An effective Dental Hygienist is patient, and compassionate. The Dental Hygienist is providing a service to different people from different walks of life. The patients may be well educated or uneducated. The patient needs to be treated with genuine humility.
A Dental Hygienist has been educated about the proper care of the teeth and mouth but not everyone takes as good care as they should. A good Dental Hygienist will educate the patient with compassion and humility. Building raport with the patient and putting yourself in their shoes helps to provide education to the patient to best benefit their health. It is important to provide a good explanation as to why good oral health is important to the rest of the body. An explanation in layman's terms that the patient will understand and the consequences in a compassionate manner will show humility and the human side of the Dental Hygienist.
An effective Dental Hygienist will possess the knowlege aquired with their education as to how oral health affects the rest of the body and how to relay this information to the patient without appearing rude and condescending. It takes real people skills to relay information in a compassionate and humble manner. An example of how to discuss a dental issue with the patient is to explain to the patient what is going on and what the consequence may be if it is not corrected. She would then go on to explain what can be done with the help of the patient to correct the situation. The most important characteristic of a Dental Hygienist is to possess people skills and relay information in a humble manner.
It is a really big step for some patients to come to a dental office. So many people do not go to regular checkups at the dentist and they end up going as an emergency situation. There is a fear factor involved with visiting a dentist office. A good Dental Hygienist will realize that this patient is having some serious issues going on and may be fearful about the visit. When the Hygenist treats the patient as an equal with compassion and humility, the patient will feel at ease and be more willing to learn about oral health.