Dental Hygienist

Dental Hygienist

Position Summary

• Reports to the Lead Dentist.
• Must perform all duties according to his/her direction and those of other dentists.
• Must perform treatment consistent with the standard of care for Hygienists.
• Must be a provider of dental treatment, conduct training sessions to individuals and groups in good oral health and hygiene.
• Must be able to train hygiene students in a training site.
• Must be able to help monitor and train staff to ensure proper OSHA guidelines.

Detailed Description of Position

• Responsible for direct patient care as authorized by the Lead Dentist.
• Directly responsible to the Lead Dentist for their schedule of activities.
• Responsible for documenting severity of periodontal disease after reviewing x-rays, spot periodontal probing, and consultation with examining dentist.
• Maintains Electronic Digital Record (EDR) of the procedures performed by Dental Hygienist in patients’ record. Making sure all information is entered into the EDR before patient is dismissed.
• This includes: a) diagnosis and recommended treatment, b) Patient’s medicine record and medical allergies (make sure the allergy icon is marked active), c) Signatures for all parties involved on medical histories and informed consents, d) patient oral hygiene level and progress or lack thereof, e) all drugs prescribed to the patient, f) patient’s next visit information, g) patient’s acceptance or refusal for periodontal treatments, h) any doctor’s note information.
• Responsible for performing a comprehensive oral prophylaxis on patients.
• Gives home care instructions along with oral prophylaxis.
• Maintains all dental equipment and instruments for maximum economical use.
• Establishes and maintains an oral health preventive program.
• Provides individual and group educational activities to support an effective preventive program.
• Creates and maintains a recall system that will ensure continued good oral health.
• Performs other duties within the scope of training for Dental Hygienist and required by the Lead Dentist.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Has the ability to scale teeth using manual scaler.
• Has ability to scale teeth using ultrasonic devises or similar equipment
• Has ability to recognize undesirable conditions existing in the oral cavity.
• Has considerable knowledge of the dental unit procedures.
• Has considerable knowledge of sources available within and outside the center so the patients and fellow co-workers can receive appropriate referrals.
• Has ability to use good grammar and spelling so that instructions can be understood by patients and fellow co-workers.
• Has ability to use mature judgment in performing all duties assigned and routine.
• Must have good people skills with an emphasis on a good attitude and ability to get along with others

Minimum Qualifications

Licensed to practice dental hygiene in the State of Georgia. High school graduate or equivalency. One year of actual experience helpful.