My Work As A Dental Hygienist

I prayed about it, and decided to go for it. It meant taking the SAT examination again, applying to a college with the program, and getting accepted. God worked in every step of the process. Twenty years after I graduated from high school, I started college again. I worked hard and finished the program in two years, second in my class. I was the only guy in my class, and the oldest one. I was even older than the instructors, who were also all women.

After graduation and the two required board examinations, I started work. Three days a week, I work for Dr. Russell in Millersburg. My duties include cleaning teeth, oral hygiene instruction, periodontal therapy for those who have gum disease, and orthodontics. The ortho part of my job is my favorite at that office.

One day a week I work in Harrisburg for Dr. Silvers. There I clean teeth and perform periodontal therapy. We use a phase contrast microscope as part of the perio therapy, to determine the types of bacteria which are present around the teeth, in order that we can adjust the treatment for each patient.

For eleven years, I also ran the Dental Hygiene Services Programs in three area school districts.  However, the PA Department of Education would no longer renew my Emergency Certification unless I would return to school and get additional credits toward a degree in education.  This was not feasible because of my other jobs and the cost would be more than I made in the districts.  So, I gave up the jobs in the three school districts.  None of the districts have been able to find a Certified Dental Hygienist to replace me, so the districts no longer have the program.

Some Important Dental Hygiene Facts

• You don't have to floss all your teeth...only the ones you want to keep!
• You should floss every evening before you go to bed, and then don't eat or drink anything after that.
• You should brush your teeth after EVERY meal, and especially before you go to bed, and don't eat or drink anything after that.
• You should see your dentist once every six months to have your teeth examined and cleaned.
• Fluoride does help prevent cavities. That's why it's in most toothpastes, and why many cities put it in their drinking water.
• There has been NO proof that silver amalgam fillings cause cancer.
• There is no such thing as a painless dentist...every dentist I've known can be hurt. :-}
• Use of nitrous oxide (laughing gas) will not make you reveal your innermost hidden secrets!
• More adults lose teeth from Periodontitis (gum disease) than from cavities.
• If you ignore your teeth, they will go away.
• If you ignore a pain in your tooth, the problem won't go away. It will only get worse.
• Sunbathing gives you much more radiation that you get from dental x-rays.
• Babies should not be put to bed with a bottle that has anything other than water in it. Other things will remain in the babies mouth and cause the baby teeth to decay. This is called Nursing Bottle Syndrome.
• Children should see the dentist for the first visit by the age of 4.
• Even people with full dentures should see their dentist regularly. There are many problems that can occur and not be noticed by the wearer until there are serious problems.