What is a Dental Hygienist?
Your dental hygienist is an oral
health care professional who has graduated from an
accredited dental hygiene education program, passed
the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination, and
passed the Virginia licensure examination.
What Does a Hygienist Do?
During your visit, your dental hygienist will assess your individual oral health
condition, and incorporating the most current
scientific research, plan a specific treatment
designed to make sure you have the best oral health
possible.
Because targeted and specific systemic diseases like
heart disease and diabetes have signs and symptoms
that appear in the mouth first, dental hygienists
monitor for evidence of disease, and where they find
suspicious conditions, inform the patient and the
dentist.
Your hygienist will also look for
problems such as cavities and periodontal (gum)
disease, and perform thorough head and neck
examinations to look for oral cancer and other
problems. Finally, she will take oral X-rays
when necessary to screen for cavities and assess
other problems.
To treat disease, she will remove plaque
(a stubborn film that contains bacteria) and
calculus, both above and below the gum line, by scaling and polishing.
To prevent cavities, the hygienist will also provide
nutrition counseling, apply fluorides and/or pit and
fissure sealants, and instruct on proper brushing
and flossing techniques.
