Why Become A Dental Hygienist

After shadowing Dental Hygienist I have learned a lot about what is expected in the profession. Some traits that I found are very important to posses are, being able to properly communicate with your patients, be very detailed oriented, and have a positive and patient personality.

Reading over the outcomes and objectives, how will the skills developed in this class apply to your chosen career or field of study? If you are “undecided,” how will these skills help you in your future in college and in general?

In this fast changing world, what do you think the best responsibility may well/must be for the dental hygienist? The best role in this ever changing world for dental hygienist is to be an educator. As stated in the article Dental Hygiene at the crossoads of change” to this day there is a big demand for oral health education because of the cultural diversity. Also it states that there is a huge need of oral education because of the many underserved communities.

In life, choosing is never easy. Choosing what to wear, eat, where to go, and how to live. Choosing what you want to do for the rest of your life, is as easy as walking to the moon and back. There is no brochure that gives you a sure set of bullet points as to what you would like to do, instead, we are meant to simply discover what we would enjoy doing most. There are over a million different careers, yet I’ve chosen a profession in Dental Hygiene. Believe it or not, my first words were not in fact, “I want to become a dental hygienist”.

I would really appreciate for the Admissions Committee to notice the love I have for dentistry and the fact that I will do everything in my power to succeed in the program. For me it is extremely satisfying to help others, which is what I do daily by being a Student Ambassador and a work-study student at WTCC. I would love to go even further and aid patients in the health industry by means of being a hygienist. I feel I am qualified for such a profession because I put myself before others and try my best to heal those around me. For example, recently during my job-showing hours at a local clinic, the hygienist’s patient was a little 7-year old boy who had a fear of being in the chair and listening to dental tools go off. It hurt me to

On February 13. 2018 in room 4340 representatives from Colgate had a lunch & learn for DH1 and DH2 student as well as the hygiene faculty. The lunch and learn was for one hour in which Annette Wolfe presented how she worked as a dental hygienist for 30 years in Florida and became apart of the educational department at Colgate. Ms. Annette also introduced other pathways to look into after graduating such as teaching, selling, representing, and advocating dental hygiene. She said, “after graduating and working for some time we always want to do more.” As she spoke I was interested in the teaching career. I always had a teacher inside me, and coming back and becoming a teacher by educating others about dental hygiene would be something I would

Braces are most common for the treatment of crowded or crooked teeth, misaligned teeth, bite discrepancies, or incorrect jaw positions. Regardless of age, dental braces can improve the patient's facial appearance and orofacial aesthetics with an improved smile.

Although braces are commonly associated with teenagers, adult braces are one of the fastest growing practice areas in the world of orthodontics. According to the most recent survey conducted by the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO), more than 1.2 million adults are choosing braces to improve their smiles and maintain their dental health. This growth is attributed to the fact that more and more adults are realizing that they can improve their smile by taking advantage of the numerous orthodontic and cosmetic dentistry products and services available.

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.

My initial desire in pursuing dentistry as a prospective career field began at the end of my orthodontic appointment for braces at the age of 12. As a young child, my front teeth were significantly crooked and large. I was bullied and made fun of everyday from the third grade up until my seventh grade year of school. My peers at school would call me all kinds of names like “Buck Tooth Becky,” “Scissor Mouth,” “Walrus Girl,” and many others. I can remember having a group of guys throw sticks at me during recess and screaming in front of everyone that my teeth were so sharp they could slice everyone in half. That was the lowest point of humiliation in life for me and I grew increasingly conscious of my teeth. After that particular incident in school, I developed a closed mouth smile to avoid being made fun of. I begin to ask my parents for braces as often as possible. Around my 12th birthday, my parents asked me what I wanted as a gift. I told them the one thing I had been asking for since the third grade, braces.

Did you know that 33 percent of the world population has undergone orthodontic treatment at one point in their life? That is millions and millions of people. Whether it’s spacers, an expander, braces, or retainer, 80 percent of teens in the US are currently having orthodontic treatment. When I graduate high school, I would like to go to college to become an orthodontist. My goal is to observe at an orthodontic office, and do some on job training. I have many opinions about orthodontics and the reasons why I want to go into that field.

Many children, teens and even adults suffer insecurity from having crooked teeth. In the dental field, people who major in Orthodontics specialize in straightening their patients’ teeth using braces to help them feel confident in their smiles. Even after the braces are put on their patients, dentists are required to check up on them often to make sure they are doing what they are supposed to be doing. Another career I will be researching is Kindergarten teaching because I enjoy being around small children and have much patience in dealing with their problems.

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.

‘Randi, why would you want to look into someone’s mouth?’ is a question I frequently am asked when I tell someone of my future aspiration of becoming a dentist. Every time I am asked this question I cannot help myself but to chuckle a little because to me becoming a dentist is so much more; to me being a dentist is about becoming a contributing member of the community as well as an advocate of compassion, mentorship, and social justice. Becoming a dentist will allow me to utilize my creative and academic abilities while servicing others. I am fortunate to have the ability to understand complex concepts, ideas, and theories and can simplify them for others, so they may gain their own basic understanding. On the other hand, I am motivated to give thanks for this ability and to offer my service as a dental professional to assist in the health needs of those served and underserved in my community.

I had no idea that my path to dentistry had started years before I ever realized I wanted to become a dentist. Given that I was brought up in a somewhat strict household, and that I was essentially raised in a church, I was encouraged to invest in three areas, which would later become my passions and greatly equip me for a career in health professions and specifically dentistry. Those areas being education, music, and communication.