Each job is pretty important in its own way, however some are just a bit more important than others. Naturally, when you think about going to the dentist, you will more than likely to think about the dentist first. Possibly followed closely by the receptionist, but there are other people who work in a dentist’s office who are of vital importance to your oral health.
For instance, you have the dental hygienist. Have you ever really thought about what a dental hygienist does for you? The amount of work that they put in on your behalf is quite impressive, to say the least. Thanks to their varied responsibilities along with their continued education in dental hygiene, these hygienists are the cornerstone of every dental office. Let’s take a look at the five daily routine tasks of a dental hygienist:
1. Tooth Impressions
When it comes to going to the dentist, one of the major things that will happen there is identifying any possible threats or issues to your oral health. Of course, a dentist will be able to take a look at you and make a well educated estimate of how much trouble you’re in so far. However, a dental hygienist may go through the process of making tooth impressions for you, the impressions being quite valuable to the diagnosis of your health.
2. Patient Education
Everyone learns the ABCs of oral health while growing up, but there are still a few grains of golden advice that may be given out during a trip to the dentist. A hygienist will be able to accurately inform you of important tactics to use in approaching a healthier, more effective oral health plan. They can suggest what to do and what not to do given a specific situation. As with most forms of professional advice, it would more than likely benefit you to heed the advice and take it to heart immediately.
3. X-Rays
Having some issues with your mouth? The root of the trouble may not be immediately obvious, even to the eyes of a trained professional. On occasion, you may find yourself needing a mouth X-Ray, and a dental hygienist will be able to help you out with that. They will also ensure that you are completely safe and prepared to go through with the X-Ray process, that can easily be very dangerous when mixed with incompetence. Plus, you will be able to better understand the X-Ray, itself, with guidance and explanations from your hygienist. From there, you will have a better understanding of any oral woes you may have.
4. Oral Assessments
Everyone has an opinion, but which person’s opinion should you listen to? Well, a trained professional will more than likely give you a good, well thought out opinion, and a dental hygienist will have many insightful assessments about the state of your oral health after a quick inspection. As you can imagine, this information could be vital in many situations, and will be valuable going forward in your life. Once this information and assessment has been gathered, your dentist will be able to use it to help you with whatever your needs are.
5. Office Management
No one likes a chaotic, disorganized office, especially when it comes to healthcare. When a dental office becomes disorganized, important patient information may be lost in the mess. This could very well lead to an innocent person suffering through unnecessary discomfort, or even lead to a healthy mouth’s rapid decay, which no one wants. This is one reason why dental hygienists are vital, as well, as they can help manage an office, as well as documentation. It’s a thankless job, but we would certainly notice if no one did it, right?
