Dental nurse’s guide to becoming… a dental hygienist or therapist
Dental hygienist and therapists enjoy a rewarding career. As a dental nurse, you have already developed the patient care skills that it required in this profession. By being self employed, you have the chance to choose the hours you work and where you work giving you flexibility; perfect if you already have a family or would like to start one. You can also own your own practice or hygiene centre.
What do dental hygienists do?
You will be working closely with dentists to help prevent tooth decay and gum disease by scaling and polishing teeth, applying antibacterial agents, coatings and sealants.
With more training you can give local anaesthetic under the supervision of a registered dentist, give temporary fillings, and take radiographs and impressions of the teeth and gums for crowns, bridges and dentures.
You will have the chance to use a range of dental instruments and may be assisted by a dental nurse.
What qualifications do I need?
Different schools have different entry requirements, but as a rule of thumb you will need five GCSE’s A to C grade, two A-levels or a recognised dental nursing certificate.
You could study a full-time Diploma in Dental Hygiene or a combined Diploma in Dental Hygiene and Dental Therapy, awarded by Schools of Dental Hygiene/Hygiene and Therapy or by the Royal College of Surgeons. Manchester University offers a three-year, full-time degree in Oral Health Science, which is also accepted for registration as a dental hygienist.
Dental hygienist courses cover anatomy and physiology, preventive dentistry, dental health education, dental pathology and the management and care of patients.
What about becoming a dental therapist?
Registered dentists examine patients and indicate clearly in writing the course of treatment that the dental therapist needs to carry out on them.
You could be carrying out a range of procedures, including: intra and extra oral assessment, providing dental health education on a one to one basis or to a group, undertaking routine restorations in both deciduous and permanent teeth, on adults and children.
With appropriate training, you can also undertake the pulp therapy treatment of deciduous teeth, place pre formed crowns on deciduous teeth, and treat patients under conscious sedation provided the dentist remains in the surgery throughout the treatment
As clinical decisions will ultimately be based on the needs of the individual patient, the dental therapist will have autonomy over the way that the treatment plan is undertaken. This will include the choice of instruments and materials to be used, which requires expert knowledge and skills.
What qualifications do I need?
Like qualifying to be a dental hygienist, five GCSE’s graded A to C, plus two A-levels or a recognised qualification in dental nursing is required. To practice, you must be on the General Dental Councils roll of dental therapists. You can achieve this by obtaining the diploma in dental therapy offered by a number of hospitals.
Some dental schools offer part time courses for dental hygienists wishing to qualify as dental therapists.
Subjects studied include preventive dentistry, dental health education, dental pathology, simple restorative procedures for both deciduous and permanent teeth, the extraction of deciduous teeth, radiography and pharmacology.
We would also like to hear from dental nurses who are currently studying or have completed their studies in dental hygiene or dental therapy as we would like to share your experiences with other dental nurses.