The Spotlight’s on Maggie

Maggie Rutherford, RDH

Patients at the Pennsylvania Center for Dental Implants and Periodontics know Maggie Rutherford as one of our highly respected dental hygienists. Colleagues may know her as a friend and coordinator of our Greater Philadelphia Dental Hygiene Study Club. But on her days off, Maggie continues to expresses her deep passion for her profession. She does so by giving of her time, energy and knowledge three Fridays a month as a volunteer instructor at the Middle Bucks Institute of Technology (MBIT), located in Jamison, PA, near Doylestown.

At MBIT, Maggie offers her skills while simultaneously teaching students in the school’s fully equipped dental clinic. Community members can receive low cost treatment while students have the chance to learn first-hand from actual dental professionals.  MBIT’s dental program allows students, most of whom plan to become hygienists, dental assistants or even dentists, to assist in a real operatory. Students prepare patients for treatment while handling and learning about various instruments.

“The dental program at MBIT provides a great career foundation for these students,” says Maggie. “There’s nothing like hands-on experience to teach you how to become an integral member of a dental team.”

A graduate of Northampton Community College in Bethlehem, PA, Maggie’s dental career began back in 1982. She’s been a full-time dental hygienist at the Pennsylvania Center for Dental Implants and Periodontics since 2008. In 2009, she and Dr. Levine created the Greater Philadelphia Dental Hygiene Study Club, a group that now includes close to 100 members who exchange ideas, review products and earn continuing education credits.

This coming August, Maggie and her husband, Lee, will accompany the Levine family and other dental professionals and students to Peru as part of the Growing Smiles Foundation. The group, founded by Bari Levine, Dr. Levine’s daughter, brings free dental care to La Sagrada Familia orphanage. In 2015, the group provided more than $130,000 in comprehensive dental services. Maggie will run the organization’s dental hygiene department while also teaching the Temple dental students who are on the trip.