As if dancing to the song “It’s the most wonderful time of the year” by Andy Williams, some parents are skipping through the school supply aisle with smiles on their faces dental supplies. It’s that time of year again—the kids are going back to school. This time of year brings mixed emotions. Like the opera, some people love it and some people hate it. If parents love or hate this time of year, they have one thing in common: Routine is coming like a freight train. New schedules bring with them a chance of renewal and examination of our daily routines. We can look at how to help the routine become effortless and even try something new to make life a little easier Dental Chair. Hygienists have the opportunity especially around this time of year to really engage with tier patients that are in the moment of making their routine. This also occurs right after New Year’s. People are trying to settle into a healthier routine to boost their overall well-being. This is not to say we do not have other opportunities year round to inspire and boost oral care routines, but with the school year coming, many people are rethinking their habits. “What’s for lunch?” There are a couple of tips we can throw into the mix when talking to parents about their back-to-school squad. Nutrition and oral care are the top two topics that will be hot. Lunches and snacks are an ever-evolving craft. Gone are the days of the classic PB&J (which I still love). We are into bento boxes with a sea of Pintrest pins to inspire us. Speaking of Pintrest, there are a ton of healthy awesome lunch and snack ideas on Pinterest and YouTube for those of us that are clueless and have children who refuse to eat everything but plain pasta. These sites would be good to point out to caregivers when talking about sustaining healthy lunch and snack habits kids will actually like. They also have good healthy alternatives for breakfast, the most important meal of the day. Hygienists are not nutritionists, but we do have a strong link to good nutrition and its correlation to excellent oral health, which makes us a prime outlet for discussing it with the patients and parents. By also encouraging the kids to look at these pins and get involved will increase their likelihood of actually eating their food. Also, this gives us an opportunity to educate patients about how food affects oral health. We can casually slide into patient education mode if we discover their breakfast is cola and crackers and their lunch is a sports drink and cheese puffs. While waiting for the examination, have a chairside app ready with these various nutritional options to show the patients and parents dental instruments. By presenting the idea of using these sites for inspiration, you can encourage further at-home exploration and implementation of other healthy options. Sometimes they are just stuck and do not know where to turn for ideas.