Deanne Hemphill pokes her head into the waiting area. "Donny?" Her patient
puts down the magazine, gets up and follows her down the hall. Hemphill leads
the patient upstairs to the X-ray room.
"The first exam is very independent of the orthodontist," she says. "In
this job, you aren't at the mercy of the dentist; you just follow
your own routine."
And that's what she does. "Make yourself comfortable," she says, pointing
to the chair. With a high-tech X-ray machine, Hemphill takes large pictures
of the jaw. "Clamp down, and tilt your head a little to the right," she says
to the patient.
After the X-rays, Hemphill then takes a few photos of Donny's profile.
After this stage of the appointment is finished, Hemphill leads the patient
downstairs to her office space.
"While they are getting comfortable in the chair, I put the pictures in
the developer," she says. The photo session isn't finished -- Hemphill then
proceeds to photograph the person's face in order to document what corrections
the orthodontist may choose to make.
Hemphill reaches for the retractors, which she'll use to pull the patient's
lips away from the teeth for a close-up photograph. But before she even thinks
about attaching them, she is careful to explain what she is doing and why
it must be done.
"You're always working with different types of people," says orthodontic
assistant Beth Thomas. "You have to make sure that you explain to each of
them exactly what you're doing. If we went to the doctor or were having something
this important done, we'd want to know exactly what is happening."
Hemphill then takes a metal impression plate off the tray. Once she has
found a plate that fits into Donny's mouth, she fills it with a fast-drying
mix that will take an impression of his mouth. "The odd patient can be difficult
with this," says Hemphill.
Patients can find it uncomfortable to have the cast removed, and are made
nervous by the strong pull at their teeth. "It's really nothing, but some
people can't take it, and I've had them bring up their breakfast all over
the floor," she says.
"I can understand that having a mouth full of gooey stuff isn't too pleasant,"
Hemphill adds with a laugh. The best way to make a patient comfortable with
the experience is to do a good job. "That's what I've learned from experience,"
she says. "People are more responsive and accepting when you know how to give
better treatment."
After the impressions are taken, Donny's initial visit to the orthodontist
is almost over. But Hemphill does much more than look after people on their
first visit. She also takes before and after pictures of people who need braces.
Thomas had braces put on her teeth in junior high school. After a few visits
to the orthodontist's office, she was sure of her future. "I knew this was
an interesting field," she says. "I didn't know the first thing about it,
so I asked my dentist and they told me about a course to take."
After high school, she enrolled in a dental assistant course, found a job
in a dentist's office and worked to get experience for a few years. "Then
I lucked out," she says. "This job came along and I took it up."
Many orthodontist assistants speak of the same experience finding a job.
"I trained as a dental assistant, but I was lucky enough to get hired as an
orthodontist assistant," says Hemphill.
Like Hemphill, Thomas takes X-rays and photographs of patients' mouths.
She also does lab work. "I love that part too," she says. "Anyone who loved
playing in a sandbox or playing with Play-Doh when they were little will understand."
Shaping, trimming and grinding impressions and retainers is finicky work,
but it can be tons of fun, she adds.
For a few hours during the week, Thomas works with the orthodontist helping
to apply braces. Before meeting the orthodontist, she polishes and readies
the person's teeth for braces. "I've already seen the patient once, while
doing impressions, so it's fun to chat about things," she says.
She hands the orthodontist the glues and braces while he attaches them.
Thomas then applies the wires, and tells the patient how to brush and floss
while wearing the apparatus.
In addition to dealing with patients, orthodontic assistants also have
to keep records and help order supplies. Thomas works as a receptionist one
day per week. "It's pretty casual," she says. "I take orders, talk with people
and even spend some of the time sterilizing equipment."
Sometimes orthodontic assistants feel they are missing out because they
don't use all of the skills they learned as a dental assistant.
"At times I think, 'Gee, I'm probably losing some of the skills I learned,'"
says Hemphill. "You're pretty limited in what you do as an orthodontic assistant."
But her thoughts don't last for long. "It's not to the detriment that I'm
losing some of these skills -- I love my job."
Thomas also loves her job. "It's nice to see the rapid change in people
after two years of having braces on," she says. "Some people who say they
have never smiled have these big grins on their faces. It's a wonderful confidence
booster. And there's nothing better than thinking I helped them feel good
about themselves."