Dental Hygienist

Dental hygienists use their knowledge and clinical skills to provide dental hygiene care and provide oral health instructions to patients to prevent oral disease and maintain oral health.

Services will include:

Perform oral health assessments that include taking a health history, dental charting, oral cancer screening, saliva testing and taking vital signs (blood pressure, pulse, blood glucose, respiration)
Expose, process, and interpret dental X-rays.
Make impressions of the teeth for plaster study models and mouthguard construction.
Photograph exterior and interior oral structures to profile stages of treatment and outcomes.
Administer anesthetic injections to numb the teeth and gums.
Remove plaque, calculus (soft and hard deposits) and stain from above and below the gum line.
Polish the teeth and dental restorations.
Perform root planning for non-surgical periodontal therapy.
Place and remove a post-surgical dressing and remove sutures.
Select and size orthodontic bands, prepare teeth for placement of braces and remove wires and fixed orthodontic appliances.
Apply decay preventive agents such as fluorides, varnishes, and sealants to the teeth.
Teach oral hygiene techniques to help people maintain healthy teeth and gums; and
Counsel patients on plaque control, good nutrition, smoking cessation and systemic health.