Dental hygienists remove soft and hard deposits from teeth, teach patients
how to practice good oral hygiene, and provide other preventive dental care.
Hygienists examine patients’ teeth and gums, recording the presence of
diseases or abnormalities. They remove calculus, stains, and plaque from
teeth; perform root planing as a periodontal therapy; take and develop
dental x rays; and apply cavity-preventive agents such as fluorides and pit
and fissure sealants. In some States, hygienists administer anesthetics;
place and carve filling materials, temporary fillings, and periodontal
dressings; remove sutures; and smooth and polish metal restorations.
Although hygienists may not diagnose diseases, they can prepare clinical and
laboratory diagnostic tests for the dentist to interpret. Hygienists
sometimes work chairside with the dentist during treatment.
Dental
hygienists also help patients develop and maintain good oral health. For
example, they may explain the relationship between diet and oral health or
inform patients how to select toothbrushes and show them how to brush and
floss their teeth.
Dental hygienists use hand and rotary instruments and ultrasonics to
clean and polish teeth, x-ray machines to take dental pictures, syringes
with needles to administer local anesthetics, and models of teeth to explain
oral hygiene.
Source: Bureau of Labor
Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook
Handbook, 2006-07 Edition
