Having started my journey in the field of dentistry almost a decade ago, I finally made the decision to switch to dental hygiene from assisting. While I thoroughly enjoyed being a dental assistant, at the encouragement of others in the field, I realized I possess the necessary qualities to be my own licensed healthcare practitioner. Both dental assistants and dental hygienists play a role in patient education, and this is an area where I shine. I felt I learned a lot during my time in school for expanded function dental assisting, but I learned far more in hygiene school than I ever dreamed possible. My education, along with my people skills and ability to relay pertinent information in layman’s terms, lays the foundation for patient rapport and exceptional homecare routines.
The extensive hands-on experience I had from assisting, combined with my recent in-depth education, enables me to start my job search with confidence. As an assistant, I routinely took impressions, administered NO2/O2 sedation, sterilized instruments, exposed radiographs, provided OHI, etc. However, my role was mostly that of a reactive one, as I would assist the dentist in restorative procedures. As a hygienist, I hope to have more of a proactive role, which ideally prevents extensive restorative work and increases the maintenance of natural teeth.
