We are so fortunate in dentistry to be able to employ the services of Dental Hygienists. Hygienists are professionally licensed by each state and are uniquely trained to provide dental oral maintenance services for our patients.
Our patients are taught by advertising that they should see a dentist every 6 months. What other profession has their clients told to return on a regular basis like that? When patients return, we not only provide oral hygiene services but, with an examination, we are able to diagnose their restorative needs as well!
I can recall many years ago that my husband, a general dentist, said, “I can’t afford to have a hygienist, they cost too much!” How foolish that was. When he did hire a hygienist, our practice soared! The hygienist was able to do periodontal scaling and root planing services as well as prophylaxis services on well-maintained patients with no gum disease.
The hygienist was able to talk to the patient about conditions that she thought might need treatment and take intra-oral photographs as well as x-rays for the patients to see. She prepared the patient for what they probably would hear from the dentist during the examination.
Make sure you let your hygienists know how much you appreciate all they add to the practice and how much you really value them.