DentistsHaveFillingsToo

MeganScuron

EnglishIIIStandardPd.6
Mr.Piatak
February26,2015

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DentistsHaveFillingsToo

Dentalhygieneservesasafulfillingcareerbasedonitsextensivehistory,theprocessesone
mustundergoforonetogetinvolved,andthedaytodaylifeinsideofadentaloffice.Onemust
firstshowanextensiveamountofdesireinthecareer.Daytodaylifepersistentlydependsonthe
attitude,energy,andconcentration.Thecareerpathtowardsdentalhygienerequiresanextensive
amountofskillsbroughttotheworkplace.Theseskillsprovideavarietyofsuccessfuloutcomes
suchasformingabetterstudentthroughoutpastschooling,andbecomingsuccessfulinall
coursesthroughouttherequirededucationincollege.Growingintoawellshapeddental
hygienist,onemustinquireanextensiveamountofsocialskillsandpublicspeaking.
Dentalhygieneprovidesavarietyofservicestopatientsandthecommunity.Notonlydo
hygienistspolishandscaleteeth,butalsoprovideeducationonhowtokeepgoodoralhealth.
Alsohygienistnotonlyworkintheirofficestotellothersaboutoralhealth,butalsogoto
schoolstoeducatechildrenonwaystoprotectagainstgumdiseases,keephealthyoralhygiene
andprotectagainsttoothdecay,andmouthabnormalities.Manyindividualsoftenfeel
apprehensivetovisitstothehygienist(DentalHygiene:CareersToSmileAbout).
Peopleusuallyhavenegativethoughtsbasedonpointedtools,pain,andbloodygums.In
the1800s,toolshadnotyetbeendiscoveredtocleanteeth,onlypiecesofanimalsandanyother
typesofresourcespeoplecouldfind.Throughouthistory,hygienisthaveexperimentedwith
methodstoimproveoralhealthwiththecreationoftoothpasteandthetoothbrush.Shearsofrock
constructedintothefirstknowntoothpastesubstance.Tomakethetoothpastesortofsubstance,
chiseledrockwouldreconstructintoaPowdertoscrubtheirteeth.Theyalsousedporcupine
quillsastoothpickstohelppickplaqueorleftoverfoodfromtheirteeth.Thequestionremainson

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whatdifferentthingsmadeupatoothbrush.Beforemoderntimes,peoplefelttheonlywayto
makeatoothbrushliketoolwasbypeelingthebarkoffoftreesandchewingonthewoodenbark
untilitfeltsoftenough,orbrushliketohelpcleantheirteeth.Throughthecenturiesoralcare
hasnotonlyadvancedthoroughlytohelpprovidethebestcareforpatients,butalsohelpperform
theirdaytodayjobwithoutmajordisruptions(WouldYouBrushYourTeethWithRocks?).
Throughthegenerationsdentistryhaschangedabruptlyforthegoodoforalhealthandof
patients.Beforedentistworkedonpatientsandexaminedproblemswiththeirteeth,dental
hygieniststooktheinitiativetocleanteethevenbeforethecareerdeveloped.Hygienistshelped
patientswithoralhealthaswellasimprovedtheiroralhygiene.Notonlydidhygienistclean
teethintheupcomingDentistappointmentbutgaveafairwarningofwhattoexpectthedentist
maytelltheirpatient.Hygienistswarnindividualsofpotentiallyharmfuldiscoveriestheyfindin
theirmouthwhilecleaning.Usually,dentistgiveinsightonthetypeoftoothdecay,cavities,or
gumproblemstheirpatientmightstrugglewith,insomecasesthismayscareapatientwiththe
shockingnewstheymaynothaveknown.Dentalhygienistassistinprovidinginsightontheir
patientsoralhealthstatusbeforethecertifieddentistcanassesstheirmedicalsituation(U.S.
BureauofLaborStatistics).
Dentalhygienistprovideavarietyofservicestothedentaloffice.Notonlydodental
hygienisthelpcleanteethandwarnpatientsofweakenamel,buttheyalsoprovideotherhelpful
servicesthatcanmakeadifferenceinhealthcareoftheirpatients.Xrays,whiting,andscaling
arealsogivenbydentalhygienistwhichhelpsthemfindthingssuchascavities,damagedteeth
orpotentialthreatstotoothshapingandgrowth.Also,hygienistworkcloselywithoralsurgeons
anddentistinmultipleproceduresthatrangehandingsmallinstrumentstostayingawatchfuleye

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andmonitoringpatientswhorequireanesthesiaorprescribemedicinestoassistinmorecomplex
procedures.DegreeCompletionprogramsaredesignedforlicenseddentalhygienistswhohave
completedtheirprofessionaleducationandearnedacertificateorassociate'sdegree(Dental
HygieneEducation3).Educationsforadentalhygienistcanrangeofmultipleyearsof
schoolingdependingonhowindepthonewouldliketogetintothefield.Collegeeducation
includesfirstgeneraleducationcourseslikeBiochemistry,Pharmacy,Nutrition,etc.Inthe
Nation,dentalhygienestudentsrangefromausual95.8%females,and4.2%males(Dental
HygieneEducation24).Thetypeofschoolchoosentoearnadegreeforthiscareervarieson
personalopinion.IfastudentfeelstheywanttoexperiencealargeuniversitywithinNorth
Carolinathathe/shecouldearntheirdentalhygienistdegree,awellknownschoollike
UniversityOfNorthCarolinaatChapelHillorEastCarolinaUniversity,usuallychosenfortheir
largeandsuccessfuldentaldepartments.Ifnot,usuallystudentsfordentalhygieneshowmore
interestinacommunitycollegeinwhichonlytakes2yearstoearnadentalhygienistdegree.
CentralPiedmontCommunityCollege,CoastalCarolinaCommunityCollege,andCapeFear
CommunityCollege,allshowthemostpopularvotesofcommunitycollegeschosenbystudents
("13AccreditedDentalHygienistSchoolsinNorthCarolina").
Afterearningadentalhygienistcertification,onehasalargevarietyofchoicesof
possibleavenuestopursue.Oneoptionmayinvolveanindividualstartingtheirownpractice
withapprovalofadentisttohelpthem.Startingadentalpracticehasavarietyofpositive
outcomes.Thesepositivequalitiesincludethatthecompanyalonedoesallofthebillingand
insurance,scheduling,andsuppliesoralcaresupplies(Kelsch).Somenewlycertifiedhygienists

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feelanegativestanceonthethoughtofstartingabusinessrightoutofcollege,butrathergoback
tocollegetoadvanceintheireducationandunderstandingaboutthedentalfieldinitself.
AlmostanylocationaroundtheUnitedStateswillincludeatypeofbusinessinvolving
dentistry.Although,thenumberofdentistofficesaroundcommunitiesvariesonpopulation,
economicsandotherdemographics.Forexample,themoremoneyanareagenerates,likeLos
Angelesforexample,wouldmostlikelygivetheoutcomeofmanymoreDentistofficesbecause
oftheeconomicstatusandthetypeofpeoplewholivethere.Then,ruralareashavealower
population,whichmeansthatDentistofficesappearabitmorescarcecomparedtoalargecity
area("RuralAssistanceCenter").
TypesofincomeforDentistvaryonalargescaleofwhatfieldtheyhavetheircareerin.
Dentist,onaverage,makeasalaryof$146,340,dentalhygienistmakeanaveragesalaryof
$70,210,andOralSurgeonswithmedianof$255,352eachyear.Although,themoneydoesnot
comeeasy,ratherthefactthateachofthesefieldsrequireacertainamountoftimeinschooland
acertaindegree(Dentist:Salary).
Throughresearch,dentalfieldshavefoundanexponentialamountontheeffectsoral
healthhasonthehumanbody.Discoveriesuncoveredhowsmallgumormouthinfectionscan
leadtolargeroutbreaksofillness,and/orgiveawideraspectofconcernsfortheentireimmune
system.Oneofthemanyeffectsofnotkeepingupwithdentalhygiene,actuallypreventionfrom
conceiving.StudiesshowthatPeriodontitis,alsoknownasachronicgumdisease,providesone
oftheleadingcausesofstrugglestoconceptionincouples.Gumdiseaseperceivesachronic
inflammatoryconditionthatcanaffectotherareasofthebody.Inmales,asmallstudyproves
thatmenthathavePeriodontitishaveamuchlowerspermcount.Evenifoneisabletoconceive

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whilesufferingfromPeriodontists,birthdefectssuchaslowerweightcomeatahigherrisk.
Luckily,problemslikethisprovidetreatmentoptionsincludingscaling,rootplaningorsurgery,
dependingonhowseverethecasemayencompass.Luckily,ifoneistoldaboutstrugglingfrom
periodontitis,andalreadywithchildinwomb,youcanstillhaveasurgerydonewithoutcausing
anyharmtoyourinfant(Mulcahy).
Aginghasalargeeffectonourhealth.Oftenoralhygienecanbeforgottenasoneages,as
itmaynotseemaprimaryconcern.However,ifnottakencareofproperly,one'steethwillnot
lastanentirelifetime.Aginghasalsoprovedtotakealargetollonourteethandgums.Senior
citizensstimulatelotsofattentiontotheirhealth,includingtheiroralhealth.Illnesseswhich
manyfacesuchasdiabetes,andheartdiseasecanhaveaneffectonoralhealth.Seniorsusually
havemorechangesintheirhealthandtakingdifferentmedicationsandrestraintfromgetting
theirdentalneedstakencareof.Dentures,commonlyneededasonebecomeselderly,canleadto
badbreathanddrymouth(Cairns).
Somemaysaythatdentalhygienedoesnotcomeasaconcernuntilonesfirstbabytooth
forms,orevenamouthfulofteeth.Although,manyresearchersmaydisagreeonthisstudy,
showingfactsthatoralhealthbecomesaconcernonceafetusformsinamotherswomb.
Pregnantwomenstrugglewithmanysugarcravingsthroughpregnancybasedonlowblood
sugar,whichmayusuallyhaveasolutionthroughasugarytreatorhighlyacidfoodofsomesort.
However,sugarycravingstheworstconcernsforanunbornchildinamotherswomb.Themost
wellknownstudyfromDoctorPeterAlldrittfocusesonamothersacidicrefluxandregular
vomitingduringtheirfirststagesofpregnancy.Onceanyonevomits,theirteethbecomeexposed
toallsortsofstomachacids,whichdisplaysoneofthemostpowerfuldecaysonhumanteeth.

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Although,notonlydoesteethdecaytakeitsmainstagesthroughoutawoman'spregnancy,but
alsoafter.Asurveydistributedtomultiplemotherswhohadjustexperiencedchildbirthinweeks
past,intendedforthemtorecordtheirhabitsoforalhealth.Thesurveyshowedthatmorethan
halfofnewmothersdidnotvisitthedentistforashockingtwelvemonthsafterlabor.New
mothershaveahardtimeunderstandingtheimpactchildbirthandtheafteraffectshaveontheir
oralhealth.Anewmothersintensifiedhormonesexaggeratetheamountofbacterialinfections
theirgumscanendure.Theseproblemscaneasilyexperienceresolutionbyasuggestedhealthy
dietandkeepingupwithoralhealth(Bruce).
Goodoralhealthdoesnotonlyresidetotakingcareofyourselfduringpregnancy,orjust
daytodayactivities.Oralhygieneleadstomultiplehealtheffectsthatcanaccumulatethrough
thewayonekeepupwiththeirhygiene.Thevarietyofeffectsoralhealthleavesonthehuman
bodycanbehaveerratically.Sincethemouthservesastheleadingentrancetotherestofyour
internalorgans,themouthhasalargecontributiononhowtherestofyourorgansfunctionand
keepupwithyourimmunesystem.Routinebrushingandflossingcoupledwiththebody'sstrong
immunesystemkeepsthebacteriafromreachingdangerouslevelsthatcanleadtoinfections,
toothdecayandgumdisease.Recentstudieshavesuggestedthatanexcessofgermsanddecay
originatingfromthemouthcanspreadtobloodstreamresultinginheartdisease,cloggedarteries
and/orstrokes(TheImportanceofGoodOralHygiene).
Manywonderwhatadentalhygienistdoesthroughouttheircareer,otherthanmost
commonlyknowncleaningteeth.Ifonlypeopleknewthemanydifferentwaysdentalhygienist
trulycontributeto,dentalhygienistsscreenforserioushealthproblems,suchasHIVinfection,
oralcancer,eatingdisorders,substanceabuseanddiabetes.Manypeopledonotaddressthe

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manywayshygienisthelpwiththeirhealthfortheyonlylimittheirknowledgetounderstanding
theoralportionofthesituation,ratherthantheoverallpicture.Thedentalcareeringeneralfully
contributestotheeconomyasawhole.Intheunitedstatesalone,morethan150,000dental
hygienistpopulatetheUnitesstates.Although98percentshowasfemale.Jobprospectsfor
dentalhygienistsexpecttoremainexcellent,andtheemploymentratestandsexpectedtogrow
30percentthrough2016.Withouttheknownknowledgeofhowmuchthisfieldtrulyoptimizes
theAmericaneconomy.About500millionvisitsalleviatedtodentistsofficesthroughout2007,
bringinginanestimationofabout98.6billionsdollarsspentondentalServices(Callahan).
Dentistleavemanytipsforpatientstohelpkeepupwiththeiroralhealth.Muchofthe
populationtodaystruggleswithintenseaddictionofsmokingcigarettes,whichdisplaysoneof
themostpowerfulaidsthatcontributestotoothdecayandgumdisease.Smokingnotonly
stronglycontributestodiseasedgumsorsuch,butalsooralcancer.Tobaccocontributestothe
primarycauseoforalcancer,inthisyearaloneover43,250Americanswillgetdiagnosedwith
oralcancertracedbackfromtobaccoproducts.Ofthose43,250Americans,onlyabitmorethan
halfwillenduplivingthroughthenext5years.Dentalhygienedoesnotseemimportantuntil
peoplegiveresearchintotheirhealthandhaveinsightontherealisticeffects(OralCancer
Facts).
DentalCareanddentalexpensesappearveryhigh,andsadlyveryrealisticthesedays.
Notonlycaninfectionsbotherchildrenandtheirdailyplay,butwheninfectionsbecomechronic,
itcanleadtoheartorlungdiseases,diabetes,orevenastroke.Sadly,wheneldersretire,their
insurancefordentalcaredisappears.Althoughtheymaypayexpensesoutofpocket,thismakes

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itharderfortheelderlytogettothedentistforroutinecheckups.Throughorganizationslike
Medicaid,abouttwothirdsoftheadultpopulationexhibitscoveragefordentalcare.Although
25statesanticipatetoeliminating,orreducingdentalbenefitsinthenearfuture.Realisticallyfor
Americans,dentalcarecaneitherexhibitasaneasyaccessorquitecomplicatedhealthcare
system,muchofitdependingonyourage(Gordon).
Dentalhygieneensuresafulfillingcareerchoiceformanywhoenjoythemanyqualities
experiencedthroughaworkday,orevenjusttheleaduptotakingpartinthecareeritself.Asa
childIalwayslovedgoingtothedentistandhavingmyteethcleaned.Ithinktheinitialattraction
wastherebecauseIenjoyedbeingthere.InschoolIalwaysenjoyedscienceandstudyingthe
humanbody.IwashighlysocialandlovedhelpingotherssoIfeltlikethiswouldbeaperfect
professionforme.ThatiswhyIwentintotoDentalHygiene(Sparks).Someenjoythecareer
choiceofdentalhygienebecauseofitsmanysocialinteractionsandworkingenvironment,
feelingasiftheyaretakingpartinanengagingsociety.Attheendofthedaythemost
rewardingtomeisestablishingpersonalrelationshipswhiledoingsomethinghelpfuland
positiveforothers.Havingtheknowledgetoeducateyourpatientsandreallyhelptochangetheir
health.Dentalproblemsarerelatedtomanyotherdiseasessobyimprovingyourdentalhealth
youarealsoimprovingyouroverallhealth.Ihavealsoreallyenjoyedthehours.whetheryou
workparttimeorfulltimeyouareoftenoffonFridaysanddon'tworkweekendsorevenings.It
isalsoagreatcareerforworkingmoms(Sparks).HearingaboutthecareerfromDental
HygienistKellySparkshelpsengageapersoninterestedinthefieldoptimizeandformulatewhat
thetrueworkingsofadentalhygienistonadaytodaybasisarelike(Sparks).

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Dentalhygieneprovidesaveryintriguingfieldstudyinwhichoffersmanyopportunities,
learningexperiences,andcreatesastableandenjoyablecareerchoice.Opportunitieslikesuch,
helpastudentoranytypeofpersonlearnedastheygrowolderandstarttounderstandthework
fieldamongstourverygeneration.Growingup,differentopportunitiesgiventothisgeneration
throughoutourschooling,familylife,andoutsideactivities.Givingopenmindstowhichjob
fieldmayprovideasuccessfulcareerthroughone'slife.Althoughmanyexperiencesmay
provideexceptionallearningopportunitiesthroughoutthejobfield,italsoprovidesthestrength
andstaminaonemusthavetogetthroughtheircareerofchoice.Includingcollege,orafter
collegeexperiences.Makingawaythroughcollegehelpsstudentsunderstandamorebroadly
abouttheirgivenmajor.Lastly,dentalhygienecreatesanenjoyablecareerchoicetotakepartin
throughouttheirlifelongjourney,forithelpsgivesocialinteraction,andalsogivesafulfilling
salarytotakecareofafamily.

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MASComplete.Web.8Dec.2014.
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