Is it time you paid a visit to the dental hygienist?
Dental hygienists are specially trained not to replace a dentist, but to work as part of a dental team providing the utmost care to patients. They play an important part in dental health care and generally tend to concern themselves with dental health and gum disease. Their main role entails them preventing and treating gum disease, which includes professionally cleaning your teeth through the removal of plaque and tartar. They do this by carrying out a procedure called a “scale and polish” or “prophylaxis”. Although their main role surrounds gum disease, their most important role has to be showing you the very best way to keep your teeth plaque free.
If you’re not familiar with plaque then allow us to enlighten you. Plaque is a sticky coating that finds it’s way onto your teeth. It forms constantly and without the correct oral hygiene routine, it will continue to build up leading to acid attacks and eventual
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tooth decay. In the constant fight against plaque and subsequent tooth decay, dental hygienists will also offer diet advice in order to help you prevent tooth decay further. By working with the entire dental team, dental hygienists help to form a well-qualified team able to create a care programme tailored to your needs. What else can a dental hygienist do? Dental hygienists also have the capability to take dental x-rays too.
The dentist can then use these in order to help diagnose problems as well as help to decide on possible treatment options for any dental problems addressed. Dental hygienists also have the training to place sealants as well as apply fluoride varnishes and administer fluoride treatments too. You may be surprised to learn that in some practices, dental hygienists may also carry out cosmetic procedures such as teeth whitening too, however this is normally under the instruction of a dentist. While not every single dentist may offer the services of a hygienist, they are becoming more and more popular as part of an “all-round” service. If your dental practice doesn’t offer the service of a dental hygienist then you may wish to find a dental practice that does, such as Khan Dental. Although some may advise you see a dental hygienist independently, this can often come at a much steeper charge than if they were already part of a dental
practice. Why is it important to see a dental hygienist? Regular professional cleaning in order to remove plaque and tartar that’s built up, along with a good at-home oral health routine to ensure healthy teeth and gums is now essential to keep the mouth healthy. Not only will a clean and healthy mouth help to improve your appearance but it will also ensure your teeth remain exactly where they are as well as keeping your breath fresh. Do you really need another reason to visit the dental hygienist? The question on most patient’s lips is whether or not a dental hygienist can actually help to prevent gum disease? You may be surprised to know that is essentially what the training of a dental hygienist is actually focused on. They’re trained to remove the very hard deposits of tartar that build up on our teeth that our toothbrushes just can’t seem to shift. They also then impart their knowledge and wisdom on to their patients of how best to prevent the tartar from coming back. This will do a lot when it comes to slowing and in some cases preventing the progress of gum disease. By discussing your diet with you and recommending preventative measures such as flossing, a hygienist can help to keep your at-home routine as it should be. Regular visits, mixed with expert advice will without doubt build your confidence when it comes to keeping your mouth healthy. Dental hygienists and dentists There are a number of dentists that will do this work themselves, however many are now beginning to realise the specialist training that a dental hygienist receives when it comes to scaling and polishing. They’re also acutely aware that a dental hygienist will spend more time on cleaning your teeth specifically in comparison to a dentist that also has to visually assess your entire mouth for signs of wear and tear along with signs and symptoms of oral health conditions. Dentists are also now aware of the help that a dental hygienist can offer as many now spend a number of appointments getting a patients gums healthy, ready for a dentist to work on them restoring teeth with crowns and fillings. This allows the dentist to focus solely on this specific task. How can you help the dental hygienist? You may be surprised to learn there’s actually an awful lot you can do to help not only the hygienist but yourself too. You’re the person looking after your mouth on a daily basis let’s not forget. Your hygienist will show you just how to remove plaque with your toothbrush. You’ll also be shown how to remove plaque from in between your teeth using either floss or interdental brushes. There are a great number of oral care products that you could get including specialist toothpastes, electric toothbrushes and mouthwashes however each person’s needs are completely individual so it’s best to speak with your dental hygienist at your next visit in order to find out what’s best for you. Until you’re next visit with the dental hygienist, here are three simple steps to follow to help keep those teeth and gums healthy: • Brush your teeth a minimum of twice a day with one of those times being last thing at night. Ensure you’re brushing your teeth with fluoride toothpaste too. • Cut down on the amount of sugary foods and drinks you consume. Cutting down on the amount of sugar in your diet and the amount of times you eat during the day will help to reduce tooth decay. Here’s a great tip too, if you really can’t cope without a sweet fix every now and then. Ensure you eat your sweet treat at meal time in order to avoid an extra acid attack at another point during the day. • Visit your dental team (dental hygienist included) as often as they deem necessary. If you’d like more information on dental hygienists and just how they can help you, please contact Khan Dental today.
A dental hygienist is a very important role in any dental office. As stated by a dental assistant, “Dental hygienists work closely with the dentist as well as hands on with the patients. They assist dentists with operative procedures such as fillings and extractions, and making molds of patients teeth” (Wilson, Jennifer). A large part of their job is teaching patients proper dental care to ensure a lifetime of healthy teeth. This includes proper brushing and flossing techniques. According to the job out look, a day as a dental hygienist can include taking x-rays, cleaning and scaling teeth, charting treatment plans, putting sealants on teeth, taking impressions of teeth and completing information about the patient’s oral and medical history (Summary). In some states dental hygienist are allowed to give local anesthetic and place and remove sutures (Delivering Local Anesthetic). According to advantages of becoming a dental hygienist, hygienists spend more hands on time with the patients than the dentist does. These are some of the instruments that dental hygienists use on a daily basis: toothbrush, scaler, mirror, ultrasonic scaler, explorer, suction, computer, salvia ejector, rubber cap polisher, dental models, x-ray machine and probe. The dental hygienist uses a toothbrush to remove soft plaque from the teeth. Plaque is a soft coating on the teeth that contain bacteria. The bacteria can cause tooth decay and gum disease. The amount of plaque on the teeth gives the hygienist an idea of how well the daily brushing and flossing of the patient’s teeth are completed on a regular basis. The scaler is used to remove hardened plaque or calculus from the teeth. The mirror is used to look closely at the surfaces of the teeth a...
Dental hygiene is amongst many professions that come with an increased risk of injury. In fact, evidence suggests that the incidence of dental professionals acquiring musculoskeletal disorders is reaching 96%. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), these complications are a result of “repetitive motion or awkward posture for more than 2 hours at a time, unassisted frequent manual handling (eg, scaling an area using the same strokes), and unassisted forced manual handling (eg, heavy calculus removal using hand-activated instruments)”. These complications not only affect the quality of life for the
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
According to the book, “Clinical Practice of the Dental Hygienist”, a dental hygienist is a dental health specialist whose primary concern is the maintenance of oral health and the prevention of oral disease. A career as a dental hygienist provides a wide range of challenges where in the dentist office, the dental hygienist and dentist work together to meet the oral health needs of their patients. There are many things that dental hygienists do that you may not realize when you think you are just going in to get your teeth cleaned.
They then should look over the charts at the patient’s situation with their teeth and see what medical treatment they need. They then bring the patient in and perform the treatment. Lastly, they charge the patient for the certain treatments, like the cleaning, and then for say a filling, they will charge them separately, and then the patient will leave. Soon after, they will start all over again. Furthermore, there are a lot of skills required to be a Dental Hygienist, but yet simple ones.
When most people think of dental hygienists, the first and only thing they think about it cleaning and whitening teeth. However, that is mainly what dental hygienists do, but they also learn to do a lot more than that. According the occupational outlook handbook, hygienists clean teeth, examine patients for signs of oral diseases such as gingivitis, and provide other preventative dental care. They also educate patients on ways to improve and maintain good oral health. As explained on American Dental Association, the dental hygienist...
The best description of a dental hygienist is a professional whose main job is to teach their patients necessary oral hygiene skills and provide great dental care. They perform various tasks around a dentist’s office such as applying fluoride treatments, removing plaque and stains, taking x-rays, removing sutures, placing temporary fillings, and evaluating the patient’s overall health (“Dental Hygienist” Coin Career). Dental hygienists do not just work in a dental office, but they also can work at schools, nursing homes, health clinics, and many other dental settings. Close contact is necessary when doing this job. Working with people is an everyday thing in this profession, so one must be able to communicate and get along with their clients very well. Having certain traits such as excellent hand-eye coordination and great motor skills are very important to posses since dental hygienists work on their patients mouths (Porterfield 4). Communication is vital since dental hygienists are constantly teaching patients how to hav...
As a future dental hygienist, I want to be able to help educate people about dental hygiene, prevent cancers and help rural communities overcome oral diseases and cancers. Dental Hygienist usually work in dentist office's, some of the responsibilities of a dental hygienist are removing tarter, stains and plaque from teeth, they take dental x-rays and access patient oral health and report findings to the dentist.
It's important for any high school student to have an idea or plan of what they want to pursue in the near future. Most students want to go into the medical field, become a professional athlete, a lawyer, etc. Many talk about becoming a dentist, but not a dental assistant. Simply because they feel like it's not that big of a title of being a dental assistant as compared to a dentist. Little do they know dental assistants play a big role as well in the office. A dental assistant does many tasks and duties that help benefit the dentist and also the patients.
Did you know that the dental assisting profession has been projected to grow 18 percent during the years of 2014 through 2024, which is much faster than the average for all other occupations? And from there who knows, the sky's the limit. But what exactly does a dental assistant do?
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
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.
1)Why do you want to be a Dental Assistant? I love people and that is why I want to become a Dental assistant. Being a huge people person and I'm always willing to learn, adapting is essential to this line of work and that is why I will be a perfect fit for the dental assistant program. Getting to know the patients and spending time with them is one of the reasons I am really looking forward to my future as a DA. I am an empathetic person and easily relate to others. This will really help me to be able to provide my patients with the best possible care. Originally I had planned on applying to Manhattan Area Technical College for their Dental Hygienist program. They require that all applicants have a minimum of forty hours experience shadowing
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).
According to Bureau of Labor Statistics, most dentists give directions on how to keep teeth in good shape so they won’t negatively affect the mouth. General dentists also fill cavities, remove teeth, straighten the teeth by applying braces, and repair cracks (BLS, what they do). Dr. Basem Airood, who is the owner of OC Smile Dental in Orange County, said that beside working on patients’ mouths, he always updates the tools he uses and buys new equipment and supplies that he needs in his work. Dr. Airood stated that part of his job requires him to “employ and supervise dental assistants and hygienists because without them, half of the work can’t be done”. (Dr. Airood) Most dentists are specialized in one of the nine specialty areas in dentistry, which are Dental public health specialists, Endodontists, Oral and maxillofacial radiologists, Oral and maxillofacial surgeons, Oral pathologists, Orthodontists, Pediatric dentists, Periodontists, and Prosthodontists.(BLS, What They Do) Basically each specialized dentist work in different environment and has different duties to perform during their working