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Melissa Whitaker

Mr. Phillips

English 3

29 April 2019

A Career as a Dental Hygienist?

When I was little I wanted to grow up to be Abby from NCIS. For so many years,

I would dress up for Halloween as her. When I started to get older I thought about

being a firefighter or a police officer, or even going into the Air Force. As I got into the

middle years of high school, my dream job changed every single week. I have finally

reached a conclusion of my dream job, a Dental Hygienist. Dental hygiene is a reliable

career because dental hygiene is important to ensure patients have healthy and

attractive teeth and this field is projected to grow over the next decade.

Dental hygienists have the opportunity to make patients feel good about their

teeth. In 2019, “Projections, C. and Dental Hygienist: Career” out with an article saying

that dental hygienists use different tools to clean and polish patients teeth. Using a

combination of air, water, and baking soda, a hygienist removes stains and plaque off

patient’s teeth. Hygienists look for diseases or abnormalities as well as taking dental X-

rays. Dental hygienists help patients develop good habits to have good oral health.

They show the relationship between diet and oral health to explain to the patients how

to select toothbrushes and how to brush and floss their teeth as well as suggestions for

incorporating dental care into everyday routines.

For this career, you must go to school, to ensure that a dental hygienist receives

the correct education in 2019, “All Allied Health Schools” says that according to the

Commission on Dental Hygienist Accreditation (CODA), all accredited programs must

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cover four key content areas- general education, biomedical sciences, dental sciences,

and dental hygiene sciences. The “ADA” (2019) states that because dental hygienist

certifications differ from state to state, each state has its own authority and control over

their practice. An associate degree is the minimum level of education to become a

licensed hygienist.There are different ways to go to school to be licensed in dental

hygiene and this is one example. The Air Force can offer a scholarship for dental

professionals in the Air Force, “Air Force Dental Health Profession Scholarship Program

(HPSP) is a 3-4 year period and pays full tuition and all required fees” “U.S. Air Force”

(2019).

One of the biggest things about dental hygiene as a career is the employment

growth in North Carolina and the types of services needed to support more people. On

12th April, 2019, “The Occupational Outlook Handout- Job Outlook” states,

“Employment of dental hygienist is projected to grow 20 percent from 2016 to 2026,

much faster than the average for all occupations”. Knowing that there is a large growth

in the future for this career is very promising.

Having and practicing good dental care is very important. In 2019, India Ogazi

wrote an article about the “Importance of good dental hygiene” saying that having dental

problems can cause your ability to properly speak and eat to be impacted, as well as be

extremely painful. “An unhealthy mouth, especially if you have gum disease, may

increase your risk of serious health problems such as heart attack, stroke, or poorly

controlled diabetes and preterm labor” says “Oral Health and overall health: Why a

Healthy mouth is good for your body” in 2019. It also states that long-term infections in

the gums can cause patients to lose their teeth. This proves that people need to go to
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the dentist and see a dental hygienist and a dentist about their teeth, to make sure that

they have healthy teeth, preferably twice a year.

Although dental hygienists might seem to have an easy job of just cleaning teeth,

they have challenges. “Must be creative in their approach to patients management and

oral health education” says the ADA in 2019. Dental hygienists see a variety of ages,

race, and backgrounds. Dental hygienists use different skills for different patients to

meet the needs of the patients oral care. Teaching a five year-old is much different than

teaching an adult how to take care of their teeth and how to practice good dental

hygiene. Working in this profession is also dealing with the public and sometimes with

patients who really don’t even want to be there.

I have an obsession for teeth - I've never had a cavity, I’ve never had braces, and

I have always loved the tooth fairy visiting me. “‘I have been working as a dental

professional for over 26 years,” Stout said. ‘I have seen the difference in the health of

those who have access to oral care and those who do not”, states Jean Biazar and

Stout, in “A Passion for Service” by Biazar, Jean. The employment rate and the need

for dental hygienists are both large factors in why I am choosing to be a dental

hygienist. But the overwhelming factor that I am choosing this career is because I have

a passion for teeth, and I want to teach patients how to take care of their teeth, even

those who don’t want to go inside a dentist’s office. I believe that pursuing a path to

become a dental hygienist is a career that is feasible for me.

Works cited:

ADA “Dental Hygienist” 2019. Web. https://www.ada.org

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ADHA “A Passion for Service” December 2018. Biography on Staci Stout By: Jean Biazar.

found on web. Pubs.royle.com.

All Allied Schools “How to become a Dental Hygienist” “Career Guide: Dental Hygienist”

2019 web. www.allalliedhealthschools.com

U.S. Bureau Of Labor Statistics. Occupational Outlook Handbook. “Dental Hygienist”

2019. Web. https://www.bls.gov

Oral Health and Overall Health: “Why a healthy mouth is good for your body” 2019. Web.

Colgateprofessional.com.

Projections, C. and Dental Hygienists. “Dental Hygienist: Career, Salary, and education

information.” 2019 Web. https://collegegrad.com

“The Importance of Good Dental Hygiene” By: India Ogazi. 2019. Web.

https://www.legacycommunityhealth.org

U.S. Air Force “Dentist” 2019. Web. https://www.airforce.com