When you visit a dental office, one of the specialists you may see is a dental hygienist. A majority of preventive dentistry services are performed by a professional dental hygienist. Preventive dentistry involves a series of services meant to reduce the chances of contracting oral health diseases and conditions. Procedures such as teeth cleanings, dental X-rays, oral exams, sealants placement, and fluoride treatment are some of the preventive dental care services you expect to get from a dental hygienist.
Responsibilities of Dental Hygienists
You may think that a dental hygienist only does the job of cleaning patients' teeth, however, there are a series of other tasks these professionals do to help patients achieve good dental health and wellbeing. Besides cleaning teeth, hygienists also serve to assist dentists with treatments. This way, they ensure that dentists perform their procedures efficiently by ensuring that everything needed for treatment is in place.
A dental hygienist will track the patient history. The dental professional will collect dental and medical history for patients before any treatment or procedure is performed. This is an essential thing because a dentist wants to know the risks you may have for certain hereditary disorders and diseases.
Dental patients and professionals may get into contact with transmittable materials, including bacteria and viruses during their day-to-day duties. A dental hygienist is part of the team that helps keep the dental office environment clean. The specialist works together with dental technicians and other members to ensure a clean and sanitary environment. This task involves sterilizing dental tools and equipment, sharpening blades, and keeping all the surfaces disinfected after every patient.
Additionally, dental hygienists take X-rays or radiographs to allow a dentist to see the patient's mouth in more detail. X-rays can show bone loss within the jaw, small areas of tooth decay, the position of teeth, decay beneath fillings, cysts, and abscesses. Other tasks that a dental hygienist can perform are preventive treatments such as teeth cleanings, sealants, and fluoride treatments.
Now that you know some of the tasks that dental hygienists perform, why not come to our dental office for examination and treatment. Schedule your appointment.
Our Blog | Water’s Edge Dental | Boise, ID dentist Water's Edge Dental has created this informative blog to help educate the community. Water's Edge Dental, 6657 N. Glenwood Street, Boise, ID 83714-1925 ~ (208) 391-8554 ~ watersedgedentalboise.com ~ 9/17/2024 ~ Page Keywords: dentist Boise ID ~
When you visit a dental office, one of the specialists you may see is a dental hygienist. A majority of preventive dentistry services are performed by a professional dental hygienist. Preventive dentistry involves a series of services meant to reduce the chances of contracting oral health diseases and conditions. Procedures such as teeth cleanings, dental X-rays, oral exams, sealants placement, and fluoride treatment are some of the preventive dental care services you expect to get from a dental hygienist.