The dental assistant career path has become one of the most popular jobs across the country in the last few years. Training to become a dental assistant can be done through dental assistant programs both in trade schools and community colleges in person, as well as in online schools.

Students are able to get hands on oral dental assisting training by working in or getting internships in dental clinics that are both traditional and non-traditional. The more places you go too for hands on oral dental assisting practice, the more options you will have when you are ready to start your career after obtaining your license. In order to become a dental hygienist, you need to know what it is exactly what they do, and what dental assistant programs consist of:

1. Responsibilities
As a dental hygienist, your main objective will be to the right hand to the dentist you are working for. The hygienist is who is responsible for taking care of a patient’s preventative oral health by cleaning their teeth, checking their gums for cleanliness and any signs of gum disease, they collect and examine the patient’s medical history, and they make sure that the patient knows the proper techniques for taking care of their teeth.

2. Tools and techniques
During the dental hygiene program, the students will be learning how to use tools like scrapers and polishers to get rid of plaque and other build-up and get rid of stains on teeth. They will learn how to apply treatments like fluoride and sealants which helps prevent cavities and other tooth decay. They will learn how to take oral X-rays and have them developed and will record anything suspicious they see in the mouth and tell the dentist about it. They will also be trained on how to help the dentist when he or she has to do procedures.

3. Obtaining a license
In order to be a dental hygienist, you have to go through an accredited program that is approved by the Commission on Dental Accreditation to get our license. Typically you have to have your associate’s degree before going through the program, but you will have to go through the licensing program whether you have an associate’s degree or a doctorate: the same standard applies for everyone.

4. Education offerings
According to the standards put forth by the Commission on Dental Accreditation, the dental hygiene program will cover four major areas: general education, biomedical sciences, dental sciences, and dental hygiene science. Each of these courses will teach you not only how to do proper hygiene procedures, but it will teach you the science behind the mouth and how to care for it. It will typically take a student an average of two to four years to complete the hygienist program, and the total time of their education depends on whether or not they decide to pursue more than an associate’s degree as well. Dental hygiene school can be tough and tedious as most schools are, but whether you do it online, at a trade school, or at a community college, the career you get when you finish will be a rewarding one!