subject: Dental Hygienist Vs. Dentist Work [print this page] A dentist teaches dental hygiene to all his/her dental patients who receive the dentist services. Dental hygiene means the study and dentist care used to prevent dental disease that can happen in the teeth, oral bone, and oral tissues. The person in a dentist office who actually does most of the dental preventative care and dental hygiene teaching to the dental patients is called the dental hygienist.
Just like a dentist, a dental hygienist is a licensed professional and must have a certificate of dental education and must pass the board exam before practicing dental services in a dentist office. A dental hygienist is licensed to help children and adults in a dental office. A dentist relies on the dental hygienist to perform much of the dental maintenance services and teaching that help the children and adult dental patients to have and continue good oral health.
A dentist relies on a dental hygienist to clean and polish dental patient's teeth. Cleaning and polishing teeth is prevents tooth decay and is vital in good oral health care and dentist services. Cleaning teeth and polishing teeth with fluoride are services that you will find in a general dentistry and so most dental hygienists work for a dentist in a general dentistry to perform these basic preventative dental care services.
Along with providing the above mentioned dental care and dental disease preventative services a dental hygienist will check the oral tissues and teeth for any decay or signs of dental or oral tissue diseases. A dental hygienist will probably perform a dental x-ray to check for any signs of dental decay and oral bone disease. A dentist and/or dental hygienist can also find abnormalities in the oral bone with dental x-rays.
Other dentist care and dentist services that a dentist or a dental hygienist may perform to prevent dental decay is using a plastic sealant on molar teeth. Molars have dental crevasses that are difficult to reach with an oral tooth brush so when a dentist or dental hygienist sees molars that need a little more support in keeping the bacteria from forming in the dental crevasses, a dentist or dental hygienist will apply a white plastic sealant over the back molars (after dental cleaning care of course to remove any potential decay). The main reason dental plastic sealant is put on by a dentist or dental hygienist is to take care that cavities don't form in those hard-to-reach oral areas. These and many other dental services are performed by a dental hygienist and/or dentist within a general dentistry.
A dental hygienist may also work in endodontics and Prosthodontic dental offices to help the dentist in those dentistry settings take care of dental patients. There are other ways that a dental hygienist services community and provides dental and health services. For example a dental hygienist may work in the educational part of teaching the community about dental care. A dental hygienist may work in training and teaching future dental hygienists or other dentist school education services.
