Becoming a Dental Hygienist

A dental hygienist educates patients in keeping their teeth and gums healthy. They scale and polish teeth to remove stains and plaque deposits and teach patients the right way to look after their teeth and gums through proper cleaning and diet. Hygienists also apply sealants and fluoride to children's teeth to help prevent decay. In hospitals, they may treat patients' mouths before and after oral surgery.

The job:

The most important task carried out by hygienists is stealing and the polishing-a task that patients cannot carry out themselves-which can prevent tooth decay and gum disease. This should be carried out regularly, about once every six months is recommended. The process involves using hand or ultrasonic instruments, and sometimes a combination of both.

A hygienist may start by using a disclosing tablet, which stands the plaque in the mouth. This shows how much plaque there is to be removed. This may be followed by a demonstration of an effective method of tooth brushing and the use of dental floss, which is used to clean the services between the teeth and near the gums. Sometimes, a chart of the mouth showing plaque is compiled.

Hygienists also advise on diet and other methods of dental care. Their advice must motivate their patients to keep a high standard of care of their teeth between visits, so they need to be persuasive as well as enthusiastic.

Another important part of hygienists work is fissure sealing of children's teeth, which will help to prevent decay. Hygienists must be able to relate well to children who may be worried about visiting the dentist. Fissure sealing requires the teeth to be kept dry for some minutes, so hygienists have to be able to persuade young children to sit still.

The job as a whole demands a very high standard of manual skills and requires very close and thorough work. It is often not a pleasant task to clean stains and plaque from people's teeth and to look into their mouths all day. Hygienists tend to be on their feet most of their working day.

They usually wear overalls, protective rubber gloves, face masks, and safety glasses.

Although they may work alone, they are always under the direction of a qualified dentist.

Hygienists work in general practice, hospitals, schools, or with handicapped or housebound patients.

Some hygienists qualify as dental therapists. Therapists are based in community or hospital dental services. They do all the tasks performed by a hygienist but they are also trained to administer local anesthetics, perform simple fillings, and extract teeth (in some countries, they are only qualified to extract children's teeth).

Unless they are employed in a large dental practice, hygienists tend to work part-time and build up to full time hours by combining several part-time jobs.

Training involved:

Training can last from one to four years, depending on the country. In some countries, for example, training involves an intensive one year full time course leading to a diploma in dental hygiene. Training is carried out in dental hospitals and sometimes in the armed forces. To qualify for some training courses, previous experience and qualifications as a dental surgery assistant may be required.

Training in dental therapy takes between two and three years.

In some other countries, there is four year bachelor's degree or a two year program leading to a dental hygiene certificate. The four year course is growing in popularity and is preferred by employers. Sometimes, students may have to take further professional examinations to satisfy local requirements.

Training courses include human biology, preventative dentistry, dental health education, tooth, gum, and other diseases of the mouth, dental radiography, and histology (the study of cells and tissues).

Practical skills are also taught, such as scaling, polishing, and applying sealants. Practical experience is gained using dummy heads and then real patients.

Salary Expectations:

The base salary range of a Dental Hygienist range from $59,136 to $94,131 annually, while the median salary for most Dental Hygienists is $77,000 annually. (US Base Pay)

Future prospects:

The demand for hygienists is increasing all the time, since people in general are becoming more aware of the need for good dental hygiene to preserve their teeth throughout their lives.

Some dentists will perform scaling and polishing themselves, especially in small practices. However, many newly qualified dentists will automatically employ hygienists, since dental schools teach the importance of using dental support staff.

It is possible to travel to other countries as a hygienist, since it is a growing profession in many countries, and skills are in demand, especially in the West.

For further information, please contact associations or institutes of professional dental hygienists as well as dental hospitals.