Mary Kaylin Veach
Mrs. Duffey
AP English 12
7 Apr 2014
Career Research Paper
Dentistry is a healthcare profession that is a rewarding field to some people. This career is consisted of much tedious work to perform preventative and restorative treatments on the teeth. A dentist's main job is to work with patients to decide on a plan for the care of their teeth. Dentists will fill cavities, take x-rays, fix fractured teeth, apply protective sealants, replace missing teeth, inform patients of unhealthy foods, and many more tasks to make sure their patients are going to have healthy teeth (Coin Career Library). Dentists use many instruments like mouth mirrors, excavators, amalgam carriers, condensers, carvers, explorers, perio probes, and ball burners to perform these tasks. Dentists are responsible for keeping a file of each patient's health care and if they cannot fill the task for the patient, they can refer them to a specialist (Basic Dental Instruments).
There are many types of specialties in dentistry. Endodontics, orthodontists, and oral surgeon are occupations that are associated with general dentistry, but are more detailed in their work. Endodontists deal with the dental pulp and the periradicular tissues, mainly doing root canals. Orthodontists correct the skeletal structure of the teeth, mainly pulling teeth and applying corrective braces. Oral surgeons diagnose and treat diseases in the mouth, performing surgery on whatever the problem is and pulling wisdom teeth (American Dental Association).
After a dental hygienist has cleaned the patient's teeth, the dentist goes behind them and checks for cavities. If there are cavities, another appointment would be scheduled. The main job of dentists is to fill cavities. If deca...
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...ges, etc." My grandfather graduated from college with a BS degree with a major in biology and a minor in chemistry, and four years later graduated with a DMD from dental school. He said that the best part of his job was treating the whole person (body, mind, and spirit) and interacting with the day in and day out. His least favorite part about the job was dealing with fearful and uncooperative patients. His advice to me was to learn how to manage a profitable business, love people, and dream big (Howell).
Last summer, I worked at a dentist office to make sure I liked the career path I was choosing. The employees taught me so much during that experience. One thing I did not know was that pediatrics was a speciality, meaning I will have to go to 2-4 more years of school. Dentistry is such an interesting profession and I am looking forward to perusing the career.
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...
Some people tend to believe that a dentist is all about pulling teeth, filling gaps, and drilling holes in a mouth. That may be true, but this is more about the person that treats a patient prior to a dentist drilling into a mouth. Dental Hygienists provide more than just the basic examination. They also give advice on how to properly brush and floss, the types of foods to avoid, and give examples of what teeth could look like if not taken care of correctly. A dental hygienist provides preventive, therapeutic, restorative and educational interventions to promote optimal oral health.
...communities, especially those that are in need and what the community needs are primary health providers. From the beginning, when I decided to pursue dentistry, my goal was to become a general dentist, the idea of specializing seemed unnecessary. However, I have a recent newfound interest in pediatric dentistry and may explore that specialty. I’ve enjoyed working with children throughout the various volunteer activities and I feel like there is a need for pediatric dentists in the underserved communities. By being a pediatric dentist as a part of the National Health Corps Scholarship Program, I would be able to provide valuable skills and resources to children and their parents, especially those with special needs and dental fears. While pediatric dentistry is a specialty I will continue to explore, the priority remains to commit my career to serving those in need.
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...
The career I have chosen for my future is to become a registered dental hygienist. It wasn’t until I actually learned what dental hygienists do that influenced my interest from medical to dentistry. The first honest reason I was gravitated to dental hygiene was because of the salary. I didn’t really know what Dental Hygienist actually did until I did some research.
Did you know that a dental hygienist could make a slightly large mistake without asking a simple question? Well they can, the most common question is if their patient would like one or more crown placed in there mouth at a time. In order to succeed as a dental hygienist everyone is required to go to either a two or four year college and major in dental hygiene. Many people believe that it is easy to be a dental hygienist because they think that all that is required to do is clean teeth, but its actually quite difficult. Making sure the patients have excellent oral care is very important
Dental Hygienists do a great deal more than what is recognized. They are a part of the preventive oral health profession, that provides educational, clinical,
Assisting the dentist in everything from patient relations to a wide variety of dental treatments and procedures.
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
Pediatric Dentistry is a fantastic job for me considering how much I adore children, the median annual wage is excellent, and dental hygiene is greatly preeminent to me. I cannot envision a better career path for myself. I have always been a person who can interact easily with children. In addition, I also enjoy the idea of being able to help children feel great about their teeth and smile. Being a dentist is much more to me than just cleaning a child's teeth. It is also about boosting the child's self-confidence by encouraging them to brush their teeth and take care of their smile
I chose to become a dentist as being a child I had to visit a dentist many times for correction of malaligned teeth that i had. So my dentist who was also a specialist in the field of orthodontics inspired me deeply as it gave me a vague idea of how can i also bring smile and self confidence back to an individual by providing him with a competent smile again by incorporating the blend of my hand creativity and mental alertness, same as my dentist did for me thus returning me my self esteem and the confidence to smile again .Thus i found this field very satisfying and fulfilling.
Experts recommend every healthy patient visit a dentist at least two times a year for a checkup and cleaning. During this visit, your friendly dentists will do a thorough cleaning of your entire mouth and make sure your smile is spic and span! It is very important to visit your family dentistry office for this reason alone.