Dental Assistant vs Dental Hygienist

Are you keen to pursue a career in the dental healthcare industry? When searching for schools offering RDA programs California, you may also discover another professional career and that is of the hygienist. The reason for the similarity in both these career options is that both offer support to patients before and after the treatment. However, before foraying into any of these options, you need to know the crucial distinctions as well. Keep in mind that both these professions are different. While the assistants work in the dentist’s office during the day-to-day work, the hygienists have a different set of responsibilities to handle. Both careers are rewarding and are likely to be in high demand during the coming years.

Dental Assistant and Hygienist: Things to Know

The dental assistants perform a wide range of work and handle multiple responsibilities like patient care, scheduling appointments, and maintaining a record of the patients. However, the duties may vary based on state laws. Overall, they need to have an eye for detail, stay calm when dealing with patients, and stay on their feet when assisting dentists during clinical procedures. You need to get a certified assistant dental program to work in this field as a professional. Whether it is to convince the patients about the authenticity and longevity of the programs or to support the dentists during treatment procedures, they need to stay alert.

The dental hygienists also support the team but they examine the patients to check for the signs of oral issues, explain to them the preventive care methods and educate patients on oral well-being and how to maintain hygiene.

What do Dental Assistants Do?

The dental assistants perform a range of administrative functions in the office of the dentist and need to know how to use dental software to deal with billing and insurance issues. Here is the summary of the functions they perform:

• Ensure that patients coming over for treatment feel comfortable while sitting on the dental chair
• Sterilizing the dental instruments and preparing the patients before the procedure begins
• Knowledge of instruments that dentists need during the treatment procedures and hand them over to the doctor
• Tell the patients about the proper mode of maintaining oral hygiene and drying their mouths using specialized equipment such as suction hoses
• Process the X-rays and other laboratory tasks under the supervision of doctors
• Maintaining the patients’ records related to the treatment
• Scheduling appointments and completing the billing and payment

For their patient-related work, the DAs are also responsible for greeting the patients when they arrive at the dentist’s office. They need to deal with patients directly, so they need to have reasonably good communication and interpersonal skills to excel in this role. The interactions need to differ based on the patients dealt with and correctly explaining the procedural details. They may have to communicate in multiple languages while dealing with patients coming from different backgrounds or nationalities.

Dental Hygienists: Work They Handle

While hygienists need to work under dentists, they need to work independently to examine the patients. They handle the following responsibilities:

• Treating patients for gingivitis and several other oral diseases
• Cleaning stains from the treatment and removing plaque and tartar
• Apply protective sealants and provide fluoride treatment
• Administering anesthesia before the dental surgery procedures
• Creating teethe molds for evaluation of treatments
• Processing the X-rays

Besides, they need to know how to use drills, tools, ultrasonic equipment, and energy to complete the procedures. They also provide the necessary education to patients looking forward to preventive care to maintain oral health.

Qualifications of Dental Assistants and Hygienists:

Dental assistants need to enroll in registered courses offered in various institutes. If you want to enroll in this course, make sure you search for a dental assistant academy that provides you an edge, career-wise. Several institutes offer programs and duration of varying lengths. Check out the listings of the American Dental Association for licensing regulations. To become a dental assistant, you need a Bachelor’s Degree or a Master’s Degree from an accredited college. After completing the degree, you need to get a state license from the dental board to start practicing legally.

Career Outlook:

The career outlook for a dental assistant is strong. With the growing demand for dental assistants in various facilities, several institutes offer hands-on training along with diploma courses. Similarly, the career prospects of dental assistants are equally strong. The candidates pursuing their education as hygienists need to attain a bachelor’s or master’s degree to work in a dental facility or an office setting. Dental facilities need to have assistants and hygienists to treat the patients, so you need to pick one based on your skills and potential.