Dental Hygienist Essay

Have you ever been at the dentist and heard “Healthy teeth are happy teeth”? Many people refrain from engaging in conversation and smiling because they are unhappy with their teeth. There are a vast number of reasons why people do not seek proper dental treatment. Some people don’t go to the dentist because they fear the visit will be painful or they just have Dentohobia witch is an intense fear of going to the dentist. I feel as if Dental hygiene is the ideal career for me this is my chosen path. The combination of a team oriented environment and helping patients with their oral health and having flexible work hours is what has brought me to this career. A career as a dental hygienist offers a wide range of challenges. In the dental office,

the dentist and the dental hygienist work together to meet the oral health needs of patients. Since each state has its own specific regulations regarding their responsibilities, the range of services performed by hygienists varies from state to state. Some of the services provided by dental hygienists may include patient screening procedures such as assessment of oral health conditions, review of the health history, oral cancer screening, dental charting and taking blood pressure and pulse taking and developing dental radiographs, removing calculus and plaque from all surfaces of the teeth applying preventive materials to the teeth, teaching patients appropriate oral hygiene strategies to maintain oral health, making impressions of patients' teeth for study casts and, performing documentation and office management activities.
Dental hygienists must graduate from an accredited dental hygiene program based in an institution of higher education.

Hygienists must also be licensed in the state in which they practice. Requirements for licensure vary from state to state, but generally include successful completion of an accredited entry-level program, successful completion of the written National Dental Hygiene Board examination, a state or regional clinical examination and a state jurisprudence and ethics examination. Almost all accredited dental hygiene programs minimally offer an associate degree in science or an associate degree in applied science. Applicants to an associate degree granting institution usually complete mandatory pre-requisite coursework prior to beginning the dental hygiene program. Graduates of a four-year college or university are granted a baccalaureate degree in dental hygiene. According to the American Dental Hygienists Association, there are more than 330 dental hygiene programs offered in the U.S. Most hygienists have at least an associate degree, but some get bachelor's degrees in dental hygiene – and even master's degrees to further their careers. To practice, dental hygienists also have to obtain a state license. The requirements vary state-to-state, most require graduation from an accredited program and the completion of a written and practical exam. Many of the courses you take in a dental hygiene program will be applicable for a dental program, and the training and experience could help when sitting for the Dental Acceptance Test to gain admission to dental school. But working as a dental hygienist isn't a shortcut to becoming a dentist. Hygienists who choose to pursue a D.D.S will still have the same length of study plus years of residency, even if they have a professional background in

dentistry.
Hygienists make comfortable salaries, especially considering that half of them work part-time. In 2015, their median salary was $72,330. The best-paid earned about $98,440, and the bottom 10 percent earned $50,140. The state of California tends to compensate their dental hygienists particularly well especially in the metropolitan areas. Think of a dental hygienist as an insurance agent. "You see dentists when you have a problem," says Kelli Swanson Jaecks, president of the American Dental Hygienists' Association. "But you see dental hygienists for preventative health care." The majority of the 183,000-plus registered dental hygienists work in dental offices alongside dentists. They will usually see a patient first and clean the patient's teeth, removing tartar, stains and plaque as they brush, floss and scrape. Dental hygienists are also involved in educating patients on the best ways to brush and floss teeth, as well as which products to use. Along with their technical skills, dental hygienists should be excellent communicators. "The client's head is in their lap basically," Swanson Jaecks says. "They should know how to read a client and relate to a client." She also says good hand-eye coordination is a must, as are critical-thinking skills, since dental hygienists are on the front lines of assessing a client's oral health.The job market for dental hygienists is booming. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the occupation will grow 19 percent by 2024, which is much faster than the average growth rate for most professions. This swell in jobs is likely due to the increased awareness among consumers of how oral health is linked to their overall health. "More and more dental hygienists will be hired to do this preventative health care," but Swanson Jaecks says that physicians' offices, emergency rooms and medical clinics are increasingly hiring dental hygienists to provide their patients with more holistic health care.