Registered Dental Hygienist

Dental Hygienist

The Dental Hygienist is the chief preventive provider of the Practice. This team member motivates, educates, and provides excellent treatment. Under indirect supervision, the Dental Hygienist will remove hard and soft deposits from teeth and examine oral areas, head, and neck for signs of oral disease. He or she will educate patients on oral hygiene, provide preventative dental care, take and develop X-rays, or apply fluoride or sealants. By discovering and documenting areas of failure, both periodontally and restoratively, he or she facilitates the dentist's diagnosis and treatment recommendations.

Working Conditions/Physical Requirements:

• Standing 20%.
• Sitting 80%.
• Moderate noise levels from dental and other lab equipment.
• Medical, office, and lab setting.
• Minimum lifting requirements of 35 pounds in order to transfer equipment and pack and unpack supplies.
• Frequent bending, twisting, and position changes in order to examine and service patients.
• Exceptional hand-eye coordination, control, and finger dexterity in order to use dental implements for exams, mixing and/or placing materials on dental tools, products, and in mouths, and grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
• Arm-Hand Steadiness—The ability to keep hands and arms steady while moving or holding arm and hand in one position.
• Near Vision—The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer) as required for mixing and placing materials on tools and in mouths.
• Manual Dexterity—The ability to quickly move the hand, the hand together with the arm, or two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
• Frequent client and inter-office personnel interaction as this position is chair-side to dentist and heavily dependent on excellent customer interaction.
• Near Vision—The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Active Learning—Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
• Must demonstrate excellent communication skills—talking to others to convey information effectively.

Essential Functions:

• Welcome and seat patient cheerfully.
• Prepare and properly set up treatment rooms for hygiene procedures.
• Review and update patient's health history; chart progress, treatments, and home care compliance.
• Clean calcareous deposits, accretions, and stains from teeth and beneath margins of gums using dental instruments, including scaling and root planning for patients with periodontal disease
• Apply fluorides and other cavity-preventing agents to arrest dental decay.
• Assess and evaluate patients through exams, patient records, and patient medical history to assist in the diagnosis of dental hygiene problems, disease, and efficacy of administered treatment plans. Complete scheduled treatments.
• Recognize early signs of periodontal disease; chart restorations and notate areas of concern.
• Develop and present treatment plans.
• Capture x-rays, process, download, and mount for the doctor to view; capable of interpreting x-rays independently.
• Perform head, neck, and oral cancer exams.
• Use probes to examine gums to locate periodontal recessed gums and signs of gum disease.
• Communicate findings to patient and doctor.
• Select, mix, and place materials on instruments and in the patient's mouth, as needed.
• Educate and motivate patients on proper oral hygiene and corrective/preventative measures.
• Work chair side with Dentist as needed, assist the doctor in hygiene examination.
• Schedule appropriate re-care appointments.
• Assist in sterilization duties.
• Maintain hygiene handpieces and instruments in good repair and sufficient supply.
• Adhere to strict safety guidelines and procedures to OSHA and office standards.
• Must always represent the practice in a professional, pleasant, and cooperative manner.
• Maintain regular attendance and adhere to assigned work schedules and office policies.
• Must be able to comfortably and efficiently handle multiple deadlines and task assignments.
• Must be able to work both independently and cooperatively in team settings displaying exceptional skill in time management in order to set and maintain own and subordinate procedure and task schedules.
• Always maintain the highest level of confidentiality to HIPAA standards.
• Must be comfortable seeing and able to maintain a professional demeanor and attitude while working around blood and unpleasant smells.
• Occasionally there may be some travel, by car or plane, required in order to participate in continuing education or seminars.
• Other duties and tasks, as assigned periodically.

Success Factors:

• Participate in morning meetings and provide information regarding new patients for the day.
• Participate in marketing efforts and patient contact.
• Use downtime constructively.
• Presents in a clean, well-groomed, and professional manner.
• Adheres to office policies.
• Performs light housekeeping around the office.
• Must be detail-oriented in order to work efficiently in small spaces and maintain patient comfort.
• Must be flexible and understand that job duties may change from time to time and that this individual may be asked to assist in other areas of the office.
• Must excel in forward-thinking in order to anticipate the needs of the patient.
• Must demonstrate active listening by giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Must demonstrate good reading comprehension.
• Problem Sensitivity—The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong.
• Ability to calm and reassure patients facing uncomfortable or painful procedures.
• Ability to quickly write detailed information in a readable, legible, condensed form.