Tama Martello, RDH
Tama Martello, RDH, is a distinguished dental industry leader, consultant, and national speaker with more than 35 years of experience driving practice growth, clinical excellence, and team development. Her journey in dentistry began at age 16, working at the front desk of her father’s dental practice, which gave her a unique, lifelong perspective on patient care and practice management. Despite facing serious health challenges as a child, including seizures, Tama persevered to build a 29-year career in dental care. She trained as a dental assistant, became a licensed hygienist, earned her anesthesia license, and completed three laser certifications—equipping her with the full spectrum of clinical expertise to deliver comprehensive, high-quality patient care.
Throughout her career, Tama has held leadership roles as Director of Operations and Director of Hygiene for large Dental Support Organizations (DSOs), helping one organization grow from three practices to nearly 30. Drawing on this extensive hands-on experience, she founded Martello Dental Consulting two years ago. In her role as CEO and consultant, she travels across North Carolina, South Carolina, and Kansas City, meeting one-on-one with hygienists and mentoring entire dental teams. Her approach emphasizes relationship-building and trust, which she considers critical to helping practices improve performance, patient care, and team cohesion.
Tama specializes in helping mid-sized DSOs enhance hygiene department performance, focusing on proper periodontal disease diagnosis and treatment, as well as comprehensive patient care strategies. She is approved by the Academy of General Dentistry to provide continuing education credits for her training sessions, reflecting her dedication to advancing dental education and clinical standards. Through her consulting, speaking, and mentorship, Tama empowers dental teams to reach their full potential, fostering cultures of collaboration, excellence, and lifelong dentistry.
• Registered Dental Hygienist
• Anesthesia License
• Laser Certifications (3)
• Youngstown State University - AAS, Dental Hygiene/Hygienist
• Leadership for Women Award
• Academy of General Dentistry (Approved Provider)
• Palometto Dental Care for Underprivileged (July volunteer work)
• Animal Rescue and Shelter Support
• Dog Rescue
What do you attribute your success to?
I used to have seizures as a child and was very sick - I was supposed to have brain surgery twice but didn't want it, and I've had 15 surgeries throughout my life. I actually never thought I would get a college degree because I was so sick, even into my 20s. My drive and passion comes from number one, I love helping people. But when you think, as a child and even in my 20s, I never thought that I would even have a college degree to help people, and I did it. I went to college later in life because of my epilepsy, but I pushed through. So that's why I have such passion - because growing up, I had a great family, but I was sick. When I look back, people still can't believe I am where I'm at and I own my own company, because I've come a long, long way.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Most hygienists think that clinical is it, that's all they can do, and there's just so much more. I like to mentor hygienists because I want them to know there are other avenues if you can't do things clinically down the road. It's hard on your back, it's hard on your neck, and if you walk the walk and talk the talk - like, you treat patients comprehensively with quality care - it shows in your numbers, it shows in your organization, and there's just so many other hygienists out there that need help. You can be a director of operations or director of hygiene if clinical is something you can no longer do because of health or the physical strain it puts on your body. So I always say just keep learning, always keep an open mind, and any certificate that you can get in your license area, go get it, because it's only gonna strengthen the type of hygienist that you are.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Some challenges are when doctors and hygienists are stuck in the rut of just cleaning teeth and they're not doing full, proper care like taking full mouth x-rays and diagnosing perio. Undiagnosed periodontal disease is one of the biggest challenges I see, but once I train them, they understand it's not like going in and just getting a cleaning and exam anymore. It's understanding that there's an oral systemic link to periodontal disease. You worry about fluoride as a child to help prevent decay, but adults - there's over 1,500 medications that cause dry mouth and will cause recurrent decay in older adults. The other big challenge is the mentality of patients and dental insurance. Patients are stuck with 'I only want to do what my insurance pays for,' but your insurance maximum has been the same for the last 50 years and they're never gonna raise it. It's really a coupon and it's never going to help you pay for everything that you would truly need. So those are the two biggest challenges - dentists just not understanding that perio has a link to several diseases, and patients being trained that they only want to do what their insurance pays for. In my lifetime, I hope that dental will be medical, because there's so many diseases that are linked with periodontal disease that I'm hoping insurance will go away and it will be all under medical.