My decision to become a dental hygienist dates back to my high-school days. Nevertheless, my initial interest in dental hygiene was sparked by an incident that I witnessed, when a close relative required cosmetic dentistry due to poor oral-hygiene practices. I have limited knowledge on the subject of dental hygiene but I am quite aware of the difference that this information can bring to people’s lives (Anderson & Smith, 2009). Pursuing a course in dental hygiene at the West Coast University would help me realize my personal and career goals. To familiarize me with the specifics in the field of dental hygiene, I spent time with two professional dental hygienists. My experience with the dental hygienists involved observing them as they carried out routine activities that involved clients from diverse backgrounds. This paper is a response to the observations that I made during my visits to two dental hygienists Sergio Rodriguez and Abraham.
My first visit was to Sergio Rodriguez’s Crossroads Dental Group and Orthodontics, which is located in Upland California. Rodriguez has been a dental hygienist (DH) for over five years and he has enjoyed his work and all it brought including its financial benefits (Rodriguez, 2015, October X). During my visit to Rodriguez’s practice, he had quite a busy day in the office and I witnessed him serving seven clients. Some of the clients that Rodriguez dealt with required standard procedures while others prompted the dental hygienist to think ‘outside the box.
One of the most notable cases that I witnessed during my brief stint with Rodriguez involved a patient who had her gums measured. Before this experience, I had no idea that gums could be measured for any reason. Rodriguez informed me that the procedure that involved measuring gums was known as periodontal probing. Consequently, gums are supposed to measure between 2 and 3 millimeters and not more than that. The hygienist decided that the right course of action was to clean the client’s gums measured between 4 and 6 millimeters. From this patient’s visit, I also learned that part of a dental hygienist’s job was to make sure that the procedures that he/she offered to a patient were as pain-free as possible. I also learned that some of the conditions that dental hygienists might deal with could have direct connections to other serious medical conditions such as diabetes and cancer. When I was in high school, I expected that a DH’s medical repertoire was limited to the field of dentistry. However, during my stay in Rodriguez’s office, I witnessed him utilizing his knowledge in other medical fields and conditions including blood sugar levels, nutrition, and cancer.
My second visit to a DH was to Abraham Castellanos at the Mario Castellanos’ Dental Office in Fontana California. Abraham has been a practicing DH for over two years. He enjoys his job immensely especially when he meets new clients. From my observations, I learned that Abraham was quite passionate about oral health. During my stay at Abraham’s office, I witnessed his interactions with three patients. Most of the patients who visited Abraham required simple procedures. One of the most notable patient interactions at Abraham’s office involves him explaining to a patient that deep cleaning is not something that should be done routinely. Instead, deep cleaning is only necessary when individuals neglect to clean their teeth. Before my visit, I was under the impression that deep cleaning was a routine procedure that all people should undergo albeit periodically. However, Abraham made me realize that people who clean their teeth adequately do not require deep cleaning. In my opinion, if people utilized the advice given out by DHs, the dental health of the entire nation would improve drastically. My opinion was solidified by Abraham when he said that DHs were the “first line of defense against painful and debilitating problems” (Castellanos, 2015, October X). I will always remember how the hygienist explained the importance of his career by noting that the mouth was the gateway to harmful infections that might travel to the rest of the body.
My visits to these two DHs made me realize that my passion for dental hygiene has a social bearing. When patients walked in for consultations with the DHs, they were under distress because they realized that they were close to the dreaded dentist’s encounter. However, when the DHs helped them and gave them reassuring advice the patients felt relieved. I was only an observer but I also felt relieved whenever a patient was done with gum cleaning or when an individual realized there was a better way of taking care of his/her dental health. All these experiences aligned with my lifelong goal of helping people by instilling useful knowledge. Furthermore, when I asked the two DHs about the motivation behind their career choices, they all said it was because their job gave them the chance to ‘help people. For the brief moment when I shared their experience, I got a taste of the satisfaction that comes with helping people and it was very fulfilling.
Before pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene, I tackled a Bachelor of Art in Mass Communication. I intend to combine the expertise that I will gather from these two programs and utilize it in my career as a DH. During my visits to the DHs, I learned that communication is an essential part of their practice. For instance, most of the patients who walked into the DHs’ offices had an air of mistrust around them but this was remedied by good communication on the side of the professionals. My good communication skills can be useful in reassuring patients thereby eliminating most of their fears (Nunn & Purifoy-Seldon, 2011). Furthermore, I learned from Rodriguez that being firm when communicating the dangers of bad oral hygiene is a valuable skill.
My interest in DH was sparked by an incident where one of my relatives deformed her teeth and later required cosmetic dentistry. However, my deep-rooted desire to help others or act as a public liaison officer in matters of dental health is my main motivation when I am seeking admission in your Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene Program at West Coast University. I have various skills that will be useful to your institution including my need to improve the knowledge levels of our current society. My preliminary research indicates that my experiences align with the core principles of your program and that is why I am seeking admission to your organization. I look forward to hearing from you shortly.
References
Anderson, K. L., & Smith, B. S. (2009). Practicing dental hygienists’ perceptions about the bachelor of science in dental hygiene and the oral health practitioner. Journal of dental education, 73(10), 1222-1232.
Castellanos, A. (2015). Personal interview.
Nunn, P. J., & Purifoy-Seldon, B. (2011). The current status of allied dental faculty: a survey report. Journal of Dental Education, 68(3), 329-344.
Rodriguez, S. (2015). Personal interview.