A Day in the Life of Your Dental Hygienist

Are you curious about who’s working on your dental team? A crucial role in ensuring your appointment goes as smoothly as possible is your dental hygienist! You might think their job is just to clean your teeth, but their duties cover areas in both patient care and aftercare treatment. They work closely with dentists to make sure you’re getting the quality care you deserve. Here is a breakdown of a day in the life of your dental hygienist so you can better understand how they’re protecting your oral health.

Morning Routine: Before the Office Opens

Your dental hygienist arrives at least half an hour before the first patient does to review the charts and medical histories of those scheduled for the day.

This is to make sure your dental hygienist knows your dental history, when your last checkup was, what emergency or preventive treatments you’ve had, and if you have any additional health problems your dentist should be aware of. They also need to make note of any allergies you have or medications you’re on.

During Work: What Does a Dental Hygienist Do?

Dental hygienists are responsible for more than the cleanliness of your mouth. Here are just a few of other their job duties:

• Patient Screenings – Before your dentist is ready for you, they will review your dental history and conduct a brief overall oral health examination and share this information with your dentist.
• Patient Education – Dental hygienists teach their patients how to properly care for their oral health. Your dental hygienist can give you advice on how to handle your issues and future prevention.
• X-rays and Impressions – X-rays show what’s going on inside your mouth, and impressions get an accurate record of your teeth. Your dental hygienist takes care of these and shares the information with your dental team.
• Patient Comfort – They work to ease the anxiety of patients and provide what they can expect during their appointment.
• Patient Treatment – Dental hygienists regularly perform plaque and tartar cleanup, give fluoride treatments, apply sealants, polish teeth, and more.
• Aftercare Instruction – Your dental hygienist will guide you through proper home care and will usually provide a small bag of dental hygiene products for you to take home.

End of Day: What Happens After Your Appointment?

After each appointment, your dental hygienist will thoroughly sanitize all the equipment and tools used and clean the room. This includes removing disposable items, setting up a new patient tray, disinfecting and placing a new barrier on all direct contact surfaces, and replacing single-use dental equipment like air/water syringe tips. They will complete your patient progress notes so your dental team can be prepared for your next visit.

After the last appointment of the day, your dental hygienist, along with the rest of the team, will deep clean the office so it’s sterile and safe for the next day of patients.

About the Practice

At Laketown Family Dental, your smile is in the hands of the capable husband-and-wife duo Drs. Eric and Ariel Heisser. Their team consists of two administrative coordinators, two registered dental hygienists, and several dental assistants. Laketown Family Dental is committed to providing an extensive range of high-quality dental services to the Norton Shores area at your comfort and convenience. If you want more information on what your dental hygienist can do for you, contact the practice at their website or by phone at (231) 737-2273.