My email interview with a Dental Hygienist!
Interviewer: Me
Dental Hygienist being interviewed: Nicole Petersen
Dental Hygienist being interviewed: Nicole Petersen
Interview Questions:
- What college did you go to and is there a major difference if you choose to go to a community college rather than a 4-year college for dental hygiene?
- In addition, what college courses were required to become a dental hygienist?
- Why did you choose to become a dental hygienist?
- What does your typical day of working as a dental hygienist consist of?
- In conjunction with your job duties, what instruments do you use regularly to examine and clean teeth?
- How do you determine if a tooth is developing into a cavity and when is it necessary to extract a cavity rather than just using sealant?
- What do you like best and least about you job as a dental hygienist?
- In conclusion, what advice on proper oral care would you give to our viewers?
Interview Answers:
- I attended the 2-year dental hygiene program at Milwaukee Area Technical College in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The difference between a 4-year college and technical college is the degree you receive, a bachelors degree vs. an associate degree. A bachelor degree allows you further opportunities in the dental field, such as teaching or working in sales. However, a dental hygiene license is a dental hygiene license, everyone has to pass the same board exam no matter what school you attended. Dental hygiene is a profession where you could complete all your schooling and graduate, but if you don't pass the board exam and get a license you will never work in the field.
- General education courses were required before entering the dental hygiene program (english, economics, math, many science classes, electives, etc...basically going through high school again but paying for it :)
- I chose to become a dental hygienist because I wanted a profession that would allow me a flexible schedule and a decent income to support my volunteer work as one of Jehovah's Witnesses.
- I work Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday...9-5:00. I usually have one patient per hour, so I see about 7 patients per day. Each patient consists of updating medical history, x-rays (if needed), intra/extra oral hygiene exam, prophy (scaling/polish), and then the doctor's exam
- I use a mouth mirror, explorers (shepherd hook for caries and 11/12 to detect calculus), periodontal probe, sickle scaler, 204sd scaler, 1/2 gracey, 11/12 gracey, 13/14 gracey.
- As a hygienist working in Wisconsin, I do not have the power to diagnose a cavity, but things to look for and point out to the dentist are any areas of concern to the patient, soft/sticky spots found with the explorer, broken teeth or dark spots on teeth...the dentist will use the x-rays and his trained eye to give the final diagnoses for treatment.
- I enjoy meeting new people and then getting to know those patients and their families over time, they become part of your dental family. Or winning over a patient that is extremely nervous or scared to come to the dentist. I also find great satisfaction in removing plaque and calculus and seeing a patient improve in their oral hygiene habits and see the tissue restore to health. Because dental hygiene is very repetitive (you are basically doing the same thing every hour on the hour) it can become mindless at times, so I try to look at each patient as a fresh clean slate in seeing how I can help them have a better day. The repetitiveness is also hard on your body so good ergonomics and taking care of your own health is very important.
- Start at an early age to form good oral hygiene habits and routines and make it a point to visit a dentist at least once a year, it will be cheaper in the long run.