The Possibilities of a Dental Hygienist
When envisaging a future career, we generally tend to base our ideas off of the most known careers such as doctors, chefs, police officers and fireman, without the knowledge of the other possible career opportunities. After doing weeks of extensive research, I found a very feasible and riveting future career, a Dental Hygienist. Dental Hygiene is a preventive oral health profession that helps people maintain better dental health for the future. Though this career seems quite easy, it’s a crucial job that adults and children of all ages need.
Dental Hygienists do a great deal more than what is recognized. They are a part of the preventive oral health profession, that provides educational, clinical,
…show more content…
Without dental hygienists, dentists would have to prepare each client by doing the tasks of the hygienist along with performing their duties as a dentist. They would have to not only prepare each patient for themselves by cleaning off the plaque and looking for cavities, but also complete the tasks of a dentist. This would take twice as long, rather than just doing an average checkup and stating the diagnosis with each patient. By choosing a personal planning system, setting written goals, using time efficiently, assigning priority to the task at hand, making a daily to-do list and managing your emails, papers and files, the Office manages their time …show more content…
Some lead others to a firm career choice, others may lure you away. When being hired for this certain career, you obtain satisfaction in different ways. You may feel personal satisfaction working with people. This Personal fulfillment comes from providing a valuable health care service while establishing trusting relationships with patients. You may feel prestige as a result of being respected due to your education and clinical training. Hygienists have opportunities to help special population groups such as children, elderly and the disabled in these clinics. They are able to use a variety of interpersonal and clinical skills to meet the oral health needs of many different patients each day. Considering they see many patients, they are able to be creative in their approach to patient management and oral health education. They offer full and part-time employment options, with flexible evening and weekend hours, enabling dental hygienists to balance their career and lifestyle needs. “With a secure future, they are bound to have open positions with the expanding older population retaining their teeth longer and reducing the incidence of oral disease.” says the American Dental Association. (2016) Some cons may consist of lower back pain overtime from leaning over the patient, having below average physical movement, and dealing with nasty hygiene. Though this job may consist of a few downsides, it has many pros that
I enjoyed reviewing the seven professional roles of dental hygienist, and rediscovered the how we can fulfill the administrator’s role. I expanded my vocabulary with the word of “paradigm” since it was unfamiliar with the meaning of this word. In addition, as I was reading about the conceptual models, I was comparing them to what I am doing at the dental office. I realized how much more I could be doing to maximize my potentials. Furthermore, learning about professional dental hygiene organizations was beneficial because I wasn’t clear about what each one is stand
The best description of a dental hygienist is a professional whose main job is to teach their patients necessary oral hygiene skills and provide great dental care. They perform various tasks around a dentist’s office such as applying fluoride treatments, removing plaque and stains, taking x-rays, removing sutures, placing temporary fillings, and evaluating the patient’s overall health (“Dental Hygienist” Coin Career). Dental hygienists do not just work in a dental office, but they also can work at schools, nursing homes, health clinics, and many other dental settings. Close contact is necessary when doing this job. Working with people is an everyday thing in this profession, so one must be able to communicate and get along with their clients very well. Having certain traits such as excellent hand-eye coordination and great motor skills are very important to posses since dental hygienists work on their patients mouths (Porterfield 4). Communication is vital since dental hygienists are constantly teaching patients how to hav...
My ambition for studying a degree for dental hygiene propagated during my research about it. I am very much aware of the importance of the hygienist's role in maintaining the patient's health as I have already experienced it during work experience in a dental surgery. I enjoy helping patients and I am able to communicate with different types of people. I can handle difficult situations in a small period of time without hesitation. I read scientific journals and enjoy researching about science and learning about the human body to develop my knowledge. I am currently studying BTEC level 3 sciences at St Albans Academy. I also achieved a gold Duke Of Edinburgh award and demonstrated effective leadership skills during my expeditions and practises. I The role of a dental hygienist comes with a big responsibility
Did you know that a dental hygienist could make a slightly large mistake without asking a simple question? Well they can, the most common question is if their patient would like one or more crown placed in there mouth at a time. In order to succeed as a dental hygienist everyone is required to go to either a two or four year college and major in dental hygiene. Many people believe that it is easy to be a dental hygienist because they think that all that is required to do is clean teeth, but its actually quite difficult. Making sure the patients have excellent oral care is very important
I am currently studying at CFCC to get into the Dental Assisting program. Upon graduating, I would like to acquire a job at an orthodontists office. The employment for this occupation is actually expected to grow much faster than average; between 2008 and 2018, employment is expected to grow 36 percent. The job demand in the Cape Fear area seems to be fairly higher than other areas in North Carolina, and higher than some other states as well.
Hygienists are the dentists who educate their patients on the importance of oral health care. Hygienists examine any chipped tooth,damage filling,discolored or swollen gums, and also take x-rays, and help prevent tooth decay. Today, dental care focuses on prevention. Preventing tooth decay and related problems is the main job of a dental hygienist. As generations pass, not many people are fully aware of the downside of not properly taking care of their pearly whites.
The average pay is around $72,000 a year. “I usually work around 34 hours a week” (Lewellen). Most hygienists work four hours a week. The pay may increase depending on where you work and also how long you’ve worked there. Education for dental hygiene is semi-difficult but most people can accomplish it. “Dental hygienists need an associate’s degree in dental hygiene. Programs typically take 3 years to complete. All states require dental hygienists to be licensed; requirements vary by state” (College). Depending on where you live and where you go to college will determine what requirements and skills will be needed.
A dental hygienist is a very important role in any dental office. As stated by a dental assistant, “Dental hygienists work closely with the dentist as well as hands on with the patients. They assist dentists with operative procedures such as fillings and extractions, and making molds of patients teeth” (Wilson, Jennifer). A large part of their job is teaching patients proper dental care to ensure a lifetime of healthy teeth. This includes proper brushing and flossing techniques. According to the job out look, a day as a dental hygienist can include taking x-rays, cleaning and scaling teeth, charting treatment plans, putting sealants on teeth, taking impressions of teeth and completing information about the patient’s oral and medical history (Summary). In some states dental hygienist are allowed to give local anesthetic and place and remove sutures (Delivering Local Anesthetic). According to advantages of becoming a dental hygienist, hygienists spend more hands on time with the patients than the dentist does. These are some of the instruments that dental hygienists use on a daily basis: toothbrush, scaler, mirror, ultrasonic scaler, explorer, suction, computer, salvia ejector, rubber cap polisher, dental models, x-ray machine and probe. The dental hygienist uses a toothbrush to remove soft plaque from the teeth. Plaque is a soft coating on the teeth that contain bacteria. The bacteria can cause tooth decay and gum disease. The amount of plaque on the teeth gives the hygienist an idea of how well the daily brushing and flossing of the patient’s teeth are completed on a regular basis. The scaler is used to remove hardened plaque or calculus from the teeth. The mirror is used to look closely at the surfaces of the teeth a...
All the various factors that lead me to dentistry amounted to just a part of my decision to become a dentist, the other half of my decision came from the simple question, “(w)ill this be a satisfying career for me?” A satisfying career, to me, is defined by whether or not I can use my career as a means to assist others and experience a sense of accomplishment and self-gratification in helping others. The notion of a satisfying career was one that came through personal experiences. Being a former Medicaid recipient, I was thankful to those that worked in the public health sector to help those in need, including myself and my family. Through my past experiences, I felt obligated to reciprocate the resources and assistance that I had received. At the end of my career, I hope to reflect back on my career and experience a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment for having helped others throughout my career; this is what will amount to successful career, from my point of view.
When most people think of dental hygienists, the first and only thing they think about it cleaning and whitening teeth. However, that is mainly what dental hygienists do, but they also learn to do a lot more than that. According the occupational outlook handbook, hygienists clean teeth, examine patients for signs of oral diseases such as gingivitis, and provide other preventative dental care. They also educate patients on ways to improve and maintain good oral health. As explained on American Dental Association, the dental hygienist...
As a future dental hygienist, I want to be able to help educate people about dental hygiene, prevent cancers and help rural communities overcome oral diseases and cancers. Dental Hygienist usually work in dentist office's, some of the responsibilities of a dental hygienist are removing tarter, stains and plaque from teeth, they take dental x-rays and access patient oral health and report findings to the dentist.
According to the book, “Clinical Practice of the Dental Hygienist”, a dental hygienist is a dental health specialist whose primary concern is the maintenance of oral health and the prevention of oral disease. A career as a dental hygienist provides a wide range of challenges where in the dentist office, the dental hygienist and dentist work together to meet the oral health needs of their patients. There are many things that dental hygienists do that you may not realize when you think you are just going in to get your teeth cleaned.
Yes, dental hygienists face several challenges in an everyday scenario, but they also face the challenge of benefiting others outside of their job and to the ones who are not as fortunate as others. It is imperative that dental hygienists and other health professions come together to expand their knowledge and practices to help the poor. The future of dental hygiene is expected to come from the interaction within the communities, and in order to do so, hygienists need to find the drive and put in the extra effort to encourage others to focus more on their health in order to stay healthy. If the dental field works to help others, their biggest challenge will soon become their
The history of a Dental Hygienist is very riveting. This profession was first founded in 1913 by Dr. Fones when he created the first Dental Hygiene education program in Bridgeport, Connecticut. In 1906 Fones trained Irene Newman the basics, and she was then the first Dental Hygienist in the world. Later, the founding of the first Dental Hygienist training program, many more were founded. People that decide to become a Dental Hygienist for many reasons, and one is because it is listed to be the 5th out of the “100 best jobs” in 2015. Other reasons are because the “U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics” projects that the employment will grow to 33.3%
Choosing a particular profession is one of the most important decisions that we take in our life. .In my opinion, I would like to focus on a career that is enjoyable, productive, creative and simultaneously allows you to work for the betterment of humanity. According to me, one of the most productive and fulfilling career that provides you various opportunities to help and promote humanity is that of a dentist. Dentistry gains magnificent attention in last some decades and so a huge percentage of people around the world and from US are devoting their life to this noble profession. Becoming a dentist requires a lot of hard work dedication but the factor that motivates you to face these difficulties is the actual pleasure gained when you are able to change someone’s life by creating a beautiful and healthy smile for them and the joy of which could not be expressed.