Dental Hygiene Diagnosis

For a dental hygienist, each patient is different because each one has different main concerns. Therefore, the hygienist must create a process of care to meet those needs. The dental hygiene process of care is a five-step process that will allow the patient to receive the most comprehensive care as if the patient is the most important person in the hygienist’s life. I will use my most important person, my mother, to outline the dental hygiene process of care to address her main concern, dry mouth.

I observed a second year student in the dental clinic who was incredibly enthusiastic, genuine, cheerful, and helpful, and her personality would fit perfectly into what I consider the typical dental hygienist. She seemed very well prepared and confident in her ability to treat her patient. A dynamic conversation was held throughout the appointment with her easygoing and cooperative patient. Besides the appropriate clock and chair positions, I was not aware of many proper techniques when I observed at the beginning of the semester. I noticed the student kept the patient chair in the same position for treating the maxillary and mandibular teeth. I observed her for the full four hours including the preparation before her patient arrived until

1. Following instructor approval of the selection of the patient you will use for your case study project, complete the PATIENT HISTORY SYNOPSIS. Be sure to include the following data:

In order to obtain a dental hygiene licensure from the state of Idaho, one must complete the Western Regional Board of Examination or Washington State local anesthesia examination for local anesthesia, the jurisprudence examination, the National Board Dental Hygiene examination, and two clinical examinations (one clinical for local anesthesia) (State of Idaho Board of Dentistry, 2012). Prior to these examinations, the hygienist needs to complete the following educational criteria and/ or the equivalents from a Commission on Dental Accreditation approved school (Partido, 2013): two academic college years of an accredited dental hygiene program that are full-time psychology, sociology, communications (written and oral), anatomy and physiology

“Nearly seven out of 10 Americans brush their teeth at least twice a day but more than 30 percent aren’t brushing enough, according to a survey published by Delta Dental,” (colgate.com). Many people all across the United States have dental hygiene issues due to lack of practicing good oral health skills. The reason why some individuals have poor oral health is due to lack of funds, products, race, and simply because they’re lazy. A dental hygienist can provide a patient with better hygiene regiments to motivate the patient on the right path in order to have a healthy mouth.

In the first case study, the public health dental hygienist is responsible for evaluating the daily fluoridation test that is submitted by each state to make sure it is in the optimal range 0.7 to 1.2 milligrams per liter. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2011) She is also responsible for working with the state if the test results do not measure up the standards set forth by the CDC. In addition the dental hygienist reports all of these results to Centers for Disease control and Prevention (CDC) so the CDC can determine a national average. This case study shows the “assessment” part of the essential public health services.

Any of these indications may flag a significant issue, which ought to be checked by a dental practitioner. At your dental visit: The dental specialist will get some information about your medicinal history to recognize fundamental conditions or hazard elements, (for example, smoking) that may add to periodontal illness. The dental practitioner or hygienist will inspect your gums and note any indications of irritation. The dental specialist or hygienist will utilize a little ruler called a "test" to check for periodontal pockets and to gauge any pockets. In a sound mouth, the profundity of these pockets is more often than not somewhere around 1 and 3 millimeters. The dental practitioner or hygienist may take a X-beam to see whether there is any bone misfortune, and

As dental hygienists we are members of the healthcare community. That means that we have an extremely important role when it comes to the health of our patients. When patients present themselves in our treatment room, it is our responsibility to make sure we do not leave anything unexamined. We are professionals in the practice of identifying, preventing, and treating oral diseases. We do this by completing thorough extraoral and intraoral exams and being conscious of what to look for. One particular exam that we do is an oral cancer exam. As dental hygienists we are at the forefront in identifying this disease. In an article written by Nancy Burkhart, a coauthor of General and Oral Pathology for the Dental Hygienist, she states, “It is known that oral cancer is more likely to be detected in an early stage in the dental office than those found at a physician’s office, which tend to be at a later stage.” (Burkhart, 2014) This may be because dental hygienists focus more on the oral tissues than physicians do; or the fact that patients go to a doctor when it is already at advanced stages. It is imperative that we as dental hygienists know the signs and symptoms of oral cancer, as well as the risk factors involved in developing the disease and how it can be prevented. While it is important as a dental hygienist to identify oral diseases, it is more important to educate our patients on how they can avoid any potential abnormalities from becoming severe problems,

Bacteria adhere to the tooth surface and is often missed due to incorrect brushing or lack of flossing. Another common mistake is flossing after brushing. This action will only release more bacteria in the mouth, rather than flossing before brushing. Most patients are unaware that flossing can be a more complex action than assumed. Commonly missed spots when flossing is the proximal space between the mesial and distal of teeth. This is when the dental hygienist begins to educate the patient on the correct form of flossing and brushing in order to contribute to a cleaner mouth. The use of a Waterpik can also help with patients who often miss the proximal spaces when flossing. A Waterpik uses a range of different speeds to force water between the teeth and loosen up any debris. Also, the dental hygienist must correlate to the patient and attract the patient into learning greater details towards oral hygiene to better their health. Asking open ended questions will bring the patient more into the conversation. For instance, engaging the patient by asking or having the patient show their home health habits. In return, giving additional suggestions will help with developing good home health habits for patients. Another helpful tool is to assess caries risk factors and manage caries, based on preventive and curative clinical procedures. “One protocol, termed Caries Management by Risk Assessment (CAMBRA), is an evidence-based approach to preventing, reversing and, when

Lastly the most severe dental disease that comes with not practicing good oral hygiene is periodontal disease. If it is left to itself and not treated, it will lead to tooth loss. In order to fix periodontal disease, a hygienist needs to place a probe in the gap of your gums and insert fake gums to keep bacteria from going in the hole. There are many factors that cause periodontal disease, but the main cause is bacteria. Without proper home care, your chances of getting it increase. The other factors vary and can affect the health of your gums. The most severe case of not having good oral hygiene is periodontal disease, and it is very painful.

As stated by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, “Each year, more than 30,000 new cases of cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx are diagnosed and over 8,000 deaths due to oral cancer occur.” (CDC). Most adults are unaware that they have periodontal disease or gum disease, this occurs because they do not maintain routine checkups with their dentist. When we insert food and other bacteria into our mouths, it affects our teeth and gums. We need routine dental checkups and cleanings throughout our lives. Dental checkups usually involve x-rays, cleanings, and the examination of the mouth.

Dental hygienist focuses on oral health. They clean the patient’s teeth, tell them how they can improve their oral health, and tell the patient about any oral disease that they have or can possibly happen from poor oral hygiene. To become a Dental Hygienist you have to graduate from an accredited dental hygiene program and have a license in the state they have practiced. It takes 2-6 years to become a Dental Hygienist, they make an average salary of $55.307 annually. The dental hygienist work in many places such as: private dental practice, community health centers, hospitals, nursing homes, prisons, practice clinics, schools and state/federal government services.

A vocation as a dental hygienist offers an extensive variety of difficulties. In the dental office, the dental specialist and the dental hygienist cooperate to meet the oral wellbeing needs of patients. Since every state has its own particular regulations with respect to their obligations, the scope of administrations performed by hygienists shifts from state to state. A percentage of the administrations gave by dental hygienists might include: quiet screening strategies, for example, evaluation of oral wellbeing conditions, audit of the wellbeing history, oral tumor screening, head and neck investigation, dental graphing and taking circulatory strain and beat taking and creating dental radiographs (x-beams) evacuating math and plaque (hard

Prior to applying for Calhoun Community College’s dental assisting program we are required to complete eight hours of dental observations. My observations were completed at Valley Smiles Dental Care in Athens, Alabama and also Limestone Smiles in Athens, Alabama. Observing the groups narrated the dynamics of two distinctly different private practices.

Dental hygiene plays an important role in oneś life, from infanthood to elderhood oral health is a visual into healthy bodies. Throughout one’s life annual dentist visits are a need to keep a mouth fresh and disease free. Looking back into my own childhood and the first visit, I was happy to be there. In fact, I found this new adventure in the dentist office better than being in a doctor's. Being a small child and coming into the office for a check up, the first face I saw was a dental hygienist. That meeting later motivated me to do all my studying to become one myself.