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Dental Hygienists

  • Bright Outlook
  • Rapid Growth

Administer oral hygiene care to patients. Assess patient oral hygiene problems or needs and maintain health records. Advise patients on oral health maintenance and disease prevention. May provide advanced care such as providing fluoride treatment or administering topical anesthesia.

What you’d do

  • Record and review patient medical histories.
  • Feel and visually examine gums for sores and signs of disease.
  • Examine gums, using probes, to locate periodontal recessed gums and signs of gum disease.
  • Clean calcareous deposits, accretions, and stains from teeth and beneath margins of gums, using dental instruments.
  • Provide clinical services or health education to improve and maintain the oral health of patients or the general public.
  • Chart conditions of decay and disease for diagnosis and treatment by dentist.
  • Expose and develop x-ray film.
  • Attend continuing education courses to maintain or update skills.

Skills that matter

  • Active Listening
  • Critical Thinking
  • Speaking
  • Monitoring
  • Service Orientation
  • Social Perceptiveness

How to get there

Medium preparation: usually vocational school, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree

Also called

  • Dental Hygienist
  • Hygienist
  • Licensed Dental Hygienist
  • Registered Dental Hygienist (RDH)
  • Pediatric Dental Hygienist

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