Transitioning from a dental assistant to a dental hygienist has been a significant journey that expanded my skills and knowledge in oral healthcare. Working as an assistant gave me hands-on experience with dental procedures and taught me how to handle patients and run the office smoothly. A big takeaway from my time as an assistant was learning how to communicate effectively with patients. I learned to talk to them in a way that makes them comfortable and helps them understand their dental care, which has been really helpful as a hygienist in building trust with my patients. Additionally, my experience as an assistant emphasized the importance of teamwork in a dental practice. Working together and ensuring patients have a positive experience has been crucial in my transition to becoming a hygienist.
As the only assistant that worked at the office of Keith Bracy DDS Dentistry at the time, I learned to think on my feet in terms of how I speak and express myself through my body language to be more welcoming and comforting to patients. It was a learning process because I had to experiment with different ways that worked with different types of individuals, but the most important thing that I realized was that everyone is just another human and we can connect on the most basic level by sharing our feelings, emotions about the simplest things.
