Celebrating dental hygienists during National Dental Hygienist Week
It’s National Dental Hygienist week, and if you have ever visited a dentist, you have most certainly met a dental hygienist. Dental hygienists play an important role when it comes to your oral health and keeping track of any changes in your mouth.
We appreciate dental hygienists and are happy to show them some love by featuring all the ways they work to help dental offices around the world function day-to-day.
What is a dental hygienist?
Dental hygienists have many different roles in a dentist office. In fact, a dental hygienist is often the person you spend most of your time with during a dental visit. They handle various roles such as taking x-rays, conducting oral screenings, performing preventive periodontal procedures and more. Dental hygienists also communicate with patients about a variety of oral health topics and have the skillset to use many different types of tools and instruments.
As you can see, dental hygienists play a critical role in your oral health, so let’s dive into what they do and how they become dental hygienists:
Dental hygienist roles
To understand how much a dental hygienist does, it’s important to take a dive into each of their job roles.
X-rays
The dental hygienist position comes with many responsibilities, including taking x-rays for patients. Taking x-rays requires strict adherence to proper procedure protect the hygienist and the patients from radiation. Dentists may also rely on hygienists to summarize what they see on the x-rays to help bring them up to speed about a patient.
Oral health screenings
An oral health screening is an important part of any dental visit. During these inspections, the dental hygienist looks for signs of oral cancer, as well as signs of gingivitis or other oral diseases.
Preventive and non-surgical periodontal procedures
The main goals of a dental hygienist are to provide preventive care and educate patients. Preventive care procedures are extremely important because they do much more for the mouth than a toothbrush, mouthwash and floss. During the dental hygienist’s first interaction with a patient, they will determine the type of cleaning that is necessary.
Cleaning teeth involves removing tartar, stains, and plaque from teeth, polishing teeth, as well as applying sealants and fluorides to help protect teeth. Additionally, dental hygienists are tasked with educating patients on oral health techniques, such as brushing and flossing correctly, and they can provide other non-surgical cleanings that include scaling and root planing.
How to become a dental hygienist
Becoming a dental hygienist requires a minimum of a two-year associate degree, although some universities offer four-year bachelor programs. In the United States, there are more than 300 dental hygiene programs available across various colleges and dental schools.
After completing your degree, you can become a registered dental hygienist (RDA) by passing the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination and taking an authorized licensure exam in the state you want to work.
Thank you, dental hygienists!
As you can see dental hygienists play a critical role when it comes to caring for your oral health. National Dental Hygienist Week is designed to provide recognition and appreciation for dental hygienists, so remember to honor these important team members the next time you have an opportunity. Interested in other dental careers? Consider becoming a dental assistant. Looking for more information on oral health, check out, “Oral Health Basics: How to properly brush your teeth and floss”.