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The Caring Support Blog

All About Dental Hygienist Jobs

April 21, 2023

What Is a Dental Hygienist Job?

Dental hygienists offer services and treatments for oral health promotion, illness prevention, and mouth injury mitigation. They may work for themselves or for a variety of organizations, such as public health organizations, hospitals, private clinics, educational institutions, and dental offices.

What Does A Dental Hygienist Do?

A dental hygienist may do some or all of the following tasks:

Dental Hygienist Job Skills

Manual dexterity

The capacity to make small, precise hand movements with care and expertise is referred to as manual dexterity. When cleaning patients' teeth and utilizing multiple tools at once as a dental hygienist, you can employ your manual dexterity. Because you're doing complicated activities in a constrained workspace, having good hand-eye coordination can aid you with this skill. The patient's safety can also be increased by having good hand-eye coordination and manual dexterity. Before working on actual patients, you have the chance to improve this skill during your training possibilities in school.

Compassion

The capacity to feel sympathy for other people is compassion. It demonstrates that you are aware of how the person is feeling and thinking about a problem. Being compassionate is advantageous in this position since it makes patients feel more at ease in the dental office, especially if they're frightened. While you take in the patient's worries, be polite as you offer your emotional support. By doing this, you might boost the patient's confidence in your ability to treat them.

Communication

Your capacity for communication is how well you can convey a message to another person. In this position, you will be responsible for a number of duties that call for effective interpersonal communication. For instance, you might use your communication abilities to advise a patient about preventative care they might perform at home. After sharing a diagnosis with them, you must also advise them on how to maintain their dental health or how to adhere to an at-home treatment plan.

Also, having clear communication is crucial when dealing with a dentist throughout an oral procedure in order to support the dentist. This may entail gathering crucial data from the patient prior to surgery, such as whether they have any pharmaceutical allergies, and communicating that information to the surgeon.

Attention to detail

Your ability to accomplish things thoroughly, attentively, and while reviewing inaccuracies and making repairs for high-quality work demonstrates your attention to detail. Use this ability to look for issues with a patient's teeth and gums. The patient's treatment strategy might be decided by taking note of their oral health specifics. This entails providing the appropriate diagnosis and advice on how to address the issue with their teeth or gums. In addition to addressing their teeth and gums, a patient's concerns may also be addressed with attention to detail, such as if they have an overbite.

Dental hygiene knowledge

Your general education in dental hygiene includes how to execute dental hygiene procedures on patients. For instance, you could perform fluoride treatments, clean the patient's teeth, and provide oral cleanings. It's crucial to know how to use different dental tools, such as panoramic or diagnostic x-rays. During cleanings, you might remove tartar, stains, or plaque buildup from the patient's teeth and use your understanding of what they can do at home to minimize buildup in between appointments.

Oral surgery preparation

The actions necessary before a patient can have oral surgery are referred to as oral surgery preparations. Dental hygienists can get patients ready for surgery, for instance, if the dentist decides that the patient needs to be anesthetized. This also entails making sure patients sleep during the entire procedure and react properly to the anesthesia both during and after the surgery.

dental hygienist jobs

How To Become A Dental Hygienist Job in Canada?

Typically, dental hygienists typically need to complete a two- to three-year college dental hygiene program that has been approved by the governing board in the province or territory of residency. Dental hygienists must be licensed by the relevant provincial or territorial regulatory organization.

However, some institutions may require education such as Grade 12 Equivalency - GED Certificate or Canadian Public College Diploma or Canadian University Degree or be at least 18 years of age and complete a qualifying test certified by the Superintendent. Ontario Secondary Diploma - OSSD 30 Credits (General level and/or Advanced).

Dental Hygienist Job Salaries in Canada

In Ottawa, Ontario, the average dental hygienist earns a gross annual salary of $95,954, which equates to $46 per hour. This is 6% more than the typical dental hygienist salary in Canada (+$57,14). Also, they receive a $1,871 bonus on average. Estimates of salaries based on compensation surveys completed by anonymous employees and employers in Ottawa, Ontario. The typical income for a dental hygienist at the entry level (with 1-3 years of experience) is $68,624. The average pay for a senior level dental hygienist (8+ years of experience) is $118,506.

Find Your Next Healthcare Career

How To Find Dental Hygienist Jobs In Ontario

There are many job boards out there to help you search for dental hygienest positions, but finding a niche job board, like Caring Support, can help speed up the process.

How to Write an Ideal Resume for a Dental Hygienist?

You'll be able to receive more interviews if you learn how to tailor your resume for the particular job you seek. Below are some tips: 

Focus on specific keywords for dental hygiene in your skills section.

The skills part of your resume is a list of bulleted skills-based keywords from the job posting that you didn't use somewhere else in your resume. Using these resume keywords can help hiring managers find your application in applicant tracking systems (ATS). You should emphasize your technical talents if you are seeking a position in the medical industry.

Soft skills that demonstrate your capacity for interacting with patients and colleagues are additional qualifications for your resume.

Start with the goal or qualifications section of your resume.

We advise you to highlight your most important accomplishments and talents in a resume introduction to get the attention of hiring managers right away. Simply select the introduction style that best suits your level of experience, if you're searching for your first job as a registered dental hygienist, employ a resume objective, a two to three-sentence opening paragraph that highlights your education, training, and professional goals in addition to your dental licenses and certifications. If you have experience working in dental hygiene, create a summary of your qualifications that contains the following information: technical skills and ability, career accomplishments, licensing and certifications and academic qualifications.

The Future Of Dental Hygienist Jobs

Dental hygienists can immigrate to Canada in a few distinct methods. There is a common misconception that the only way to use the Express Entry system is to be employed; however, as a dental hygienist, you also have alternative possibilities. Don't worry if you don't have a job lined up just yet; you can still get a Canadian visa.

In fact, dental hygienists are currently in high demand in Canada, making it a wonderful profession to have if you intend to move there. Dental hygienists are unquestionably included on the National Occupation Code list, which is maintained by the Canadian government. Thus, if you're a dental hygienist wishing to live and work in Canada, this is the information for you.

Visit our website, Caring Support, to find out more about healthcare professionals. Much is yet in store for you. You can also go here to use our free resume builder, which is created for you to use quickly and easily.

About The Author
Arielle Rosales
Content Writer

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