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If you're considering a career in dental hygiene, you might be curious about what dental hygienists perform on a daily basis.

You may even wonder if your future employment would consist solely of cleaning teeth all day! Dental hygiene, on the other hand, is a lot more intriguing and varied than that.

Let's have a look at what a dental hygienist does on a regular day!

The Morning Routine

Just like any other profession, the usual day starts by walking into the office. Many people prefer this since walking has a good impact on our health. Yes, that's a joke; however, even the health app on your phone is tracking your step count as you walk at work from one dental chair to the next. 

Do you get your 10k steps in a day on your workday? 

 

All jokes aside, even a hygienist starts their day off with a morning routine far before they enter the dental office and before they ever leave their house. Teeth Talk Girl on youtube has a video on her morning routine as a dental hygienist. 

Does your morning routine look like hers? 

Do you eat a healthy breakfast? Workout with yoga? Floss and brush?

Enough about morning routines, let's get on with what happens once a dental hygienist gets inside the dental office and starts their day. . . 

Inside the Dental Office

When dental hygienists arrive at the dental clinic, it's time to start getting ready, which includes but is not limited to: 

• Clocking in to start their day 
• Turning on the x-ray equipment
• Turning on the compressor

Take note that some dental hygienists prefer to arrive 15-20 minutes early in order to prepare.

The next step? 

Checking the day's scheduled appointments. . . . 

Checking the Day's Scheduled Appointments 

Checking the day's scheduled appointments is normally accomplished by:

1. Reviewing each patient with the dental assistant 
2. Potentially taking notes on who needs an x-ray, who requires fluoride, and who is receiving what type of cleaning, among other things.

 

Checking the appointment is one of the most important things to do before beginning, not because it is required, but because it will help the dental hygienist in understanding and planning what needs to be prepared.

Preparing with the Dental Assistant

There may be a morning meeting that occurs with the whole dental staff before the day's first patient arrives. 

The Dental Hygienist will also, as noted above, speak with the assistant to go over the day's patients. 

Before each patient, the assistant is also in charge of setting up the room.

This implies he or she must be aware of the operations that will be performed so that the appropriate instruments and equipment are available at all times, so communication between a hygienist and assistant is as important as communication between a dentist and dental assistant. 

Tools and Room Preparation

Hands should be washed, and antibacterial hand lotion should be applied before touching any tools.

Following that, the dental hygienist and dental assistant will prepare the hygiene polishing handpiece, piezo ultrasonic scaler and fill the unit's water bottle to begin prepping the room.

Then add the room's finishing touches, such as the headrest cover and barrier tape on equipment that will be used or touched by the hygienist.

In addition, the dental hygienist or the dental assistant will go to the sterilization room to fill the ultrasonic bath with an ultrasonic solution, as well as prepare the patient's tray and empty the autoclave.

Lastly, before calling the first patient, the dental hygienist will wash their hands once again. 

Start of the Dental Hygiene Work

Now it is time to see the first patient! 

The Dental Hygienist usually starts greeting the patient first. They'll also go over the patient's medical history, taking note of any allergies or other pertinent information that could affect their teeth cleaning or other treatment.

After the patient is greeted, a dental hygienist spends a few minutes with them to see if anything has changed with their teeth and gums since their initial appointment. To help the patient feel more at ease, the dental hygienist will address any worries the patient has about their treatment.

Please note that some of the hygienists usually see 8-10 patients each day, with appointments that usually last 45-60 minutes.

Following treatment, the dental hygienist will educate the patient on how to manage proper dental hygiene at home. After a teeth brightening operation, for example, the dental hygienist will encourage patients to avoid typical teeth-staining foods and beverages, which would badly darken their teeth and totally undo the procedure.

Continuous Dental Work

After the dental hygienist is finished with one patient, the dental assistant will help in clearing and cleaning the room before the next patient comes in.

The dental hygienist and assistant will also return all of the instruments to the ultrasonic bath before proceeding to the autoclave. They'll also use disinfectants to wipe off everything.

Furthermore, the hygienist and assistant will set everything up with new barrier tape, disposables, air-water syringe tips, saliva ejector, and so forth. Cleaning could take up to 5 minutes in most cases before the next patient arrived.

On top of that, the hygienist and assistant will keep each patient's progress notes up to date.

The End of Shift

After the final patient leaves, hygienists prefer to remain in the office for about 30 minutes. In this time, they'll write out clinical notes or finish any progress notes and wind down with the rest of the dental team while cleaning and prepping the practice for the next day.

This involves:

• Clean the used instruments and tools before placing them in the autoclave.
• Remove the water from the lines and empty the water bottle.
• Clean the suction traps before turning off the compressor and get ready the room for the next day.
• Lastly, pack up the magnification glasses to keep them safe.

Also, a little mild exercise and a discussion are terrific ways to relieve stress that has built up over the day.

Then clock out, turn off the computer and turn off the lights.

After Work

Dental hygiene is a hard profession. While the end-of-shift talk with colleagues is a big help, some hygienists need to do a little more after work to truly unwind.

After a day of intense concentration, some hygienists would rather stay at home and soak in the tub. Some people like going for a run and letting their minds wander. 

What About You? 

Are you a dental hygienist? Is the day in the life of a dental hygienist that we have laid out sound familiar? Different? Let us know! 

Next Steps

We hope that this article has given you a better understanding of what it's like to work as a dental hygienist!

We'd also like you to check our other articles to further broaden the knowledge of being a Dental Hygienist:

• Benefits Of Being A Dental Hygienist
• 6 Skills in High Demand for Dental Hygienists
• How To Stay On Time As A Dental Hygienist
• Crucial Certifications and Skills You Need To Have To Be A Dental Hygienist
• Preparing a Dental Hygienist Resume

Begin your career as a dental hygienist today

In case you are interested, we have also listed recent job opportunities available:

• Dental Hygienist Job in Phoenix, AZ
• Dental Hygienist Job in Scottsdale, AZ
• Dental Hygienist Job in Oregon, OR
• Dental Hygienist Job in Portland, OR
• Dental Hygienist Job in Los Angeles, CA

 

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