Plus, if your teeth don't shift can be used again years later with a bleach refill. Cookies help us deliver our Services. Bacteria? It's not just a 2 year degree either, you need to take all the pre-requisite classes just in the hopes of being accepted into the program. When it comes to dentists vs. dental hygienists, both can do more than what an assistant does and requires more training, but only the dentist is a doctor. Good luck in whatever you choose. I fill it with warm water, and to it I add 1/4 cup of plain old 3% hydrogen peroxide (8:1 basically). If you don't like your dentist, go to a new one who offers free bleaching with your first cleaning/assessment/etc. This process is known as "dessication" and eventually after many hours to days, moisture returns to the teeth returning to their original colour. So on my last visit to the dentist, I asked him what is the best mouthwash to use since there are so many...flouride, anti-gingivitis, breath freshening, pro-care-this, total-health-that. Ask around if they are well-liked by their patients first. You brush too hard, really. No one should be using anything but a soft tooth brush (literally labelled soft). Discussions and links of interest for dentists, hygienists and dental assistants on all things dentistry. Much more effective for cost and time in the long term. They are discernible increments but not extreme. Novamin (calcium sodium phosphosilicate) is in a lot of remineralizing stuff now and it does work. They work to effectively bleach your teeth but also dry the shit out of them. The site may not work properly if you don't, If you do not update your browser, we suggest you visit, Press J to jump to the feed. Final Edit I don't work for Oral-B, Crest or any Novamin manufacturer. Hygienist to Dentist: Making the Transition By Anna Keefe on June 5, 2018 in Clinic and Provider Tips You’ve been taking care of your patient’s pearly whites, but you’re ready for the next step in your career—becoming a dentist. Anywho.. in response to your bullet points: *1. I've never worked in an office that included those type of benefits, although corporate dentistry and some offices do have benefits, it's the exception not the rule in my experience. FACT. Most whitening tootpaste, especially those without Novamin won't produce very noticable results. MYTH. It can foam up a little, so I give it bit before rinsing. Use mouthwash too if you want. The different products do work and will lighten your shade but generally only by small increments. How the salary of a DH is incorrect on national salary websites, and it's a very saturated filed that is not in demand with many people who do have years of experience un employed. Anatomy, biochemistry, microbiology, and pharmacology are all extremely important foundations to any dental career. i'm not a dentist..yet. Every dentist has a support team and their right hand person is their dental hygienist, who performs a range of roles designed to assist the dentist and the patient. Licensing requires passing several board exams, and it's a great undertaking that requires a serious time commitment. Nursing has the same issues and you need to have a BS to be competitive in the job market. But here you are asking, so let me spell it out as far as I have found. I do my best to focus on proper ergonomics, but even with only 4 1/2 years in the field, my body feels it. Some dental programs make it easy for hygienists . Body Breakdown 2. The first person described in this situation is a dental hygienist. All in all, this isn't unique to dentistry but a hygiene degree is limiting in job options available and it can be frustrating. Zoom Whitening or Same Day Whitening is far better than take-home bleach kits provided by a dental professional. I'm fortunate to have perks like help with the cost of my continuing ed credits and paid time off, but I don't have nearly as much vacation time as my husband who has been in his field much less than I have been in mine. 837. What do you think of me becoming a Radiology Technician? Similarly, dental hygienists and dentists both meet with patients and clean their teeth, so it may be worthwhile to research that career in depth. Should I look into becoming a pharmacist in Miami? Both of my parents are dentists, and most of this is correct. Some programs allow students to undertake a bachelor’s degree in dental hygiene while still working toward a doctorate in dentistry. Discussions and links of interest for dentists, hygienists and dental assistants on all things dentistry. Press J to jump to the feed. Have had no cavities since. floss hates itself. I never have to worry about work following me home, or overtime, etc. Some people just have darker teeth, deal with it. Sorry to be such a downer, but I just finished hygiene school and these are a few things I learned and would have appreciated learning before I went. Questions about dental topics and issues from patients are also welcome. EDIT Was mainly a personal preference, but it seems that although it doesn't do anything bad, it's probably not as amazing as advertisements make it. Definitions. 67.2k. Dental hygienists usually don’t own practices, but they can in some states. This is something of which many dentists … But we got through. But, typically, the amount of training a person needs to become a hygienist is less than the training required to be a dentist. If you're looking for clinical measurable results, they're all a complete waste of money, and yes, that means all of them.". Get your Bachelor's degree in something you want, do your pre-reqs for dental and hygiene and then do an associates/certificate hygiene program. I have never seen, learn, been taught or heard of any dentist doing this. Now that I have effectively dogged my career choice, I feel like I need to point out some of its redeeming qualities. *4. Most dental communities are small, and jobs are found mostly through word of mouth. The primary difference between a dental hygienist and a dentist is their education level and the extent of their studies. TL;DR im a dental student. Questions about dental topics and issues from patients are also welcome. Patients often state "the last tooth a dentist took out, he had his knee on my chest - literally!" If we can't get it out with forceps, we cut that shit out... remove bone gently from around the tooth and take it out in sections. This is because each of the practitioners you see is likely to have their own area of expertise. Additionally, they have recently started recommending brushing with toothpaste, and dipping the toothbrush in some baking soda. Waterpiks may help and they may do the trick, but there is nothing as good as getting in between there once a day. Also, I love working with my hands all day. EDIT if you don't want to floss, there are many other solutions - water pick, flossing sticks. However, if you decide to do hygiene, I would not go for the BS. When I think about where my career will be in 20 years it's uncertain, I'm not sure I can physically handle clinical work for a lifetime. Office Drama 3. A lot of hygienists work less hours than they would like and/or fill their schedule between multiple offices. In other words, no jobs or real shitty ones you fully depend on because you don't have a choice. Can't speak to the clinical results in regards to whitening toothpaste but a lot of the color of your teeth is not determined by the enamel. Members. I also considered taking blood but decide against it because I am aware it's hard enough to find a consistent job there. I flossed, but they persisted. It makes your mouth feel clean and kills bacteria for 30s but after that your mouth is just as susceptible to bacterial invasion (causing cavities). I'm highly considering getting my Associates in Science for Dental Hygiene since I know it's not something I would hate and potentially enjoy if I find worth it since as a special fx makeup artist, I see many similities in the work that I'd find interesting. Any questions, I'll give you my response. My classmates and I gave up most of our social lives in order to get through. It's a great job if you like to "get into the zone" and just find a certain headspace and tune into it. No evidence to prove this as of yet. Dental therapists place major importance on patients' oral health care, similar to dental hygienists. I've heard of situations of dentists requiring their staff to clock out when patients don't show up, or requiring them to do unethical things that risk their license. If I would have known what I was up against, I would have never made it to this point. I can't repeat this enough. He just tilted is head slightly, looked at me, and said "None of them. They have different responsibilities too. Acidic foods? Good offices can be hard to break into, because there just isn't a turnover. HOWEVER, they disagree entirely on the mouthwash; they say that it is entirely stupid and a waste of money, unless you just do it to have good smelling breath. EDIT I forgot that this is called "Crest" in the US and other countries. YES. I live in Miami, FL. I've lurking for a while and this seems like a prime post to begin my karma career on reddit. Whitening products will only remove staining and don't really have much effect (studies on this are kinda meh too) on the inner layers of teeth. Some of the procedures carried out by a dental hygienist may include teeth cleaning, taking dental x-rays, and performing fluoride treatments. Oral-B whitening strips are a brandname that works (approx $40). Upvote this guy, Edit: I'm a final year dental student whos happy to finally see a decent answer because I'm too lazy to write one myself. With the skin care certification I have now, the wage is 11/h anywhere you go which is not enough and it's very unsatisfying when my priorities are elsewhere. How it's a dead end field where your only direction is to become a dentist after wards, etc. The best average salary for radiologic technologists was found in higher education, with technologists at colleges and universities earning an average of $66,810. This is something of which many dentists are not always aware. MYTH. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. The field is saturated, but if you want to you can find work. Use oral-b white strips if you want. If you do go to hygiene school for your AA or AS degree, you can go back and get your BS and then there are several more job options available to you. It's also nice to work on my own. One of the major differences between a dentist and a dental hygienist is the amount of education they have. I'll go over some of the information on this page simply because I'm reading so much confusing stuff on here it's boggling my mind. EDIT List of products containing it. My neck, shoulders, and wrists take a beating. The difference between a hygienist and a dentist is that a dentist is more highly qualified than a hygienist. That said, the dentist will inspect the patient's mouth for signs of gingivitis and other general hygiene concerns too. It's demeaning and consumed every single minute of my life for 2 years. All in all though, teeth more or less can't remineralize in large amounts. Because that word will be gone from my mind as soon as I leave this thread. I decided to pursue it anyway because it's always something I've wanted to do, even at a young age. I'm just that kind of person. I also have quite a lot of recalcification. I live in Canada btw. Working in the public can of course be frustrating, but it's so rewarding to help people maintain and achieve oral health. They are mainly concerned with preventive dental health and gum disease. They went to dental school, which is essentially a medical school for the teeth and hygienist is not … We get paid well hourly, but it doesn't always equate to great salaries when you take that into account. I do not guarantee that anything I say is set in stone but simply information that I have garnered over a few years of school thus far. World of confusion. 5-6 to 1-2 mm, been that way for 8-ish years now associates/certificate hygiene program volume! And I gave up most of our social lives in order to do their jobs up a,! 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