Dental Hygienist Career Analysis

My goals after high school are to study dental hygiene. In order to become a Dental Hygienist, i'll have to earn an associate's degree. Some of the community colleges i’m thinking about enrolling in are Portland community college and Mt.Hood community college. I will attend one of those community for two years then transfer to University of Oregon. I would like to get an internship at a dental office while attending school. An internship will help me get an experience of what it's like to be a dental hygienist.

In elementary school, one of my favorite days in grade school would be when my mom came in for her oral hygiene lessons. Even though my mom could have easily demonstrated proper techniques on how to brush and floss teeth with a dental model for my classes, she knew how excited I would always get when she called on me to personally demonstrate. I would brush in confidence those tooth surfaces, at a 45 degree angle and with small circular strokes. Promptly in the lesson, I would put the toothbrush vertically for those inside surfaces of my front teeth. My mom would end the brushing technique with a friendly reminder to brush for a full two minutes, twice a day. She also told the kids to think of triangles and to floss along the mesial and distal surfaces of their teeth, rather than straight down and cutting their gums. With every upcoming yearly demonstration, I honed that routine of mine, ensuring to my classmates the best way to keep the plague out. Even to this day, I have still got my middle school sketchbook in my desk drawer, where I had illustrated the cover as, “Dr. Pham, DDS”. Starting in my high school summer, I had my first shot to assist my parents with what I have always known to be as, “The Office.” In the day-to-day, I strove to follow my dad’s office procedures. Imagine, my young, impressionable self holding onto the large suction and water syringe as a patient’s wisdom were extracted; gums cut, that red blood flowing throughout the procedure.

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.

Alabama requires you to meet the requirements of the Alabama dental hygiene program. This includes completing the courses at the hygiene program. Finish the on-the-job training at a dentist office and passing the state written exam as stated in Ferguson’s Career Guidance Center.

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

Being a first year student at the Fortis Institute Dental Hygiene School, I have experienced many wonderful things. I have made new friendships, enhancing my learning experience, furthering my career, and my personal favorite experience, clinic. I have learned many techniques from observing the other students during this time. Also, being in the clinic had shown me that being an RDH is what I want to do. In my essay I will discuss my Fears, experiences, observations, my new found confidences, and finally how my view of Dental Hygiene has changed.

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

This clinical experience took place at Peyton Elementary School and Prairie Heights Elementary School. Kamille, Ben and I were to teach hand hygiene, covering your cough and brushing your teeth to three Pre-K classes. First we developed a lesson plan and teaching aid for our students. Then, we gathered supplies such as spray bottles, dye, subject specific coloring sheet and a dinosaur with large teeth and tooth brush. Kids Rock dentistry in Colorado Springs was nice enough to borrow us the dinosaur and also gave us activity books for the kids. When we arrived at Peyton Elementary School at 0800, we noticed it was a very nice school. We met the school nurse at the office where we signed in. She showed us to classroom where the children

In the 4th video I watched about Dental Hygiene, Tammy Shelton, the assistant professor in the dental hygiene program at ETSU. She is a registered dental hygienist with a Masters in Dental Hygiene, in this video she will discuss about the profession of dental hygiene, requirements for the program at ETSU, and career options available. According to Shelton, “dental hygienists are licensed oral health professionals who focus on preventing and treating oral diseases to protect teeth and gums” (Dental Hygiene). A graduate of a dental hygiene program must take a written national and clinical examination before they are licensed to practice. Dental hygiene services are assessments that review a patient’s health history, dental charting, oral cancer

Theoretically, it takes ten thousand hours of deliberate practice to become an expert in any field. I intend on not only dedicating approximately nine hours a day for the three years, that I hope to spend at Newcastle University, but the rest of my working life in the dental industry. I have researched and shadowed a dental hygienist therapist and I firmly believe they are an invaluable asset to the dental care team. I would thrive from the independence and clinical freedom to work, within the scope of practice, on a one to one level with patients. I believe I can make a difference, particularly building the confidence of sporadic and nervous attendees adhering to a holistic and preventative approach.

On March 7th, 2016 I visited Eckman Family Dentistry for my career exploration project. Eckman Family Dentistry is a private practice with hours during the week from 6:30am to 5:00pm during the weekdays. The facility is closed during the weekend. The office size was medium sized (10’ by 15’). There were ten treatment rooms, and one x-ray room. Client age vary from six months of age to elderly. Client’s diversity is primarily Caucasian.

The program will explore the possibility of obtaining a list of licensed hygienist names from the state of Wisconsin. Other possible sources of names of Wisconsin dental hygienist may be the Wisconsin Dental Hygiene Association (WDHA) and the WCTC and Milwaukee Area Technical College’s dental hygiene programs. If the lists are obtained a direct mailing campaign could be developed as flyers highlighting the major components of the program. The focus of the mailing will be to the surrounding Waukesha county areas to prevent making the mistake of receiving a low response rate from mis-targeted mailings (Donsky & Marsello, 2009, p. 13). One major favorable marketing component of the program is its capacity to fulfill

I initially applied to Rutgers with the intentions of pursuing a career in dentistry, and so made the decision to attend the school of arts and sciences. After a long and rigorous year of academic and social enlightenment, I have discovered that while pursuing a career in dentistry through the school of arts and sciences may be the most traditional route it is not necessarily the only route. In fact, after speaking to several upperclassmen and advisors I have come to the conclusion that pursuing a science major such as biology or chemistry can often limit pre-dental student’s opportunities post graduation, especially if one is not admitted into dental school or for any reason decides against it. On the hand, I have found that the opportunities

As dental school began, my growing interest in connections between dentistry and making a difference in the lives of others set the groundwork for a focus on special needs dentistry. But the catalyst happened in my 4th year in dental school, when my best friend, suddenly found out he had six months to live. As Ewing’s sarcoma tore his life away, that

A severe shortage of dentists has hit rural America leaving millions of people stranded in a dental desert. Individuals who are low-income, older adults, minorities, or those with special needs often have a harder time accessing dental care. Rural areas of the country are more likely to have poorer residents who are without dental insurance. These citizens must travel long distances to seek out a dentist. Accessing adequate dental care has become a major health concern in the United States, leaving many with tooth decay and other serious health concerns. In order to fix the broken system of oral health care the government, states, and private sector need to come together and create new funds for dental programs. States should consider adopting dental therapists or dental practitioners as a way to provide general care to those living in dental deserts. The American Dental Hygienists’ Association (ADHA) has created a task force on the Advanced Dental Hygiene Practitioner (ADHP) and with the approval from the ADHA House of Delegates, has established a scope of practice and educational guidelines for those pursing this profession. ADHP’s are a viable solution for rural communities facing oral health barriers. These practitioners provide basic procedures and assist with prevention of tooth decay by providing education on effective brushing habits. Rural areas of the country need dental therapists and advanced dental hygiene practitioners because they will save lives, reduce