Dental Hygienist

Dental Hygienist

Dental Hygienists teach people how to properly care for their teeth, remove deposits from teeth, and provide other preventative care. As a result they may have to use x-ray machines, syringes to administer anesthetics, molding equipment, remove sutures, and prepare diagnostic tests for the Dentist to examine. To become a Dental Hygienist you must graduate from an accredited dental hygiene school and pass a written and clinical exam. An associates degree will allow you to work in a Dentists office but some institutions also offer bachelors and masters degrees in this field. Usually someone with a bachelors or masters would work in research or teach. Many of the accredited programs require 1 year of college to enter and offer laboratory, clinical, and classroom instruction. Daytona Beach Community College offers a 2 year program in Dental Hygiene that requires you to take College Algebra, Microbiology, Chemistry, and Dental Radiography. As a High School student preparing to become a Dental Hygienist you should take courses in biology, chemistry, and mathematics. This area is projected to be one of the top thirty fastest growing occupations and a Dental Hygienist usually makes between $20.46 and$29.72 an hour.

Image courtesy of University of Adelaide

Image courtesy of Fond Du Loc Cosmetic Dental Center

Local Corporations

• White Wolf Dental Group
  http://www.realpagessites.com/whitewolfdental/
• LeCompte Orthodontics
  http://www.lecompteorthodontics.com/

Additional Links

• American Dental Hygienists Association
  http://www.adha.org/
• American Dental Association
  http://www.ada.org/