Dental Hygienist (RDH)

Job Description

Job Description

Purpose: The Registered Dental Hygienist is responsible for educating and treating patients to achieve an optimal state of dental and oral health.

 

Opportunities: Dentist Tree of the Heights provides unparalleled opportunities to its staff members in support of constant self-development. They include continuing education training, position cross-training, inter-personal training, personal growth and development mentoring and continuing development in all facets of the industry. 

 

Required Skills:

• Excellent patient relations
• Proven sales abilities
• Appropriate diagnosing
• Hygiene schedule management
• Problem solver
• Multi-function oversight
• Follow-through
• Cross-train and mentor

Essential Functions:

• Prepare operatory based on (your office) procedural guidelines. Maintain a clean and organized operatory. Maintain instrumentation for hygiene treatment by sharpening, sterilizing, and selecting of appropriate instruments. Select appropriate materials/instruments based on individual patient needs.
• Prepare patient for treatment by welcoming, connecting, seating and draping patient, reviewing patient medical and dental history, making any updates in the system as needed, making note of any pre-medication needs, allergies and/or medical alerts and proceeding accordingly, and asking patient about any concerns they may have.
• Look closely at medications used by patients, watching for any that cause xerostomia. Counsel patient on xerostomia as well as nutritional concerns and encourage tobacco cessation where applicable. 
• Take, assess, and record blood pressure. Inform patients of any concerns that may need follow-up care with a personal physician.
• Probe and record periodontal charting including bleeding on probing, suppuration, recession, and existing restorative work. Identify any periodontal disease and/or tissue grafting needs.
• Take any necessary radiographs and/or intra-oral photographs, saving them properly in the system, and copy any x-rays taken for scaling and root planning into the patient Doc Center. 
• Offer any comfort items, complete dental prophylaxis, perform non-surgical periodontal therapy as needed, monitor tissue response, and schedule appropriate maintenance appointments chairside with the patient. 
• Apply fluoride, sealants, de-sensitizing agents, topical, analgesic, and administer and monitor nitrous oxide if needed. 
• Utilize radiographs, intra-oral photos, printed materials, models, interactive media, and all other resources to fully educate the patient regarding oral hygiene and the importance of healthy periodontium.
• Communicate all necessary medical changes and treatment concerns with the doctor. Develop a comprehensive treatment plan with the doctor. Present areas of concern and a treatment plan to the patient, stressing the urgency of needed procedures. Schedule next visit chair side with the patient. 
• Review VIP program with patients and ask for referrals. 
• Confidentially and accurately document every patient appointment in the clinical notes including personal notations, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up needs. 
• Review next day hygiene appointments making note of the following: patients with unscheduled treatment or family members without hygiene scheduled, pre-medication, allergy alerts, and/or any special patient concerns and share this information in the morning huddle.
• Make care calls for previous-day extensive treatment patients. Call at least five (5) recare hygiene patients daily through recall and send at least three (3) personalized notes to patients each day including New Patient thank you notes.
• Train Hygiene Assistants to achieve clinical production goals.
• Increase professional and technical knowledge through continuing education, maintain certifications and licensure, and actively monitor and contribute to clinic hygiene production goals. 
• Additional tasks include but are not limited to: monitoring dental supplies for order, contributing to the cleanliness of the lab, sterilization space, bathrooms, and break rooms, and fabricating impression trays as needed.
• Promote teamwork by assisting staff members in maintaining an environment that runs smoothly, creating a positive and memorable experience for every patient. 
• Take, review and save properly any radiographs and intra-oral photographs to assist in pre-diagnosis for any conditions the Doctor may address during the exam Educate patients on the importance of this procedure.