Dental hygienists are health-care professionals who provide preventive
dental care, such as cleaning. They also teach patients about good oral hygiene.
When a patient arrives at the dentist's office, hygienists first examine
the person's teeth and gums. They record the presence of diseases or abnormalities
so they can alert the dentist.
Hygienists then perform a cleaning on the teeth: they remove hardened plaque
(called calculus or tartar), as well as stains. Then they apply fluoride treatments
and pit and fissure sealants. Hygienists also take and develop X-rays, put
in temporary fillings and smooth and polish metal restorations.
Hygienists say they can clean patients' mouths well at the dentist's office.
However, what's really important is how well they educate patients to take
care of their teeth themselves.
"We have to educate patients while we have them for a short time and we
need to give them specific instructions they can follow at home," says Nancy
Bell. She's a dental hygienist in Wisconsin.
"When patients only come in once or twice a year, that's not enough unless
they take [home] the knowledge we give them."
Hygienists say the most rewarding part of their job occurs when they don't
have to refer patients to a dentist for more serious work. It means they've
played a part in preventing dental decay.
"The major focus of dental hygiene has always been prevention. Always has
been, always will be," says Mary-Alice Gaston. She's a dental hygienist in
Memphis, Tennessee.
Dental hygienists must like working with people, often in very close settings.
They spend a lot of time looking in people's mouths.
"Sometimes close patient contact can be unpleasant, but in most settings
this isn't a problem," says Bell. As a student, she worked on street people
who didn't have good oral hygiene. "They're the people who need the treatment
most desperately."
You'll find most dental hygienists working in private dental practices
where they're part of a team, which includes dentists, dental assistants and
receptionists.
Some dental hygienists work for the government in public health, educating
people and providing dental care outside the traditional dental office setting.
Others work as instructors at colleges and universities.
Hygienists say it's important for them to practice what they preach. A
good hygienist has a clean, professional appearance and yes, good dental hygiene.
Dental hygienists spend much of their day sitting down while cleaning and
scaling teeth.
Many people do not enjoy going to dentists, and they may project those
feelings on to their hygienist.
If you're interested in becoming a dental hygienist, visit a local dentist's
office and ask if you can hang around for a day, says Gaston. "Watch them
work, see what their day is like. There's nothing like observing a routine
schedule to understand what the job is like."