Dental Hygienist

For my senior project I have explored the career of a Dental Hygienist, who is a licensed dental professional who is registered with a dental care association within their country of practice. Their duty is to clean teeth, examine patients for signs and symptoms of oral diseases such as gingivitis, and provide other preventive dental care. They also educate patients on ways to improve and maintain good oral cavity health. Dental hygienist occupation has many important aspects to their job, which makes it a very rewarding occupation. According to my research dental hygienists is one of the top career choices in America, being so, over the years the career has evolved into a high demanding occupation.

Nature of the work for a dental hygienist is a wide range of challenges. Dental hygienist plays as the side kick of the dentist to better help their patient’s oral health conditions. The reason I mentioned theirs a wide variety of responsibilities is because different states have certain regulations on practices dental hygienist can actually do. Procedures like patient screening, head and neck inspection, and dental charting. Also, taking X-Rays, and removing plaque from all surfaces of the teeth. Dental hygienist also applies sealants and fluorides to the patient’s teeth and gums to help prevent diseases from forming. The information I conducted from my dental hygienist Linda. She noted that she teaches her patients proper instructions on flossing, and brushing teeth, and also nutrition counseling. Make an impression on their patient’s teeth for study casts which is models of teeth used by the dentist to evaluate patient treatment needs (Linda Smith). Finally, dental hygienist performs documentation and office activities. Academy of General Dentistry gave me the sources

Dental hygienists play an important role in the dental care facilities since they apply their knowledge on every case by removing tartar, stains, and plaque from teeth. They are in charge of applying sealants and fluorides to the teeth in order to protect them, they take and develop x-rays which helps them determine the patient 's vocal health and then present all this information through a report for the dentists to see. Once they have documented the patient 's care, they begin a treatment plan for each patient. They also educate their patients about the oral health and techniques they should apply and how to brush and floss the teeth accurately. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2016-17, p.2) Dental hygienists apply critical thinking, compassion towards their patients, interpersonal skills, and dexterity while on their jobs and are supposed to be very detail oriented since they work on small parts of the body and need precise use of the tolls. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2016-17, p.4).

Professionalism encompasses who we are and what we do. As dental hygienists, we are licensed oral health care providers who have undergone a rigorous education and possess certain skills that others do not. We exhibit many interrelated roles such as clinician, educator, researcher, advocate, mentor and many more. To be considered a profession, a specific field or area of study traditionally must have several characteristics. These include a specialized body of knowledge and skill of value to society, an intensive academic course of study, set standards of practice determined and regulated by the group,

Ever since I was in middle school, I would tell everyone that I was going to become a dentist. That was my career plan until the summer of my junior year. During that summer, I had the opportunity to do an internship and job shadow Dr. Bradshaw at his private dental office. While observing and talking to the doctor, I realized that I would not enjoy working as a dentist. I still wanted to pursue a career in the dental field so I decided to job shadow the dental hygienists. Watching the dental hygienists perform their duties and interact with patients made me want to pursue a career in dental hygiene. I knew very little about dental hygienists besides the fact that they clean teeth. As I spent time with the dental hygienists, I learned more each day. While researching for this paper, I became knowledgeable on even more information. From reading The Occupational Outlook Handbook and A Career as a Dental

Dentistry involves a variety of guidelines and oral practices to help people maintain a good oral hygiene. This career is far more than just making your teeth pretty and clean. “Dentists in private practice manage their own offices. They may supervise other workers such as receptionists, bookkeepers, dental assistants, and dental hygienists. They may order equipment and supplies” (Dentists). This quote shows that Dentists have even more responsibilities than you might assume. Being a Dentist consists of practices you probably aren’t very familiar with at this point in your life. These quotes show a couple different practices that are used in this career. “Endodontists perform root-canal therapy, by which they remove the nerves and blood supply from injured or infected teeth” (Dentistry). “Oral and maxillofacial radiologists diagnose diseases in the head and neck through the use of imaging technologies” (Dentistry). “Dentists may fit dental appliances or provide preventive care” (America’s). All of this might sound quite challenging and stressful. To overcome the stress that comes with being a Dentist, you will have to be patient. Determination is also a great key to success. If you are patient, responsible, and determined while working as a Dentist, you will be very successful.

They don’t just clean teeth they also look for signs of oral diseases and educate patients on how to take care of their teeth and keep them looking healthy. To become a dental hygienist you need an associate of science in dental hygiene, trade school or technical college trading. A dental hygiene annual salary and hourly wage is $70,700 a year and $33.75 an hour.

All states require dental hygiene license obtained by State Dental Board. As it stated earlier, requirements varies from state to state. During two years of program, students are required to attend lectures, labs and clinics. The majority college program requires the completion of courses such as radiology, Dental head and neck anatomy, pain control, pharmacology, public health, medical emergency, oral pathology and periodontology. By end of two years, students are required to take written state boards and regional clinical boards. Usually dental hygienist needs Associate’s degree in “dental hygiene” to begin working. According to American Dental Hygiene Association, hygienists are getting their bachelor’s and master’s to further their career

All healthcare providers including dental hygienists should be knowledgeable when it comes to educating patients and use evidence based decision-making constructed on the research. The focus is to make an effort to find the right article and transform evidence into practice to improve quality and effectiveness of patient’s health care outcome.

According to Jada A. Grave on Money.usnews.com, the main idea about this subject is the understood tasks of a general dental hygienist. Dental hygienist focus mainly on the preventive care of dental hygiene rather than the damage already caused. They also educate and inform the patients of the best over-the-counter medicines for their pains, and speak to them about flossing and brushing habits to prevent future damages to the teeth and gums. A dental hygienist's main purposes are completing dental prophylaxis, screening oral cancer and radiographic research, and charting the conditions of

In spite of the fact that many people within the dental industry are aware of the multiple routes one may take in terms of becoming a registered dental hygienist, I believe that earning a Bachelors of Science (BS) degree will allow me to better serve my community. Being able to confidently apply a vast amount of knowledge concerning the occupation of dental hygiene in its entirety will essentially make me better equipped to serve future patients on a daily basis. I have found that many people within health professions strive to achieve excellence when reflecting on their aspirations.

As all Americans’ know, job stability is close to a foreign language. Not many people choose the job of a dental hygienist, though it is perfect due to the population increases and high demand. At the beginning at 2016, it was looked upon as one of the fastest growing occupations, dental wise. If one was to be occupied by this jobs, their services would be demanded frequently, whether you are finishing your certification program or in your career already.

Becoming a dental hygienist involves the game stage substantially. In the game stage, we begin to understand that the people around us have responsibilities of their own and demands placed upon them as well, the world does not revolve solely around the individual. In patient care, it is important for us as the dental hygienist to be aware that our patients may feel as though they do not have time to brush or floss their teeth. Instead of just placing judgement on them the dental hygienist needs to look at the situation from the patient’s point of view and should empathize and work with the patient to come to a solution. The game stage is likely why we also say keep your home life and your work life separate, this being, if you are fighting

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.

The career I have chosen is Dental Hygiene. I am very interested in this career because I have the opportunity to teach people and educate them about the health of their mouth. Some of the things that dental hygienists do include taking x-rays, cleaning patients teeth, educating patients on the benefits of good oral hygiene, and treating periodontal diseases of the mouth. The importance of a healthy mouth truly affects the entire body. Plus everyone would enjoy a pretty smile and a good set of straight teeth.