Personal Essay : The Career Of A Dental Hygienist

It is evident that it is truly where my head, heart and hands, become one. Being a dental hygienist and working in close proximity with the dentist has served to strengthen my desire to take my education and service to the next level. I want to increase my knowledge about the science behind dentistry and learn everything I need to know to be a great dentist and apply it into practice. Improve constantly and strive to provide the highest quality of oral health care available to patients by delivering meticulous, gentle, thorough, reassuring dentistry and exceeding patient satisfaction. Dentistry without a doubt, is the profession for me. I believe I have the qualities that are essential to making a great dentist along with the academic motivation in order to replace my interest for dentistry with the expertise that will help me provide quality oral care. If my greatest aspirations are to provide pain relief, to develop patient rapport, and utilize creativity in working with my hands, then dentistry is, indeed, my

Being a dental hygienist was not the career I grew up believing I would pursue. At a young age, up to my Junior year in high school, I had my goals set on being a veterinarian. Going into high school I widened that plan into any job dealing with animal science. However, taking classes like zoology, botany, equine science, veterinary technology and advanced animal science, made me realize that I would not have as much direct contact or personal connections with the animals as I had hoped. However I found that being a dental hygienist gives me the opportunity to have that direct contact and personal connections with my patients.

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

In order to become a dental hygienist it requires two years of college to receive an associate's degree. This will allow the hygienist to be able to get licensed in the state he/she is going to work in (Dental Hygienist). A dental hygienist just needs to have an associates

Dental hygiene has had a significant impact on my life since I was a child. While most children would absolutely dread going to have their teeth cleaned, I was the kid always eager and ready to get to the dentist office. Throughout my journey of traveling through life, I have had several experiences that just called to me saying dental hygiene is definitely the career for me. Shadowing my own dental hygienists and having the privilege to be hands on and work with them was amazing. I enjoyed every minute from simply going over X-Rays to getting to know the patients personally.

Deciding what you want to do for the rest of your life is never easy; in part because you never know what the future has in store. Furthermore, there are endless possibilities to take into consideration. A desire to help others has always been a passion of mine and I envision myself in a service oriented career path. With a great deal of time, soul searching, research and careful consideration, I have come to realize that pursuing a degree in dental hygiene will help me reach my goals and fulfill my dreams. Dental Hygienists are patient, understanding, detail-oriented and passionate about oral hygiene. They possess leadership skills and enjoy daily interaction with patients. I embody these character traits and look forward to educating

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

The regulations that dictates the scope of practice, the supervision, and the licensure requirement of a dental hygienist, are made by the state dental boards of each state. In most of the states, the dental boards are composed of dentist, one or two dental hygienists, and one or two public members. The fact that dentists are usually the majority of the board members, has prohibited the career of dental hygiene to become more independent, and provide its services to a broader group of people. The state of California, is the only state that has a state board formed by four consumers, one general practice or public health dentist, and four dental hygienists. This allows the dental hygienists to have full authority to make rules and regulations

This could be a factor when deciding a job: salary. Dental Hygienists can make up to $73,000 a year. (“According to U.S news Dental Hygiene is ranked #3 in best health support jobs.”) You can go to school 2 years and earn an associate's degree. Radiation Therapist can make up to $80,000. Working in a hospital, clinic, and cancer centers. Associate's degree or a Bachelor's degree are available to be a Radiation Therapist. Both careers make around the same amount of money to buy the things people need and want. In high school to become a Dental Hygienist steps to take in that direction are classes such as: anatomy, chemistry, and psychology. Classes to take if interested in becoming a Radiation Therapist consist of: biology, chemistry, and physics. It is good to know these things as a junior or sophomore to start taking classes involved in the career you want to

What does it take to be a Dental Hygienist? As if scraping plaque and tartar off of teeth isn't fun enough, there is more to the job than you think.

My love of the dental field started five years ago when I had the opportunity to participate in a Red Cross Dental Assisting program while stationed with my husband overseas. As soon as I started working in the clinic I fell in love. I volunteered at the clinic for seven months before a position became available. Once my husband made the decision not to reenlist, I knew I had to make a career move. I started looking into the world of dental hygiene and was absolutely fascinated.

In fact, in 2014 1 out of 4 dentists were self employed. Dentists wear masks, gloves, and safety glasses as a form of protection from themselves and others. A general dentist's average annual salary is $152,700 but can differ depending on the speciality of the dentist. For example, orthodontists earn $187, 200 yearly whereas prosthodontists earn $119,740 annually. Dentistry is a health career that comes with both pros and cons. One pro for dentistry is its projected job growth of 18% from 2014-2015. Another pro towards dentistry is its high, 6 figure salary. Although dentistry has several pros, this career also comes with cons. For instance, admission to dental school can be competitive. Another con for dentistry is that a dentist has to be licensed in the state that they work and therefore pass the written and practical National Board Dental Examinations. Another con for dentistry would be the amount of school required to become a dentist. A student has to first attend college, then apply and attend dental school, then possibly attend residency after dental school if the dentist wishes to specialize in a specific area. This adds up to about 5-6 years of school after college. Overall, I would definitely consider this career due to the problem-solving skills required, and the high possibility of being self

One day I was at work going over my curriculum with my class. In the curriculum, I was required to talk about health and to teach the children how they ought to be brushing their teeth. I found it startling how several of them did not know how to correctly care for their teeth, even though many of them go to the dentist frequently. It was at this moment I began to want to be a dentist that not only helps people

Dr. Rust's Office, these three words echo throughout my head and I can't breathe. I sit in this awful discomforting place. My body shakes in terror and Suddenly I hear a soft comforting voice say my name, "Genna, Dr. Rust is ready to see you now." On the outside, I am smiling and happy, but on the inside, I scream in terror. Although I had been there and experienced that extreme pain many times before, I dreaded yet another visit to the dentist.

     Children are often sweet and adorable, but many times they may be eating too many sweets. According to the Channel Four News, it has been shown that the number one disease in children is the reoccurrence of caries, also known as cavities. Could it be too many sweets or could it be the lack of flossing and brushing teeth? For instance, many children go to bed or wake up without brushing their teeth and go throughout the day eating all sorts of food and candy. The result of eating and not brushing could lead to plaque build up and decaying of teeth. This leaves a child extremely unhappy and in excruciating pain. So who is going to fix this pain? Who is going to help prevent decay in