When we got o the dentist, sometimes we just deal with the dentist, but sometimes we get preliminary work – like cleaning – done by another dental professional – a dental hygienist. So what’s the difference? Let’s take a look.
First of all, a dental hygienist must be qualified. It’s not a job which you can just learn from experience! In the U.S. for example, a bachelors or masters degree is common, although graduating with an associate degree (from a community program etc) is the minimum qualification. These programs are from a dental hygiene school and must be approved by the American Dental Association, the ADA.
How much does a dental hygienist get paid? Typical pay for a dental hygienist with good experience is around $40 per hour. Initial pay is more likely to be around $30 per hour.
What does a dental hygienist do? In a nutshell, the job could be summed up as “clean, polish and educate”. Don’t Best Dentist In West Delhi let that fool you – there are a lot of skills required to do that well, as the training and pay reflect.
The first step with a patient is usually a general cleaning of the teeth and gums, removing today’s leftovers and residual plaque and tartar. Plaque is a colorless film that can be easily scraped off, but it turns to tartar over 2-10 days. Tartar is the big issue because it results in tooth decay. This usually ends with a request for a good rinse.
After the cleaning, the dental hygienist will give the teeth a good polishing. This will make it difficult for plaque to stick to the teeth because it slips off just like skating on will only last for a short time but is part of a thorough cleaning of the teeth.
As mentioned earlier, education is also an important part of a dental hygienist’s job. A part of this is to brush your teeth regularly after meals and to floss your teeth. That’s top advice!
To wrap up this look at dental hygienists and their work, are you aware of these facts?
The medical word for tartar is dental calculus.
The medical word for tooth decay is dental caries.
Dental caries is basically the destruction of the teeth due to the bacterial breakdown of sugars.
Dental floss was invented in the U.S. in 1815 and was Tips For Healthy Teeth And Gums made of silk. Modern dental floss is made of nylon.
