The Role of a London Hygienist in Dental Care
A hygienist plays a crucial role in the field of London dental care. He helps educate patients on how to care for their teeth and gums. He may also provide advice and tips on proper diet and their effects on dental health.
A dental hygienist may work for a professional dentist, with some licensed to dispense and administer local anaesthesia. Some of the dental-related procedures performed by hygienists are:
• Cleaning
• Root planning
• Scaling
• Dental sealing
• Providing advice on proper dental care
• Taking prescribed radiographs
A London hygienist, to be able to work in all fields of dentistry, must be enrolled and qualified with the General Dental Council (GDC). He can work in hospitals, specialist dental practices, general dental practices and the salaried dental services of the National Health Service (NHS).
Most hygienists have previous experience as dental nurses or dental surgery assistants. Their familiarity in dental procedures gives them an advantage among other dental care professionals.
A hygienist performs various dental hygiene care procedures. They include:
• Patient assessment – this includes review of patients’ medical history, x-ray results, periodontal assessment and clinical examination.
• Creating a treatment plan – the treatment plan varies based on the immediate needs of the patient
• Dental hygiene diagnoses – this pertains to the assessment of data of the condition of the patient to expedite the identification of health problems and the creation of possible treatment plan.
• Implementation – this mainly includes the implementation of the treatment plan
• Evaluation – assessing the effectiveness of the procedure that was performed