Registered dental hygienist Farrah Allison started her new occupation. She saw three clients with no problems. The fourth was a new client, named Lisa Boertlein. Farrah used the electronic caries detector with ease. Farrah charted only one reading that showed a carious lesion and noted several on the chart which were borderline readings. Upon examination, Dr. Oliver stated to the patient, that she had a numerous number of teeth with carious lesions that needs to be restored. The dental hygienist now faces two ethical dilemmas; non-maleficence and veracity. At this point, the action that Farrah should immediately take is; talk to the dentist in private regarding why those teeth that you examined has caries, but the electronic caries detector showed only one reading. Another action that Farrah could take is to accept and adhere to what the dentist recommended …show more content…
Oliver’s eyes, he is determined to restore all possible caries. In this situation, the treatment will benefit the dental clinic such as more income coming from the patient and the insurance companies. Ms. Boertlein will be financially exhausted paying for the co-pays and other financial obligations that her dental insurance does not cover. Dr. Oliver is using sound judgement and professional experience to make a critical decision and thus he must stand with his ethical decision. The dentist has reached the most advanced level of moral reasoning to make his decision to in treating Ms. Boertlein. Kohlberg’s emphasized that “the older and more educated individuals tended to behave more morally” (Kimbrough-Walls). Farrah was really anxious and excited about her new occupation. It pays well, and all the dental instruments are state of the art and Dr. Oliver had the same beliefs and philosophies as she did. Farrah could be avoided this situation, by talking to the dentist and asking his professional opinion why he stated, “there are a significant number of
Dental hygiene is amongst many professions that come with an increased risk of injury. In fact, evidence suggests that the incidence of dental professionals acquiring musculoskeletal disorders is reaching 96%. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), these complications are a result of “repetitive motion or awkward posture for more than 2 hours at a time, unassisted frequent manual handling (eg, scaling an area using the same strokes), and unassisted forced manual handling (eg, heavy calculus removal using hand-activated instruments)”. These complications not only affect the quality of life for the
Some people tend to believe that a dentist is all about pulling teeth, filling gaps, and drilling holes in a mouth. That may be true, but this is more about the person that treats a patient prior to a dentist drilling into a mouth. Dental Hygienists provide more than just the basic examination. They also give advice on how to properly brush and floss, the types of foods to avoid, and give examples of what teeth could look like if not taken care of correctly. A dental hygienist provides preventive, therapeutic, restorative and educational interventions to promote optimal oral health.
To be honest my initial inspiration to take the dental therapy and hygienist course was from my mother, who would say ‘If more people had healthy teeth, more people would smile’.For me this statement was a turning point ,as it lead me to wondering that maybe the lack of clean and healthy teeth , is actually the prime reason to why many of us today do not smile enough , causing less unity between the people in our society. Hence from my research into the dental world, I settled on this course as it gives an opportunity for me to not only learn how to provide an assistance to the dentists trying to spread clean teeth ,but also get a chance to help and encourage younger, elder and those with disabilities to carry out the dental treatments, so
It’s been a long time since the last narrative and a lot has changed. The internship with the dental hygienist failed miserably. After three sessions, my mentor just stopped communicating and cut all ties with me. I attempted to email her multiple times but I remained unheard. So, I had to find a way to troubleshoot and look for another mentor and place to intern at.
I believe that the hygienist is guided by Virtue ethics which is based on certain types of characteristics. Dental hygienist poses traits of caring and selflessness driven by the sense of duty while serving the general public. Often times, placing the patients needs before financial gain. As a healthcare professional, the dental hygienist is morally and ethically obligated to provide equal care to every patient regardless of the patient’s financial and socioeconomic status. Unfortunately, the dentist in this case is looking after his business rather than the patients’ or population’s interest.
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...
Ethics is the moral principle of doing that is right for our patients. However, there are some situations in where doing what is right conflict with other principles. As dental hygienist we have to provide the best care for our patients. The services we offer need to avoid injuring or hurting the patients. Also, they need to be able to remove any existing condition that is affecting patients. However, the first thing we need to have in mind is that patients have the right to accept or refuse treatment. When our duty conflict with the patient’s decision of not receive treatment, this put us in an ethical dilemma.
I decided to do my research report on dentistry because it is a perfect blend of science and art. It is a science in that you must fully comprehend on the different types of diagnostic and procedures you are doing. It is an art in that you are constantly working with your hands to create a beautiful smile. The impact you make on helping a person achieve an impeccable smile is not one to compare with materialistic things like money or cars. People often mistake dentist as only doing practices when in fact they could do more, like research. I was fortunate enough to have been given the opportunity to interview Dr. Sarah Pham, DDS, a close family friend who practices dentistry in her own private office in Los Angeles, California. Dr. Pham was
Initially she would perform the exams as learned in school, but now after finding something abnormal, she now does a more thorough check, especially on patients with previous history of cancer. This incident solidified her belief in early detection and proper documentation. By having the information in the patient’s chart Annette could refer back to it and follow up to see if anything has changed since the last visit. Most patients she sees do not have oral cancer but she is able to identify abnormalities and encourage the patient to have them checked to determine if they are precancerous.
In the Dental Hygiene field, many challenges come about every day and during different situations. Every day there are new challenges and unusual situations that occur in the dental field, but one challenge that continues to come about and has been a big dispute over the years is the ability to provide beneficial information about oral health care for the underprivileged. For the individuals that are not fortunate enough to pay to have services done in the dental office, lack the knowledge of how important good oral health care is. They do not receive the one on one conversations explaining the significance of taking care of your teeth and gums that the patients who can afford to make appointments and receive essential services do. That
In the profession of Dental Hygiene, ethical dilemmas are nearly impossible to avoid, and most hygienists at some point in their professional life will have to face and answer ethical questions. Some ethical conflicts the dental hygienist may encounter can be quite complex and an obvious answer may not be readily available. In the article Ethical Decision Making, Phyllis Beemsterboer suggests an ethical decision-making model can aide the dental hygienist in making appropriate decisions when confronted with an ethical situation, and that the six-step model can serve dental hygienists in making the most advantageous ethical decision (2010).
Dental Hygienist: Have you been flossing? If not, the Dental Hygienist will know. A Dental Hygienist examines and makes sure that you have been flossing, brushing, and much more on your teeth. You really should make sure that you schedule cleanings every couple months or so. Your teeth are a big part of your health, and if you don’t take care of them, you will eventually end up with fake teeth, or the proper name would be Dentures.
It was hard to listen to one member of our profession speak so ill of another. Regardless if it were true, the patchwork comment resonates with what Kazemian, et al. describe as overtreatment due to fee-for-service systems. As dentists, we are reimbursed based on our coding. This incentive to maximize the amount of codes per appointment creates an alluring opportunity for the provider to perform hasty, albeit slipshod treatment. Unfortunately, this too often leads to gross errors, misdiagnoses, and treatments with poor long-term outcomes. It cannot be emphasized enough that rushing does not equate to efficiency and success. We should always strive to improve the well-being of our patients and their long-term health, and this can only be attained by thorough diagnosis and sound treatment protocols. Ostensibly, speed of treatment may momentarily appeal to patients, but as providers we are held to a higher standard. Ultimately, it is the care we provide to our patients that defines us as
The writer asserts that, although the doctor upholds the dignity of oaths by preventing or terminating any harm towards the patient, equally important is assessing the possible benefits and drawbacks of any treatment. Therefore, it is vital to discuss the principle of beneficence under two subheadings, positive beneficence and the utilitarian principle (Beauchamp, 1989, p.195).
Dental Caries is a bacterially based disease that progresses when acid produced by bacterial action on dietary fermentable carbohydrates diffuses into the tooth and dissolves the carbonated hydroxyapatite mineral resulting in demineralization. 1 Caries management historically has focused only on the removal of cavitated carious tissue and restoration of the tooth. In modern era, clinicians rely on their vision, dental instruments, and radiography as diagnostic tools but these conventional methods only detect relatively advanced lesions in the enamel. With advent of new emerging technologies for caries diagnosis it helps us as clinicians to detect early, reversible stage of caries and provide timely treatment and prevent