Dental Hygienist

Job Description

Job Description

Registered Dental Hygienist — Western Loudoun Dental
Lovettsville, VA · Flexible / part-time to start, growing with the practice

Why join us
Western Loudoun Dental is a brand-new, doctor-owned general practice opening in Lovettsville. This is a rare chance to help build a hygiene program from the ground up — your protocols, your operatory, your standards — in a modern, fully-digital office where hygiene is treated as central to patient care, not rushed. If you want a say in how things are done instead of inheriting someone else's system, this is it.

What we offer

• Career advancement opportunities as the practice grows
• Career investment 
• Flexible scheduling
• Competitive compensation
• Modern, fully-digital office (Open Dental, digital radiography, CBCT, intraoral scanning)
• A collaborative, patient-first team where your clinical voice matters

About the role
We're seeking a licensed, caring Registered Dental Hygienist to help establish our hygiene program. You'll provide thorough, gentle hygiene treatment, partner with our dentists on exams and treatment planning, and help create the warm, high-quality patient experience that will define this practice. Because we're a growing office, this role starts flexibly and grows into consistent hours as our patient base builds.

Primary responsibility
Provide hygiene treatment to patients.

Patient management

• Review the daily schedule with the front office coordinator for hygiene patients
• Work with the front office to schedule hygiene patients efficiently
• Review and update patient health and dental history forms as necessary
• Accurately chart each patient's periodontal health
• Perform thorough, prophylaxis
• Perform scaling, root planning, and selective polishing as appropriate
• Polish restorations
• Administer local anesthetics, as permitted under the Virginia Dental Practice Act
• Place medicaments subgingivally for periodontal disease treatment
• Take radiographs as prescribed by the dentist
• Apply cavity-preventive agents such as fluorides and sealants
• Communicate with patients in a clear, professional, understandable way
• Check on patient comfort during treatment and help allay patient anxiety
• Accurately and appropriately record all treatment provided in Open Dental
• Teach proper oral hygiene techniques
• Counsel patients on oral health, including the role of nutrition
• Perform other clinical tasks assigned by the dentist

Treatment room management and sterilization

• Check the treatment room for cleanliness and make necessary changes
• Check and turn on treatment room equipment
• Gather and review patient charts for the day
• Clean the treatment room and turn off equipment at the end of the day
• Maintain a supply inventory for hygiene treatment
• Review, select, and submit orders for patient education materials
• Submit supply orders monthly or as necessary, per office procedure
• Properly discard all disposable items after each visit
• Assemble soiled instruments and place them in the sterilization area
• Clean treatment room surfaces with disinfectant solution
• Pre-soak soiled instruments in disinfectant
• Sort and package instruments by tray for proper sterilization
• Load, activate, and vent the sterilization unit per manufacturer's directions
• Store instruments and trays in their appropriate places

Records management

• Securely store and handle patient records in compliance with office policies and applicable legal requirements, including HIPAA
• Accurately record medical and dental histories
• Accurately file patient information
• Arrange and maintain patient charts
• Assist in administering the recall system

Office participation

• Be an active participant in team meetings
• Promote the team concept by interacting positively with everyone in the office

Qualifications

• Current Virginia Registered Dental Hygienist license (required) and any other applicable state requirements
• Completion of at least 2 years of post-secondary education from a CODA-accredited dental hygiene program
• Current local anesthesia and nitrous oxide certification preferred (Virginia-permitted)
• Experience providing prophylaxis and taking radiographs
• New Grads will be strongly considered 
• Working knowledge of Open Dental and digital radiography a plus
• Strong understanding of HIPAA and dental safety/infection-control standards
• Good interpersonal skills to build rapport with patients, dentists, and coworkers
• Effective verbal communication with patients and staff
• Able to stand for extended periods and perform the physical demands of clinical hygiene
• Bilingual (Spanish) a plus, given our diverse patient community