What Do Dental Hygienists Do (including Their Typical Day At Work)

Job Description

Dental Hygienists clean teeth and examine oral areas, head, and neck for signs of oral disease. May educate patients on oral hygiene, take and develop x rays, or apply fluoride or sealants. They also clean calcareous deposits, accretions, and stains from teeth and beneath margins of gums, using dental instruments.

Other tasks include:

• Record and review patient medical histories.
• Examine gums, using probes, to locate periodontal recessed gums and signs of gum disease.
• Feel and visually examine gums for sores and signs of disease.
• Expose and develop x-ray film.
• Chart conditions of decay and disease for diagnosis and treatment by dentist.
• Maintain dental equipment and sharpen and sterilize dental instruments.

We asked Dental Hygienists how satisfied they are with their job. Here is what they said.

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79% of them said they were satisfied with their job and 78% said they find that their job makes the world a better place or helps to make someone else’s life better.

Typical Day At Work

On a daily basis, Dental Hygienists clean calcareous deposits, accretions, and stains from teeth and beneath margins of gums, using dental instruments. They record and review patient medical histories.

A typical day for a Dental Hygienist will also include:

• Feel and visually examine gums for sores and signs of disease.
• Chart conditions of decay and disease for diagnosis and treatment by dentist.
• Examine gums, using probes, to locate periodontal recessed gums and signs of gum disease.
• Provide clinical services or health education to improve and maintain the oral health of patients or the general public.
• Feel lymph nodes under patient’s chin to detect swelling or tenderness that could indicate presence of oral cancer.

We asked some Dental Hygienists a few questions to find out what else does their work day look like. Here is what we found.

	Do you have telephone conversations everyday in this job?	32% said yes
	How important is it to work in a team in this job?	71% said very important
	Do you have group discussions everyday in this job?	89% said yes
	Do you talk or work with customers everyday in this job?	55% said yes
	Do you have to deal with angry customers everyday in this job?	17% said yes
	Do you have to make decisions everyday in this job?	65% said yes

Other responsibilities

Besides their typical day, Dental Hygienists also remove excess cement from coronal surfaces of teeth. They may also administer local anesthetic agents.

On a weekly to monthly basis, Dental Hygienists Make impressions for study casts. They might also Maintain patient recall system.

In addition, they Place and remove rubber dams, matrices, and temporary restorations.

Although specific duties may vary, many of them Remove sutures and dressings.

To some Dental Hygienists, it is also their responsibility to Conduct dental health clinics for community groups to augment services of dentist.

Working life

Less than 40 hours per week

Regular schedule like a 9 to 5

In a typical work week as a Dental Hygienist, you can expect to work less than 40 hours per week.

Is this right for me

People who are suitable for this job tends to like working with, communicating with, and teaching people. They like helping or providing service to others..

They also like work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They like working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery.

You can read more about these career personality types here.

Explore other careers

http://www.bls.gov/OOH/healthcare/dental-hygienists.htm

http://www.ada.org/

http://www.adha.org/