Dental Hygienist and Dental Assistant: Different Roles that Produce Similar Outcomes Working in the dental field, one can be employed in a multitude of titles. The role of each person in the dental office is not only to help the oral health of a person, but to help an individual's personal self esteem. Each professional has an ideal and structural role when performing dental procedures on patients. The goal of dental assistants and dental hygienists are to make patients feel better about their self image, but each job individually creates a positive outcome of the client.
As a dental assistant and dental hygienist, each person has an individual role, but many of the job functions they perform are similar when contributing to a dental team. Both roles are valuable assets when providing each
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The job of the hygienist is to educate patients on a care plan and to center treatment plans around the patient’s needs. During the flexible hours of the hygienist, he or she is licensed to perform many tasks including removal of calculus or plaque, stains from the teeth, or taking x-rays (Reese, 2003). The dental hygienist will assess the patient’s oral tissues and teeth to determine if the patient has a presence or absence of disease (“Dental Hygienist”, 2012). The hygienist will then conclude about their findings and counsel the client on how to improve their oral hygiene, brushing, or flossing (Reese, 2003). To become a dental hygienist, one must take psychology, chemistry, biology, math, and a speech class in order to graduate from an accredited dental hygiene school (“Dental Hygienist”, 2005). A student who wants to become a dental hygienist must pass a written and clinical examination after college education is completed (“Dental Hygienist”, 2005). A dental hygienist may advance to teaching students dental education programs (“Dental Hygienist”,
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
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
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.
As I started my new journey of becoming a dental hygienist, I came into the program with no background of dental. I came into this program with an open mind and willing to embrace new concepts as well as develop new skills. During my time at the Canadian Academy of Dental Hygiene (CADH), I learned that as a dental hygienist that I am committed to promoting and helping each individual achieve their optimal oral health goals. In support of my client’s goals, I may assume any or all of the roles included in the dental hygiene scope of practice. My goal throughout this program was to help my clients achieve their optimal oral health goals through education, health promotion and providing preventive and clinical therapy.
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...
Having shadowed a dental hygienist prior to that of a dental assistant I didn’t know what to expect their job to be. Although I did assume a dental assistant’s job consisted of handing instruments to the doctor during the various procedures so I was surprised to see just how many responsibilities they have. Each dental clinic has different expectations of what they require their dental assistant to do in my shadowing experience they were responsible for: preparing the room prior to the patients arrival, greeting the patient upon arrival and inviting them into the operation room, confirming dental history with the patient, briefing them on the procedure they are about to have and what to expect, answering the clients questions to the best of their abilities, assisting the doctor in the procedure and aiding with any tasks required of you, when the patient is ready to leave helping them to look presentable and explaining what to expect after that kind of procedure, updating and verifying dental records, and sanitizing and sterilization of the room and all instruments after departure of
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
Dental assistants mainly help as BLS states, “Dental assistants provide support to dentists as they work on patients.” (“Dental Assistants.”). Dental assistants help the doctor work on the patient's mouth. Sometimes the doctor tells the assistants what to do and the assistant does most of the work and the doctor will come back after the work is done to check the patient's mouth.
Assisting the dentist in everything from patient relations to a wide variety of dental treatments and procedures.
In most states, a high school diploma is the only educational requirement for dental assistants because the employer will give the worker on-the-job training. On-the-job training is sometimes required for employees who have already graduated from an accredited college and earned a degree in dental assisting. Some states require that you become licensed or registered, that you complete an accredited program at a college and that you take and pass an examination. Several states even require that you continue your education to maintain your licensure.
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...
I promptly educated myself on dental hygiene and I feel there are a lot of advantages becoming a hygienist. One of the best features about a dental hygiene career is, you only need an associate's degree. That’s two years of prerequisites and two years in the program if you get selected. There is a process you have to exceed to get into the program. The process is based on GPA, interviews
The duties of a dental assistant vary from what state or dental office they are employed in but most of the time, their duties are the same throughout any office. They are among the most
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.
The duties of a dental assistant are among the most comprehensive and varied in the dental office. The dental assistant performs many tasks requiring both interpersonal and technical skills. Obviously, they assist the dentist during