In the 4th video I watched about Dental Hygiene, Tammy Shelton, the assistant professor in the dental hygiene program at ETSU. She is a registered dental hygienist with a Masters in Dental Hygiene, in this video she will discuss about the profession of dental hygiene, requirements for the program at ETSU, and career options available. According to Shelton, “dental hygienists are licensed oral health professionals who focus on preventing and treating oral diseases to protect teeth and gums” (Dental Hygiene). A graduate of a dental hygiene program must take a written national and clinical examination before they are licensed to practice. Dental hygiene services are assessments that review a patient’s health history, dental charting, oral cancer
After shadowing Dental Hygienist I have learned a lot about what is expected in the profession. Some traits that I found are very important to posses are, being able to properly communicate with your patients, be very detailed oriented, and have a positive and patient personality.
They can examine and diagnose patients, and are allowed to do certain treatments that are above a hygienist’s scope of practice, but everything must be checked and allowed by a supervising dentist on site.1 They are able to prep and place stainless steel crowns on primary teeth, perform pulpotomies on primary teeth, and do some extractions that are simple and do not require major work done. The preventive care that they are able to do includes placing sealants, apply fluoride to the teeth, and also basic health education. If a mid-level provider currently has a hygiene license, then the number of things that they are able to do increases.2 This is very good because it can expand their scope of practice, even farther with the knowledge that they already have on top of what they can do being a mid-level provider. As of right now, there are a few states that allow a mid-level dental provider to work with a little different scope of practice than everyone else. A couple of these states include Alaska and Minnesota. In Alaska, they are trained through a federal program and as of now, they are only allowed to work on tribal lands. In Minnesota, they were the first state to be established by
According to Jada A. Grave on Money.usnews.com, the main idea about this subject is the understood tasks of a general dental hygienist. Dental hygienist focus mainly on the preventive care of dental hygiene rather than the damage already caused. They also educate and inform the patients of the best over-the-counter medicines for their pains, and speak to them about flossing and brushing habits to prevent future damages to the teeth and gums. A dental hygienist's main purposes are completing dental prophylaxis, screening oral cancer and radiographic research, and charting the conditions of
Compare and Contrast Essay Anne Sin University of Michigan School of Dentistry Division of Dental Hygiene Master of Science in Dental Hygiene Program Professor Janet Kinney, RDH, MS DHYGRACK 687 Compare and Contrast Essay March 17, 2024. Compare and Contrast Essay There are two critical documents within the dental hygiene profession. The American Dental Hygienists’ Association (ADHA) Standard for Clinical Dental Hygiene Practice provides standards of practice for the dental hygienist. The other document is the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) Entry-level Competencies for Allied Dental Professionals. When it comes to comparing these two documents, there are a few notable similarities and differences.
Becoming a dental hygienist involves the game stage substantially. In the game stage, we begin to understand that the people around us have responsibilities of their own and demands placed upon them as well, the world does not revolve solely around the individual. In patient care, it is important for us as the dental hygienist to be aware that our patients may feel as though they do not have time to brush or floss their teeth. Instead of just placing judgement on them the dental hygienist needs to look at the situation from the patient’s point of view and should empathize and work with the patient to come to a solution. The game stage is likely why we also say keep your home life and your work life separate, this being, if you are fighting
All states require dental hygiene license obtained by State Dental Board. As it stated earlier, requirements varies from state to state. During two years of program, students are required to attend lectures, labs and clinics. The majority college program requires the completion of courses such as radiology, Dental head and neck anatomy, pain control, pharmacology, public health, medical emergency, oral pathology and periodontology. By end of two years, students are required to take written state boards and regional clinical boards. Usually dental hygienist needs Associate’s degree in “dental hygiene” to begin working. According to American Dental Hygiene Association, hygienists are getting their bachelor’s and master’s to further their career
As all Americans’ know, job stability is close to a foreign language. Not many people choose the job of a dental hygienist, though it is perfect due to the population increases and high demand. At the beginning at 2016, it was looked upon as one of the fastest growing occupations, dental wise. If one was to be occupied by this jobs, their services would be demanded frequently, whether you are finishing your certification program or in your career already.
All healthcare providers including dental hygienists should be knowledgeable when it comes to educating patients and use evidence based decision-making constructed on the research. The focus is to make an effort to find the right article and transform evidence into practice to improve quality and effectiveness of patient’s health care outcome.
Professionalism encompasses who we are and what we do. As dental hygienists, we are licensed oral health care providers who have undergone a rigorous education and possess certain skills that others do not. We exhibit many interrelated roles such as clinician, educator, researcher, advocate, mentor and many more. To be considered a profession, a specific field or area of study traditionally must have several characteristics. These include a specialized body of knowledge and skill of value to society, an intensive academic course of study, set standards of practice determined and regulated by the group,
In the first case study, the public health dental hygienist is responsible for evaluating the daily fluoridation test that is submitted by each state to make sure it is in the optimal range 0.7 to 1.2 milligrams per liter. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2011) She is also responsible for working with the state if the test results do not measure up the standards set forth by the CDC. In addition the dental hygienist reports all of these results to Centers for Disease control and Prevention (CDC) so the CDC can determine a national average. This case study shows the “assessment” part of the essential public health services.
Dental hygienists play an important role in the dental care facilities since they apply their knowledge on every case by removing tartar, stains, and plaque from teeth. They are in charge of applying sealants and fluorides to the teeth in order to protect them, they take and develop x-rays which helps them determine the patient 's vocal health and then present all this information through a report for the dentists to see. Once they have documented the patient 's care, they begin a treatment plan for each patient. They also educate their patients about the oral health and techniques they should apply and how to brush and floss the teeth accurately. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2016-17, p.2) Dental hygienists apply critical thinking, compassion towards their patients, interpersonal skills, and dexterity while on their jobs and are supposed to be very detail oriented since they work on small parts of the body and need precise use of the tolls. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2016-17, p.4).
For my senior project I have explored the career of a Dental Hygienist, who is a licensed dental professional who is registered with a dental care association within their country of practice. Their duty is to clean teeth, examine patients for signs and symptoms of oral diseases such as gingivitis, and provide other preventive dental care. They also educate patients on ways to improve and maintain good oral cavity health. Dental hygienist occupation has many important aspects to their job, which makes it a very rewarding occupation. According to my research dental hygienists is one of the top career choices in America, being so, over the years the career has evolved into a high demanding occupation.
The career I have chosen is Dental Hygiene. I am very interested in this career because I have the opportunity to teach people and educate them about the health of their mouth. Some of the things that dental hygienists do include taking x-rays, cleaning patients teeth, educating patients on the benefits of good oral hygiene, and treating periodontal diseases of the mouth. The importance of a healthy mouth truly affects the entire body. Plus everyone would enjoy a pretty smile and a good set of straight teeth.
Nature of the work for a dental hygienist is a wide range of challenges. Dental hygienist plays as the side kick of the dentist to better help their patient’s oral health conditions. The reason I mentioned theirs a wide variety of responsibilities is because different states have certain regulations on practices dental hygienist can actually do. Procedures like patient screening, head and neck inspection, and dental charting. Also, taking X-Rays, and removing plaque from all surfaces of the teeth. Dental hygienist also applies sealants and fluorides to the patient’s teeth and gums to help prevent diseases from forming. The information I conducted from my dental hygienist Linda. She noted that she teaches her patients proper instructions on flossing, and brushing teeth, and also nutrition counseling. Make an impression on their patient’s teeth for study casts which is models of teeth used by the dentist to evaluate patient treatment needs (Linda Smith). Finally, dental hygienist performs documentation and office activities. Academy of General Dentistry gave me the sources
Dentistry involves a variety of guidelines and oral practices to help people maintain a good oral hygiene. This career is far more than just making your teeth pretty and clean. “Dentists in private practice manage their own offices. They may supervise other workers such as receptionists, bookkeepers, dental assistants, and dental hygienists. They may order equipment and supplies” (Dentists). This quote shows that Dentists have even more responsibilities than you might assume. Being a Dentist consists of practices you probably aren’t very familiar with at this point in your life. These quotes show a couple different practices that are used in this career. “Endodontists perform root-canal therapy, by which they remove the nerves and blood supply from injured or infected teeth” (Dentistry). “Oral and maxillofacial radiologists diagnose diseases in the head and neck through the use of imaging technologies” (Dentistry). “Dentists may fit dental appliances or provide preventive care” (America’s). All of this might sound quite challenging and stressful. To overcome the stress that comes with being a Dentist, you will have to be patient. Determination is also a great key to success. If you are patient, responsible, and determined while working as a Dentist, you will be very successful.