Kristine Tagama
Mr. Fredericks
English 12 Period 6
10 April 2014
There’s a Lot More Than Brushing
There are many ways people could maintain a good oral hygiene. However, even when people are instructed to do more, they usually just assume that brushing and flossing are the only things necessary for the procedure. It is a stereotype for everyone. Even though brushing is the main thing that comes in mind when good oral hygiene is being discussed, is it really enough to get rid of all the bacteria that are found inside mouths? Especially children, it is hard to persuade individuals that there are more ways to achieve a good and healthy mouth than just the two typical things done every day and night. Brushing alone is not enough to discourage one’s mouth’s unwanted substances that could possibly be formed into different kinds of infections and diseases.
Before getting into all the infections and preventions, knowing why teeth should be cared for is more necessary. There are many reasons why teeth are vital for each individual. Teeth are always used in one’s everyday life. First of all, they are used in eating food. Without them, food cannot be chewed. Stomach will have a hard time digesting food if they are not chewed first. Also, teeth are important for people to communicate with others. Without good teeth, how confident would a person be in order to smile? People’s opinion to those who do not have a healthy oral hygiene could be disappointing to hear. They might not want to associate with those people who have a severe bad breath or uninviting teeth. This is not going to help with boosting one’s self confidence. They might end up feeling left out or being make fun of and they might just give up and lose all their confidence. But i...
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... could avoid getting any tooth decays, dental infections, and cavities. It is not all about just brushing and flossing every day and night. It is about how each individual plans to take care of their teeth with good diet and healthy lifestyle. Taking care of teeth should be just like taking care of one’s own private parts – it is necessary to always make sure they are clean and healthy. If everyone participates, then everyone will be smiling proudly with their pearly whites shining brightly. This knowledge would not only benefit one individual to prevent infections and diseases, but if passed along, everyone will benefit from it. Knowledge about oral hygiene really is vital for every person. It would be really good news not only for the dentists, but also to each and every person on this planet if everyone can avoid getting any kind of dental infection and cavities.
For those that have bad habits with cigarettes, Tobacco Cessation Counseling is available. Cigarettes cause tooth loss, rotting, and surface stains; hygienist make sure to pass this information to the patient and help them to understand that quitting is the best option if they want to keep their teeth. As said before, a hygienist informs the patient on what foods to avoid. Nutritional Counseling is provided if a hygienist believes there is danger with a patients teeth such as diseases. (Dental Hygiene Clinic) Any foods with high acidity is something a dental hygienist would recommend avoiding. For example, apples, hard candies, popcorn, diet sodas, and salad dressing. Enamel is the hardest structure in the human body. It’s even harder than bones. When the enamel is exposed to acid, it wears down and erodes. This is how tooth erosion and decay happens. They will educate the patient with what foods to replace the bad ones with. Although, a dentist is who performs the restorations, a hygienist can still inform what will happen. Because of the fact that hygienists usually see patients before the dentist, they will give feedback to the dentist and recommend restorations in the mouth. They specialize in providing clinical and educational services (Sealy Dental Center) so they are very useful to dentists. When a patient has missing, chipped, or sharpened teeth, a restoration is done to replace the originals. Some examples
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.
Dentistry as a profession over the years has evolved rapidly in light of new scientific evidence. Rapidly evolving science and technology have implemented changes within dentistry as evidenced by new standards and guidelines being produced by nationally recognised associations including National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), Faculty of General Dental Practice (FGDP) and Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) in Scotland, in provision of new scientific evidence. The latest standards and guidelines produced, endorse everyday clinical practice through evidence based dentistry (REF). All dental professionals as part of continued professional development are expected to keep to date on relevant guidelines and knowledge related to their practice (REF). This is supported by the General Dental Council who state all clinicians must maintain their professional knowledge and competence throughout their working career (REF).
Hygienist are the dentists who educate their patients on the importance of oral health care. Hygienist 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. This topic was brought to my attention by noticing the lack of dental hygiene among my peers. This doesn’t necessarily just mean having only cavities, sore gums, but also bad breath.
As we grow up, we are often asked what we want to be. Many people say careers such as a doctor or an actor. When I grow up, I want to be a dental hygienist. When I tell people this they often think i’m crazy for wanting to “work in someone’s mouth”. Dental hygiene is appealing to me. It is a big part of personal hygiene and keeping yourself healthy. One of the first things a person notices about you is your smile and I want to help people perfect theirs. I know that being a dental hygienist will not be the easiest thing in the world but there are some benefits. You don’t have to work full time if you don’t want to. Also as stated by Jenny Lewellen, “Overtime is not expected” (Lewellen). Hygienists also get a good salary. “The median annual wage for
Healthcare is a necessity to sustain society. Dentistry is an area of healthcare that I feel extremely passionate about because access to proper dental care is limited, especially in the underserved communities. As an African American, I want to become a dentist and healthcare provider in the hopes of helping patients and adding to the diversification of the field. With a growing minority population in the United States, it has become apparent that there is a shortage of black dentists. This is problematic because underrepresented minorities are in great need of access to culturally connected dentists who understand their clinical needs as much as their lives and their challenges. I believe that when the profession includes a range of ethnicities
Over time as individuals age and are faced with access to care issues they may begin to neglect their oral health. As time passes between dental hygiene cleanings or dentist visits the presence of oral disease may begin to increase.
Since I was a child my mom used to tell me “you needed to brush your teeth at least twice a day because if you don’t do so, you are going loose them forever, and guess what, once you lose them they won’t grow back again”. I am pretty sure that for some of you this words sound very familiar, right? As I grew up I started to wonder why my mom always tell me brushing and flossing is so important? And that is the main reason why I decided to become a dental hygienist, in order to be able to teach my patients its importance.
Children should be taught how to brush their teeth and be encouraged to have good dental hygiene to prevent cavities and any other dental problems. They should be taught about good hygiene such as hand washing to prevent germs.
There are many opportunities out there for hygienists to deliver the health care message to not only the individuals that cannot afford to go to the dental office, but also the individuals like older citizens and disabled individuals and to different schools around the nation. With that being said, it is not only just the hygienist job to provide that information. Other healthcare professionals are expected to come together and commonly agree on accurate information to specific individuals. “Healthcare professions, including dental hygienists, nurses and physicians should be communicating with each other and working collaboratively for common health care goals. This is the way that we should be practicing and also educating the future” (Pera). It is important to educate children now and get it in their heads that taking care of their teeth and gums and also their body in general is a good way to be successful not just now, but in the future as well. In order to do so, all health care professions are required to step up and come together to inform the young children in schools as well as the underprivileged people who lack the knowledge
Another preventive way to help children build stronger teeth is water fluoridation prevents 2/3rd of children from them not getting cavities. (Evans par. 6) Fluoridation benefits children and let alone fifty percent of the dental bills were cut in price. (Evans par.6) The future is looking bright for the children getting better dental and oral health services. Approximately 8.7 million children are expected to gain some form of dental benefits by 2018. (Evans par.8) Regular preventive dental care, such as cleaning and regularly brushing and flossing, improve the overall health and brightens up your life. (Wallace par.1) Keeping up on the regular cleaning at the dental office, which is once every six months, helps out tremendously but some people need more then twice a year. (Payne par.5)
Brushing your teeth twice a day only cleans twenty-five percent of the mouth at a time. It is for this reason why dentist recommend a healthy fluoride solution to be included into your daily brushing routine; this mouthwash solution will help flush away any food remnants and harmful bacteria from the hard to reach crevasses in the mouth. If this step is skipped it can lead to the formation of dental caries and gum disease, which can lead to worse things if they are not taken care of. To help stress the importance of dental hygiene, Listerine, which is a mouth wash company, released an advertisement for their cool mint flavored antiseptic mouthwash in the hopes of getting non-mouthwash users to jump on the Listerine mouthwash band wagon to proper
Introduction: In Canada, general dental health is not part Canada’s national system of health insurance (Medicare) (1) except for some dental surgical procedures that are performed at hospitals. Since Oral health does not come under the Health Act about ninety-five percent of the oral health care services are offered on a fee-for-service basis. Oral health care is under provincial or territorial jurisdiction like other health care services and publically financed dental care programs provide the remaining five percent of oral health care services (2). Thus, majority of Canadians receive oral health via privately owned dental clinics. Privately owned dental care gives these services providers control over dental service charges, types of available treatment for the patients and number of follow-up appointment for treatments or routine care. Service users pay for the dental expenses from their own pockets or utilize insurance coverage (1).
Dental hygiene is a dynamic and challenging career that offers team work, personal growth, and extraordinary benefits, and it is the perfect career for me. As a health care professional, the dental hygienist is an important member of the dental team providing patient care. Good qualities for a dental hygienist are compassion and enjoying talking to people which are two qualities that fit my personality. I love the thought of knowing I made a positive impact in a person's health. Becoming a dental hygienist professionally requires you to obtain an associate degree in dental hygiene. They affect the average American by educating them about dental care. A dentist helps people with their dental health, which can greatly impact a person’s day-to-day life.
If the aim is achieved, residents will be provided with optimal denture care including correct cleaning and storage handling, this will improve the quality of oral health for denture