Enrolling in the dental hygiene course was one of the most interesting experiences I have ever had in my life. Before joining this class, I had little knowledge of what entails dental hygiene and the steps one must follow in keeping teeth, gum, and the entire mouth clean and healthy. I always thought that cleaning the mouth with toothpaste at least a day is enough to keep the mouth, teeth, and gum clean and healthy. However, this was not the case as the number of tutors I encountered introduced different units with various topics which explained dental health in detail. It is hard to forget the anxiety and high hopes I had during this period.
The dean started by introduced the class to the units one had to study to become a dental hygienist. Some of the major units a person has to study include anatomy, physiology, periodontics, and patient management. The whole program involves classroom instructions, laboratory, and clinical experiences. Under classroom instructions, our lecturers introduced various theories which explained different methods of maintaining dental health. Just like many of my classmates, I was hesitant to ask lecturers questions during the initial lessons. Therefore, I struggled to understand different terms and theories and this experience almost made me lose interest in the course. However, as time progressed, I become acquainted with many classmates and some lecturers, and thus it was easier to ask questions on the topics and lessons I didn’t understand. I also started reading notes and visiting the library to search for more information on various topics for better understanding. Therefore, obstacles reduced and I restored the interest which had diminished during my earlier days.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
The second major part of the course was the laboratory experience. This section involved visiting the laboratory and seeing various models and instruments necessary for dental hygiene. First, the lecturer showed the class the dental model which represented how the human mouth looks and what it contains. I could visualize how my mouth looked like after seeing the model. This experience brought new perceptions and understanding to every member of the class. Secondly, the tutor showed us various instruments dental hygienists use to treat patients. They included the mirror, prob, explorer, scaler, and polisher. This part brought a whole new experience as many of us had not seen such instruments before. I appreciate many of my tutors as they offered a detailed explanation of the functions of each tool. The lecturers also allowed us to ask questions on concepts we didn’t understand. However, there were some issues that I didn’t like during the laboratory experience. First, I feel that the school should have allocated more time for laboratory classes as the class number was higher. More time would allow each class member to undertake various experiments for better understanding. Secondly, some classmates made noise and thus preventing other members from understanding various concepts. Significant blame would also go to tutors who lost control of some class members as it led to poor content delivery and understanding.
The final and most interesting phase of dental hygiene education was the clinical practice. This part involves meeting patients with different dental problems and providing them with solutions. I didn’t know that many people had a problem in ensuring proper dental hygiene and thus it was easier to assume such a problem until it got more severe. The first part clinical experience involved asking the patient some questions about the problem and recording the information for proper analysis. Those records had a particular format to help the clinician to enter the appropriate information necessary for different forms of treatment. Some of the information one need to record include the patient’s initial name, calculus, and ethnicity.
|
Patient initials |
calculus | AAP | ASA |
Age/ Ethnicity |
Special Needs |
# of Appts | Summary |
| SW |
LIGHT- MODERATE |
II | II | 61 | NONE | 5 | Has heavy plagues and carries, nice patient who really likes to talk. |
Like afternoon appt, 4
Light, plague, no caries, she doesn’t like talk, just want get done with cleaning
GW
Light, II, 1
It was necessary to include information on how the patient behaved when undergoing dental check-ups and cleaning. The second phase involved inspecting the patient’s mouth to look for possible signs of ill-health. My first days of clinical experience were tough as I had little knowledge of how to handle different patients. Some were open and friendly while others were hesitant to disclose what they were experiencing and thus complicating the treatment. I also overcame the fear I had when approaching patients during the initial phase. What I noted was that a dental hygienist just like other professionals needs to have the interpersonal skill to have a meaningful engagement with the patient. Some patients may be unwilling to give accurate information about their dental health and thus the need to use the appropriate approach. Time management was also an important factor in having the best clinical experience. Some patients required more time than others depending on the severity of the dental problem. I learnt that a dental hygienist needs to have proper time allocation to avoid insufficient patient engagement. The last part of the clinical practice involved treating the patient with different dental problems. I had to clean the teeth using different remedies and thus restoring the dental hygiene. The whole experience instilled an important knowledge on the steps one needs to take to maintain dental hygiene. I realized that one needs to regularly visit a dental hygienist to check for possible ill-health. It was evident that few people knew the importance of regular check-ups and maintaining dental health beyond brushing. Lastly, tutors were resourceful as they helped each student to comprehend various concepts as used in the dental hygiene course.
