Their Duty: Dental hygienists are responsible for cleaning of the teeth, plus examining patients to detect oral diseases such as gingivitis, and offer important preventive dental support.
What is the Work Environment?: The interesting fact about dental hygienist is that almost all of them work in dentists’ offices, while others work part time.
How can I become a Dental Hygienist?:Inorder to become a dental hygienist, you’ll typically need an associate’s degree in dental hygiene. The associate program takes 3 years to complete. Note that all states require all dental hygienists to be licensed; and these requirements vary by state.
Salary: The average annual salary for dental hygienists is pegged at $74,820.
What is the Employment Forecast?:It is estimated that the employment rate of dental hygienists will grow 11 percent over the next ten years, and that’ll be twice the average for all other jobs. General demand for dental services will multiply as the population ages and as research continues to show how oral health generally contributes to overall health.
Find below everything you need to know about a career as a dental hygienist with important details. To Kickstart, do well to review some of the following jobs, which are actual jobs with real employers. Thanks to this write up, you’ll be able to see the main job career requirements for companies that are actively recruiting.
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Top 3 Dental Hygienist Jobs
Dental Hygienist
As a Dental Hygienist, you’ll actively help patients achieve their best oral health through regular check-ups and continuing education.
Hygienist
This company-Western Dental & Orthodontics regularly recruits talented and brilliant, registered Dental Hygienist (RDH) to help the company become a world class periodontal, health-focused practice.
Dental Hygenist – Sherman DDS – Silver City, New Mexico
Are you seeking a refreshing change?Sherman DDS – Silver City,based in New Mexico is a high-tech office which encourages a healthy environment while dishing out a superlative service to their patients. On top of that, the company offers competitive salaries.
Duties of Dental Hygienists
As a dental hygienist, you’ll do the following:
Clean off tartar, stains, and plaque from teeth
Put on sealants and fluorides to provide protection for the teeth
Perform and develop and analyze dental x rays
Review patients’ oral health and submit findings to dentists
Write down patient care and treatment plans
You’ll also be responsible for educating patients about oral hygiene techniques and strategies, such as how to brush and floss the right way
Dental hygienists typically use a number of tools to carry out their job. They usually use their hands to clean and polish teeth. In a number of cases, they apply lasers. As a hygienist, you’ll remove stains with an air-polishing device, which combines air, with water, and baking soda. You’ll also polish teeth with a powered tool that is exactly like an automatic toothbrush. X-ray machines will be used to take pictures to check for tooth or jaw issues. A number of states allow hygienists who have gotten extra training, sometimes known as dental therapists, to operate with an expanded scope of practice.
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Dental hygienists actively assist patients develop and maintain good oral routine. To provide context, they will talk to you about the relationship between diet and oral health. They may also talk to patients on how to select the best toothbrushes and other oral care materials.
Interestingly, the duties of a hygienist, plus the extent to which these ones are supervised by a dentist, varies across states and the setting in which he or she works. There are a number of states which allow hygienists to diagnose some health issues independently of a dentist.
What Education do you need to become a Dental Hygienist?
As a dental hygienist, you’ll typically need an associate’s degree in dental hygiene. Bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in dental hygiene also are equally available, but not so common.Note that a bachelor’s or master’s degree will be needed for research, teaching, or clinical practice in public or school health programs.
You can find dental hygiene programs in community colleges, technical schools, and universities. In 2017 for example, the Commission on Dental Accreditation, part of the American Dental Association, gave accreditations to well over 300 dental hygiene programs.
These programs will take roughly 3 years to complete, and offer laboratory, clinical, and classroom instruction in addition. Areas of academic program will include courses such as physiology, nutrition, radiography, pathology, medical ethics, anatomy, patient management, and periodontics, which revolves around the study of gum disease.
High school seniors who are keen on becoming a dental hygienist should study biology, chemistry, and math in school. Most dental hygiene programs will also ask applicants to take up and complete prerequisites, which will include college-level programs. Note that specific requirements will vary across school
What are theImportant Qualities for Dental Hygienists?
Critical thinking ability. As a dental hygienist, you must use critical thinking in order to assess and evaluate patients with oral issues.
Strong communication skills. Dental hygienists should have the ability to communicate fluently with dentists and patients about oral health problems, oral hygiene care plans, and, as needed, lifestyle counseling as well.
Detail oriented. You are expected to follow specific rules and protocols to assist dentists diagnose and take care of a patient. Based on the state in which you work and/or the treatment provided, dental hygienists may be able to work without the direct supervision of a senior dentist.
Skillful. You should be really good at working with your hands. Usually, you’ll be required to work in tight quarters on a small part of the body, requiring you use fine motor skills while applying very precise tools and instruments.
What are the Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations necessary to become a Dental Hygienist?
There isn’t a single state that does not require dental hygienists to be licensed;these requirements vary by state. In a few states, a simple degree from an accredited dental hygiene program and achieving good grades on written and clinical examinations are enough for licensure. Inorder to maintain your licensure, you must complete continuing education requirements. For detailed requirements, do well to connect with your state’s Board of Dental Examiners.
You’ll also find that a number of jobs also require cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) certification.
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