In general, we often mix the roles and responsibilities of a dental hygienist and dental assistant; however, the reality is different. Both have to take various pieces of training and learn various skills for their work. If you plan to take these roles, it is necessary to understand the positions, functions, and education requirements for both of these roles.
Should I be a dental assistant or hygienist?
However, both posts play a significant role in dental practices and have great importance. A dental assistant will work under a dentist’s supervision and handle all the administrative and clinical work. On the other hand, dental hygienist does not need much guidance and can work independently. Let’s compare the duties of a dental hygienist vs. a dental assistant to clearly understand their roles at the clinic.
What does a dental hygienist do?
A hygienist can either work independently or under a dentist. In this role, you can take X-rays, record the patient’s health history, and suggest their diet chart for better health. Furthermore, you can help your patients by telling them about the proper ways to brush and floss. Effective communication and interpersonal skills are necessary for this role; and often the work requires dealing with different age groups of people.
Goals to achieve
To be a hygienist, you have to get a college degree and fulfill all the state requirements. At work, you have to give sedation and medicines to the patient during dental treatment and guide them for the intake of the right amount of nutrition. When we compare this with an assistant’s work, there is a vast difference. However, the final aim of both is to take care of patients’ oral health.
Role of a dental assistant
A dental assistant is the right hand of a dentist. If you want to be in this role, you have to undertake various pieces of training to learn multiple skills. Your responsibilities would include;
- Taking patient’s X-rays, health history, and dental impressions
- Prepare charts for assisting patients at the clinic
- Help the dentist in performing treatments and give medicines as per the need.
Dental hygienists vs. Dental assistants
An assistant can become a dentist in the future and do his own clinics, after getting few licenses. He has an important role and ensures that all the work goes smoothly at the clinic. You have to be active and keep an eagle eye on day-to-day activities for this role. To sum up, a hygienist cleans and polishes patient’s teeth, checks oral diseases, and provides guidance for the best dental care. In contrast, an assistant offers dental and administrative care for the patients and assist in clinical procedures.
Training programs
When comparing the role of dental hygienists vs. Dental assistants, both posts have different needs. If you are looking to take part in training programs for any of these roles, contact us. At the Greatwood Dental Assisting program, we offer various training sessions of different lengths in different dental areas. You can easily reach us in Sugarland, Texas. To know about various programs offered, call on (281) 728-6012 , or you could email at info@gdap.net .