Dental Hygienists

Dental Hygienists typically perform the following tasks: • Record and review patient medical histories. • Feel and visually examine gums for sores and signs of disease. • Examine gums, using probes, to locate periodontal recessed gums and signs of gum disease. • Clean calcareous deposits, accretions, and stains from teeth and beneath margins of gums, using dental instruments. • Provide clinical services or health education to improve and maintain the oral health of patients or the general public. • Chart conditions of decay and disease for diagnosis and treatment by dentist. • Expose and develop x-ray film. • Attend continuing education courses to maintain or update skills. • Apply fluorides or other cavity preventing agents to arrest dental decay. • Maintain dental equipment and sharpen and sterilize dental instruments. • Maintain patient recall system. • Feel lymph nodes under patient's chin to detect swelling or tenderness that could indicate presence of oral cancer. • Administer local anesthetic agents. • Remove excess cement from coronal surfaces of teeth. • Conduct dental health clinics for community groups to augment services of dentist. • Make impressions for study casts.