Job Description

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.

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 patient through exam, patient records, and patient’s medical history to assist in 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.
• Capture x-rays, process, download and mount for doctor to view; capable of interpreting x-rays independently.
• Perform head, neck, and oral cancer exam.
• Use probes to examine gums to locate periodontal recessed gums and signs of gum disease. Communicate findings to patient and doctor.
• Educate and motivate patient on proper oral hygiene and corrective/preventative measures.
• Work chair side with Dentist as needed, assist doctor in hygiene examination.
• Schedule appropriate re-care appointments.
• Assist in sterilization duties.
• Maintain hygiene hand pieces 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 schedule 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.

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