Hygienist

In addition to cosmetic dentists, Mona Lisa Smiles also has some of the best dental hygienists on their staff list. What is a hygienist and how do they differ from dentists?

A dental hygienist is a licensed primary oral health care professional whose goal it is to assist patients in achieving and maintaining optimal oral health.

A dental hygienist cleans teeth and teaches clients how to prevent tooth decay and gum disease. A hygienist has five main responsibilities:

• Assessment – Examining, assessing and documenting oral conditions
  
• Dental hygiene diagnosis – Interpreting the gathered data into a coherent description of a patient's condition
  
• Planning – Developing individualized oral hygiene techniques to solve the problems diagnosed
  
• Implementation – Carrying out the plan
  
• Evaluation – Determining the success of the work performed

Hygienists are a very important part of your dental care. In face you may even know your hygienist more than your dentist. It is the hygienist that discusses health issues with patients and updates dental charts. A hygienist also inspects patients' teeth for decay or deposits and takes x-rays when needed. Great care is taken to position the camera at different angles around the head and mouth. In addition they develop the film while the dentist continues to attend to the patient. The hygienist also handles periodical cleaning of the patient's teeth in preparation for the dentist. And finishing work is also frequently left to the dental hygienist, so that the dentist can go on to the next patient.

The dental hygienist is an invaluable member of the dental team.

If you would like to see a hygienist today please call us.