Examination and cleaning
Dental cleaning
Cleaning (also called prophylaxis) is an act delegated to dental hygienists. These oral health professionals have the skills, expertise and authorization to perform prophylactic procedures independently. The dentist will usually come in at almost the end to complete the examination, make a diagnosis and suggest appropriate treatments.
Link with your hygienist
The new relationship with your hygienist is even more important because you will be spending most of the appointment with this person. Before you even begin the cleaning, you and your hygienist will so you will get to know. There are several reasons for this conversation:
- Create a relationship of trust
- Measure your degree of stress
- Know your predispositions (fear, interest, financial restriction, previous traumatic experience)
- Understand your deepest needs and desires (to have functional prostheses, a more aesthetic mouth)
The hygienist will listening of this information for a single purpose: to serve you better! Many people feel nervous, sometimes fearful, about dental care. You will be given a great deal of information about your health in a very short period of time, which can diminish your ability to listen and your understanding. Many people feel more comfortable with their hygienist than their dentist and confide certain things to them that can become a determining factor.
Example: The role of the hygienist
During the cleaning, a new patient reveals to the hygienist that he considers his dental health to be very important but that a temporary financial setback forces him to make certain choices. When the dentist examination, a cavity that is too advanced means that the tooth must be treated with a root canal treatment + crown or to extract the tooth. Monetarily, the difference between the two treatments is considerable: several hundred dollars versus less than a hundred.
Since the dentist informs the patient of the possible options The patient will certainly be inclined to ask to proceed with the extraction. But the hygienist, thanks to the beginning of the relationship and previous conversations, is aware that her new patient is concerned about his dental health and understands that he would certainly want to keep his tooth if he had the opportunity.
The hygienist will inform the dentist that the decision is most likely based on a temporary financial condition. With this information, the dentist can then inform the patient that a root canal treatment that the installation a crown can be slightly delayed so that the payment for all this care can be spread over a longer period of time, thus allowing the patient to keep his tooth as he wishes, while respecting his financial condition.
Small details make a difference
Small details can make the difference between a visit to the dentist and a good experience with a great dentist. A patient informing the hygienist that she fears the anesthesia more than anything else, will be able to advise the dentist who will be able, during certain treatments, to prescribe a relaxant in order to be better prepared when anesthesia is required.
In addition to serving as a link, moderator or translator of emotions between the patient and the dentist, the hygienist plays the role of educator, a role that is quite important, given that free information about dental health is rather limited. Naturally, the dental hygienist will present information about your case at the same time as he or she carry out hygiene treatments with an efficient and fast hand, which makes this professional indispensable for a dental clinic.