinion

Steve Edwards

Blaine County Journal News-Opinion

Danielle Kinsey Martin joined the staff of Chinook Dental in early fall.

She grew up on Fort Belknap and graduated from Harlem High School in 2007.

She is married to Nathan Martin and they have two children: Roman, a freshman at Harlem High and Rochelle, a second grader at Harlem Elementary.

Dr. Robert Chafin, DDS, owner of the Chinook-based dental service, said he was very happy to have a seasoned dental hygienist on staff after nearly a year without the position being filled.

Changing career goals from nursing to dental hygiene

Danielle Martin started college at Aaniiih Nakoda College (ANC) with the idea of becoming a registered nurse. She shared that Erica McKeon-Hanson, an instructor at the college, recruited her to help on a long-term study "to learn about childhood caries (tooth decay) at Fort Belknap." After helping with the dental research Danielle changed her course of study to Dental Hygiene and earned an Associate of Applied Science at ANC. She went on to Sheridan College in northern Wyoming where she earned an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Dental Hygiene.

After graduating from Sheridan College, Danielle worked a number of years as a dental hygienist before joining the Chinook practice. She worked a year each in Billings and Arizona. After moving back to Hays, she worked four years at Bullhook Community Health Center in Havre. She then took a position in Harlem with One Health in the new dental facility there. The dental portion of One Health later closed and she joined Chinook Dental in September 2024.

Asked to describe her role at the local clinic, she explained, "I provide oral health education to patients. For each patient I assess their oral health and look for symptoms of dental problems by assessing their teeth and gums, bone health via x-rays and their overall oral hygiene. After assessing each patient, I tell the dentist what I found and what the patient told me about their dental health." She also does teeth cleaning and assists the dentist with various dental procedures.

Dr. Chafin, D.D.S. , owner of Chinook Dental, said of Danielle's joining his practice, "It's great to have an experienced dental hygienist on staff," Chaffin said.

He added that not having a regular dental hygienist for that period meant patients didn't have the opportunity for regular dental assessments and teeth cleanings. Chafin added, "A dental hygienist can also help retain patients in a dental practice. Patients often will more comfortably respond to a dental hygienist than to a dentist."

Chafin added, "Our patients who knew Danielle growing up say what a delightful person she was as a youngster and is now as an adult. In addition to being an excellent dental hygienist, she's a pleasant and courteous person. We are delighted she is part of our team."