Dental Hygiene wasn’t something I considered as a career path at a young age. I decided on dental hygiene as college commitment day approached and I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. One of my close family friends would talk about how she was in the same position as me and stumbled into this major. She spoke about how difficult dental hygiene school is yet how rewarding this career path was, and how much she loves it. And so I decided I was going to take a chance and join the Dental Hygiene program at City Tech. There was definitely a struggle, but it’s also been rewarding and a very interesting experience.
As a child I didn’t visit the dentist unless it was necessary. It was a dreaded visit, anytime I went it was always a negative experience. Nothing was ever explained and regular visits weren’t something I looked forward to. Dental hygiene is not only interesting, but a chance to change that negative outlook associated with a dental visit for patients. Dental hygienists as well as all oral healthcare providers can change this experience for many of their patients. It is truly a rewarding feeling when a patient leaves and they’re happy, and want to come back. I believe this can be the case for many patients especially if they have positive experiences visiting the dentist starting at a young age. Working with a range of patients in the clinic has given me a lot of insight into patient care. Going forward, I would love to work with the pediatric population as well and create a positive dental environment at a young age.
