Celebrating National Dental Hygienist Week
Alexandria Smiles honors dental hygienists everywhere with these fun facts!
You might know dental hygienists as the friendly people who clean your teeth, but did you know that they do so much more? That’s right! In addition to keeping your teeth pearly white and healthy, they’re also responsible for monitoring your bone levels, assisting dentists in procedures, recording medical history, analyzing gum health, taking and developing radiographs, and much more!
To celebrate National Dental Hygienist Week which falls on the second week of April each year (April 4th-10th in 2021), Alexandria Smiles wants to recognize Cari, our current Dental Hygienist, as well as the many others around the world!
Dental Hygiene Hasn’t Been Around Forever
old fashioned photo of a group of dental hygienists practicing on other ladies
It’s hard to believe that nearly a century ago, 50% of adults in North America were toothless. Thanks to modern technology and the minds of many smart individuals, dental care has become a staple in the world of health.
So, when did dental hygiene practices begin?
Back in the early 1900s, people typically went to dentists like Dr. Alfred Fones to pull out their rotten teeth. Realizing that a better solution to this problem was at hand, Fones and his cousin Irene Newman began to study the cleaning of teeth. By 1907, Irene Newman had become the first person trained and titled as a ‘dental hygienist.’
What we now know about the importance of dental hygiene has changed significantly since then and thus begs to ask the question: how does one become a dental hygienist these days?
A Dental Hygienist’s Education
Prior to being accepted in dental hygiene school, you need at least 2 years of prerequisites. Courses that often fall into this category include biology, anatomy, physiology, chemistry, sociology and sometimes even psychology!
Once you’ve committed to attending a dental hygiene program that has been approved by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA), future hygienists must complete thorough training. Courses studied include pathology, pharmacology, radiology, preventative dentistry, and anesthesia.
Becoming a full fledged hygienist also requires that you be licensed in the state where you work. This means that you must pass the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination. Consisting of 350 multiple choice questions, this test is split into two sections and scored on a scale of 49-99 with 75 being the minimum score necessary to pass.
After completing your program, you can choose to continue your education in other areas such as marketing, dental education, public health, or business administration. Adding this knowledge to your docket helps to bring you more specialized roles and improve your wage. The American Dental Association (ADA) makes additional education fairly easy and encouraged.
If you want, you can work towards your master’s degree or study subjects like pediatric oral health or systemic dental conditions. By far, the best part about being a dental hygienist are the numerous choices of learning to choose from!
Remembering the Importance of Dental Hygiene
A dental hygienist’s mind is a treasure trove filled with knowledge. If this is the case, why do we only associate their skills with that of cleaning our teeth? The answer to this is simple—a dental hygienist’s most important job is that of preventative care. Had the first hygienist Irene not embarked on this necessary task, much of the world would still only visit the dentist to pull out their rotten teeth.
Join our team at Alexandria Smiles and help us thank Cari along with the other amazing dental hygienists out there! Without their help, we wouldn’t have smiles to share with one another.
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