1) Explain the average day as a hygienist?
Describe the routine job of a hygienist’s functions, such as removing and cleaning dental deposits, examination of teeth and gums for signs of disease, sealant and fluoride application, partial periodontal therapy, x-rays, diagnostic tests, and assisting the dentist during treatments or examinations of patients.
2) Do you have any experience in performing tasks outside of your role?
Occasionally, dental hygienists are allowed to remove sutures, administer anesthetics, apply fillings and dressings, work with metal restorations, take radio-graphs and impressions, and even administer minor treatment under the dentist’s supervision. If you have ever performed any of these, mentioning them will be a plus.
3) How to prevent with tooth decay?
Decay can be prevented in any of the following ways familiar to dental hygienists: gum margin maintenance, teeth whitening and bleaching, timely detection and/or prevention of gum disease or oral cancer, dental care facilities, etc.
4) How you communicate with clients?
Talk about your experience of working with clients, including interactions such as instructing patients on dental care and creating awareness of hygiene; proper brushing methods, diet, and timely checkups.
5) Have you ever worked with children as dental hygienist?
If you have, you may tell about your experience in dental services and instructing on health education, working with schoolchildren, etc.
6) List A few clues of teeth grinding?
Unexplained headaches, especially early morning or late in the day
Achy or tired facial muscles when you wake
Trouble sleeping
Extreme cold sensitivity throughout your mouth
A clicking or popping jaw
Front teeth seem sharper and chip easily, or have become uneven
7) What are toothpicks?
Avoid them. They can traumatize gums. Use floss to remove food from between teeth.
8) What are interdental brushes?
These small pipe-cleaner-looking brushes are bent at a right angle so they move between teeth above the gum. They’re ideal for people with areas too difficult to clean with a regular toothbrush and floss, such as bridges.
9) What is tongue scrapers?
These remove bacteria from the tongue, but a toothbrush does the job just as well. Make sure to scrape daily for best results.
10) What is gum massagers?
These tools are available on their own, and you can find them at the end of some toothbrushes. They stimulate gums to toughen up tissue so they won’t bleed as easily. Massage gums once a day.
11) Tell me are other dental hygiene products necessary?
If you’re taking care of the basics, everything else is just extra, but it still helps.
12) Should patient use mouthwash?
It’s not necessary if you’re brushing and flossing several times a day, unless you have tooth decay, in which case your dentist may prescribe a fluoride rinse.
But there’s no harm in using a mouthwash for fresher breath. Swish it around after flossing and brushing to remove plaque and kill remaining bacteria.
13) How to brighten the teeth?
A yellowed smile doesn’t necessarily mean poor dental health. Tooth color is hereditary and affected by what we eat – everything from coffee and soda to berries and wine can stain it.
14) How to floss effectively?
Break off about 18 inches of floss, wind it around your fingers, then guide it gently between teeth.
When it reaches the gum line, curve it into a C-shape against one tooth and gently rub it up and down. (Never snap the floss in and out of gums.)
Repeat this on every tooth, including the back of the ones in the back of your mouth.
15) What happened if someone don’t floss?
If you don’t floss, you risk cavities, tooth decay and inflammation, the last of which can put you at risk for heart attack and stroke.
16) Tell me do I really have to floss?
Absolutely. Once a day.
It may feel like a chore, but it’s essential for removing food particles and bacteria trapped between teeth that your toothbrush can’t reach.
17) Why is there bad breath especially in the morning?
During the day, we swallow about 2,000 times, which flushes out some bacteria. But at night we only swallow about 200 times, which leaves bad bacteria lingering in the mouth.
18) How to get rid of bad breath?
To stay minty-fresh, you must brush, floss and brush your tongue to get rid of those bacteria – especially in the morning.
19) What is bad breath?
Bad breath is often a sign of bacteria in your mouth. Odor-causing bacteria can hide in gum tissue, tongue crevices and between teeth.
20) What is sensitive tooth paste?
If you experience irritation or shooting pains when eating or brushing teeth, try a desensitizing toothpaste.
21) What is the mean of whitening in toothpaste?
These brighten teeth but won’t bleach them shades lighter. For that, you need whitening strips, trays with bleaching gel, or in-office treatments, such as Zoom 3 and Bright smile. Ask your dentist which is right for you.
22) What is tartar control?
If your teeth build up tartar quickly between dentist visits, this is a good option. But some tartar-control formulas can be too abrasive for teeth. If a toothpaste feels gritty when you rub it between your fingers, stay away.
23) What is the right technique to brush?
Position your brush at a 45-degree angle to your gums. Move it back and forth across one quadrant in gentle, tooth-wide strokes. Brush the outside, inside and chewing surfaces of each tooth, focusing on one quadrant at a time.
24) Can patient use an electric toothbrush?
Probably not. That basic, soft-bristled toothbrush will work just as well – if you use the right technique.
25) When one should brush?
Ideally, you should brush after each meal or snack to quickly remove decay-causing, odor-emitting particles (like food) and bacteria from the tooth’s surface.
If that seems impossible, aim for at least twice a day. Not brushing increases risk of cavities, bad breath, tooth decay and bone loss.
26) What is the best way to brush?
Just because your teeth are made of hard enamel, it doesn’t mean you should scrub them like you would a dirty pot.
Scrubbing that’s too aggressive or a toothbrush that’s too hard can harm gums and tooth enamel.
Brush for two minutes every time (half a minute for each quadrant of teeth), and use a soft-bristled toothbrush.
27) Share your memorable experiences?
Completing my class IV patient. It was very rewarding.
Wow every experience was one to remember.
28) What do you wish someone would have told you before you started school?
Patient management would be a huge aspect of the daily workday. It takes all kinds to make the world go around and many of them will sit in you dental chair.
To clean every corner of my house and train my boys better because there was no looking back.
29) What things surprised you once you were enrolled in the dental hygienist program?
1: The link between systemic health and oral condition.
2: The depth of study and many other subjects to be mastered in DH was amazing.
30) What did you think dental hygiene was all about when you started school?
1: Cleaning teeth.
2: I thought it was all about teeth and gums!
31) Why did you choose hygiene as a profession?
I knew health care was one of the fastest growing career areas, good pay, flexible hours. I didn’t expect to love the work as much as I do.
I wanted to be in a profession that I could apply my communication skills to teach people of all ages how to be healthier. Hygiene chose me!
32) What gave you a tough time that you wish you would have received more help with?
More time with the ultrasonic would have been helpful.After four years of work I finally feel pretty effective with the ultrasonic. Also, sharpening the instrument was a challenge.I have worked very diligently to become proficient at this skill.
The two biggies for me are coding and scheduling as I had no prior dental experience.
33) What was your favorite and most difficult class?
My favorite and most difficult classes were Histology/Embryology and oral pathology we had fun memorizing, questioning and doing a few projects. The most difficult thing for me was to work on group projects. And yes I survived group projects (not a fan of these). I can now admit that these were very beneficial when working with a small group or staff every day!
34) What was the most difficult course or project for you?
Periodontics was the most difficult, due to the big picture aspect to the disease. I didn’t really understand how it all came together until I got into the work force.Through experience I began to see patients who had health issues that affected their perio status.
Working with full blown perio cases brought it all together for me.
35) What courses taken prior to enrolling in the dental hygiene program supported you in the program?
Anatomy and physiology (hands down)
The Science courses including A & P, Chemistry, Microbiology as well as Psychology, Speech and Communications were all very helpful and necessary.
