The Benefits Of Dental Hygienists

Picture a world without dentists or dental hygienists. There would be no one to fix or clean teeth or to educate people on how to take care of their teeth, Which eventually can or will lead to gum diseases and infections and no one wants to live like that. According to David M. Dillion, “Over three out of four people in the United States suffer from different gum disease. It is the main cause of tooth loss in people over the age of 35.” (“Dillon”). Clearly, people are not well educated about the importance of taking care of their teeth which is why having access to a dentist or dental hygienist can be very helpful to help better ones understanding of all the negative effects that can come along with not properly handing one 's teeth. This

The demand for dental services is said to increase as the population ages. Cosmetic dental services, such as teeth-whitening has grown increasingly popular due to people who desire to have white, shiny teeth. This trend is expected to continue to grow as new technologies and equipment allow for less invasive surgeries (“Job Outlook”). The number of people who have access to health insurance is also expected to increase more because of federal health insurance reform. Individuals with new or expanded dental coverage are more likely to visit an oral health care provider than in the past. Therefore, the demand for all dental services, including dental hygienists, will increase greatly (“Job Outlook”). The number of new graduates from dental hygiene programs has also increased, which results in more competition for jobs (“Job Prospects”). This can make finding a job in this field hard because of the faster than average increase of jobs. But before worrying about getting a job, an education about the career is needed. The entry level education for a Dental Hygienist is a Associate’s Degree. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, “

Their duties consist of a general checkup, removing plaque, polishing and cleaning patients’ teeth, checking for any sort of disease and or infections, providing instruction in proper dental hygiene and many more tasks ("Dental Hygienist Job Description."). According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, dental hygienists might be able to perform more tasks including anesthesia, removing stitches, sculpting the appropriate materials to fill in cavities and working with tooth components ("Dental Hygienist Job Description."). As of 2014, the median pay for a dental hygienist is $71, 520 per year and $34.38 per hour. Pay and salary may differ depending on where one lives (“Pay”). The work schedule of dental hygienists are flexible, ranging from full-time, part-time, evening and weekends. which most people find very appealing about this job. According to the US Department of Labor, the need for hygienists will grow by more than 36% through the end of the decade. Which is a much faster growth rate than average This is due to the increasing number of services that a hygienist provides. There will also be numerous job openings caused by the need to replace hygienists that transfer to other occupations, retire, or leave the profession for personal reasons (“Health Careers Center”). This is super beneficial for people who are looking to become a dental hygienist, but could also could be