Dental Hygienist
Dental Hygienist
A dental hygienist provides oral care to patients that include preventative treatment, examination and educating patients. The yearly salary for this profession is estimated around $67,000 all the way to $100,000. Now let's take a look at how to become one, what the work environment is like and some job responsibilities.
Education
In order to become a dental hygienist you will need to obtain either an associates or bachelors degree in dental hygiene. You can even further your education by getting a masters but it is not necessary. Programs are offered through community colleges that typically take about three years to complete. These programs will give you laboratory experience as well as the in class discussions needed for you to succeed in this field. Once completing your education you will have to pass written and clinical exams to be able to obtain the licensing needed to work. In California You can obtain your license through the Western Regional Examination Board (WREB).
Work Environment
A dental hygienist has a couple options as far as options where they can work. Most commonly you may work in a private dental office but there is also the ability to work in a hospital, public health facilities, schools and long term care facilities. Depending upon the workplace you choose will determine the stress levels of the environment. Let's focus on a private dental office since that is the most common choice for this field. In a private dental office you can expect to help many patients in one day. However these are all appointment based so it is not often you will have something unexpected happen. You can also expect to have a nine to five, Monday through Friday schedule which is a major plus to most people. Like many health care professions you can also expect great benefits and pretty decent pay. Lastly, when working in a private dental office you can also expect to only work with people who have the same career unlike in public health facilities where multiple services are offered.
Job Responsibilities
Some responsibilities a dental hygienist has are the removal of tartar, plaque and stains from teeth. They can apply sealant and fluoride to teeth in hope to help protect them. Performing and analyzing oral x-rays is also a part of the job. They will assist the doctor as he makes observations and records the findings for records. Lastly, they will educate patients on how to keep and maintain good oral hygiene.
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