What You'll Do

  • Clean calcareous deposits, accretions, and stains from teeth and beneath margins of gums, using dental instruments.
  • Feel and visually examine gums for sores and signs of disease.
  • Chart conditions of decay and disease for diagnosis and treatment by dentist.
  • Feel lymph nodes under patient's chin to detect swelling or tenderness that could indicate presence of oral cancer.
  • Apply fluorides or other cavity preventing agents to arrest dental decay.
  • Examine gums, using probes, to locate periodontal recessed gums and signs of gum disease.
  • Expose and develop x-ray film.
  • Remove excess cement from coronal surfaces of teeth.
  • Make impressions for study casts.
  • Administer local anesthetic agents.

Essential Skills

Active Listening 3.75/5
Speaking 3.5/5
Critical Thinking 3.5/5
Writing 3.12/5
Monitoring 3.12/5
Social Perceptiveness 3.12/5
Service Orientation 3.12/5
Reading Comprehension 3.0/5
Active Learning 3.0/5
Coordination 3.0/5
Persuasion 3.0/5
Instructing 3.0/5

Career Fit Overview

Use this summary to sense whether the day to day rhythm and focus of this path line up with what energizes you.

Top passions

  • Helper: Supporting people and making a difference matters to you.
  • Maker: Building and fixing energizes you. You like tangible results and practical tools.
  • Analyst: Investigating problems and finding patterns keeps you engaged.

Common styles

Concern for Others, Integrity, Dependability, Cooperation, Self-Control

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Key Abilities

This career demands strong capabilities in the following areas:

Problem Sensitivity 3.88/5
Arm-Hand Steadiness 3.88/5
Finger Dexterity 3.88/5
Near Vision 3.88/5
Oral Comprehension 3.75/5
Oral Expression 3.75/5
Manual Dexterity 3.25/5
Speech Recognition 3.25/5

Technologies & Tools

Dental billing software Dental charting software Dental clinical records software Dental digital radiology software Dental imaging software Dental intra-oral imaging software Dental office management software Email software Henry Schein Dentrix Inventory management software Microsoft Excel Microsoft Office software Microsoft Word Open Dental Patterson Dental Supply Patterson EagleSoft Scheduling software Voice-activated perio charting software Web browser software Word processing software

Work Environment & Style

Common Styles for This Career

  • Concern for Others (High importance: 4.86/5)
  • Integrity (High importance: 4.83/5)
  • Dependability (High importance: 4.77/5)
  • Cooperation (High importance: 4.72/5)
  • Self-Control (High importance: 4.64/5)

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How to Become One

This career typically requires vocational school, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree. Some specialized training or certification may also be required.

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Also Known As

This career is known by many different job titles across industries. Here are all the variations:

Dental Hygienist Dental Nurse Hygienist Licensed Dental Hygienist Oral Hygienist Pediatric Dental Hygienist Registered Dental Hygienist (RDH)