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This question is about what a dental hygienist does.
What is a typical day for a dental hygienist?
A typical day for a dental hygienist involves providing preventive cleanings, updating patient histories, and reviewing radiographs. Dental hygienists work under the direction of the dentist and aren't able to make diagnostic decisions; however, they typically work on their own and will treat about ten patients per day.
For each patient, they will assess their status, probe and analyze their mouth, and determine whether or not x-rays are needed. They will do full cleanings and help to create a treatment plan for each patient. In cases where extensive dental work is required, they may assist the dentist by administering an anesthetic.
General trends in the dental field are leaning towards an increased presence of Dental Support Organizations. This means customers have more choices between national chains or small private practices, and this means a dental hygienist has more options, too.
When working in private practice, they tend to operate more like a tight-knit family and develop more personal relationships. This can help when it comes to communication and career growth, and support.
Private practices also tend not to focus as heavily on the number of new patients. These offices are usually more established and focused on providing the existing patients with the most comprehensive treatment possible. This eventually leads to a consistent and devoted group of patients and increased patient-doctor trust.
Due to the large size of corporate dental offices, they have more flexibility in terms of scheduling and time off. Team members have the ability to prioritize things outside of the office and are slightly less stressful when planning appointments or vacations. With a large number of employees, patients are still able to receive care with no issues.
Benefit packages are also usually more comprehensive and substantial in a larger corporate firm. Corporate dental offices also invest a significant amount of money into continuing education and skills advancement that employees are encouraged to take advantage of. This can increase productivity and, therefore, increase profit.
The corporate office environment is more numbers-driven and is centered around productivity. They tend to be more stringent when it comes to bottom line numbers than a private practice. For this reason, there tends to be more turnover in these types of settings.
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