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Health & Fitness

Dental Caries

What Is a Dental Hygienist and What Do They Do?

Becoming a dental hygienist is a highly rewarding and well-paid career. With salaries ranging up to $85,000 annually in some areas, it’s no wonder why more people are becoming interested in a Fun Dental Articles career in dental hygiene. Prior to beginning your education, you have to initially comprehend the role of a dental hygienist and the needed abilities to achieve success in this occupation.

A dental hygienist has 2 straightforward functions inside a dental practice:

To teach patients correct oral hygiene

To help the dentist in the day-to-day evaluation and treatment of patients

Your Role as a Teacher

One of the many daily functions of a dental hygienist would be to educate patients on the advantages of correct oral cleanliness in maintaining a wholesome way of life. This consists of demonstrating for patients the acceptable methods used to clean their pearly white’s, correct flossing methods, the best types of tooth brushes to use, as well as teaching patients the effects of their diet plan on his or her dental health. Training patients in correct oral hygiene is an integral part of the work that assists in avoiding severe tooth related problems one day, as well as raising the all around health of the patients. Through teaching correct oral hygiene to its patients, the hygienist has a significant impact on improving the quality of life of their patients.

Every day Duties

Another portion of the job requires you to be hands-on in supplying help to the dental professional. Beneath is a listing of a few of the every day duties completed by a dental hygienist:

Organizing tests for the dental professional in your office

Assessing and documenting a patient’s Prepaid Dental Plans dental health in their charts

Washing and/or scraping the patients teeth to get rid of unsightly stains, plaque, or tartar

Tooth polishing and cleaning of patients

Applying local anesthetics when needed (requires additional certification in some states)

Getting and deciphering dental care x-rays

Putting on fluorides, varnishes, along with hole & fissure sealants to avoid tooth decay

Additionally, you’ll work immediately with the actual dental professional to identify as well as take care of patients. Quite often, it’s the hygienist which picks up any kind of sickness or irregularities in a patient from the the study of their gums and teeth. In these types of instances, the dental professional and the hygienist interact to generate an appropriate plan and treatment for the patient.