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As a dental hygienist, having a thorough understanding of relevant health and safety regulations and a keen eye for oral disorders and anomalies is very important. 

What other abilities should a dental hygienist have? What skills do you want to highlight about yourself as a dental hygienist throughout your resume? Looking for a  skills checklist as you write or update your dental hygienist resume? We have a guide for that.  

However, have you gone through the checklist for dental hygienists and found yourself wanting to know more? Or maybe you are looking for information on essential abilities and skills for dental hygienists that can help you stand out from the crowd of hygienists applying to a position? 

If so, then this blog is for you! 

In this article, we will be building on our checklist for hygienist skills as we go over the three duties of a dental hygienist, a valuable list of essential skills and abilities for dental hygienists, and a brief overview of what to include on a dental hygienist resume. 

Let's get started...

What are the 3 Duties of a Dental Hygienist?

Essential dental health is vital to living a healthy life. Dental Hygienists play a critical role in increasing access to high-quality dental care and serving as a resource for oral health education. The three duties of a dental hygienist are: 

1.  Initial patient screenings
2.  Cleaning teeth
3.  Counseling patients on oral health and preventative care 

These three duties of a dental hygienist have been further discussed in our dental hygienist skills checklist. It is good to note that these three duties of a hygienist also collaborate and relate to essential abilities and skills. 

Let's take a look at those next. . . 

Dental Hygiene: Essential Skills and Abilities

Here is a list of 10 essential abilities and skills that are not always discussed on a resume or in an interview but are crucial for a dental hygienist to have and practice daily. If you are a dental hygienist and or looking at becoming one, these skills and abilities 

1. Collaboration 

Dental hygienists collaborate with dentists, dental assistants, and office administrators to manage patient visits and provide personalized care.

2. Patient counseling

Teaching patients about oral hygiene and informing them about dental diseases can help them avoid dental problems and enhance their long-term health. 

3. Communication

Working in dental hygiene requires constant verbal communication with patients and coworkers. When doing dental operations, you should discuss each step to make the patient feel at ease and ensure that they are aware of what to expect.

4. Knowledge of Dental Conditions

Understanding the symptoms of different dental problems is crucial to assisting patients with oral hygiene. It would help if you visually recognized the indicators of tooth decay, gum disease, and other common dental disorders and then used that information to determine the best course of treatment.

5. Motor Skills

Fine motor skills and manual dexterity are required while cleaning teeth, injecting anesthetics, and applying whitening chemicals.

6. Charting

Because Dental Hygienists are in charge of keeping track of patients' dental records, charting is essential.

7. Focus

Staying concentrated can assist you in completing long or complex dental treatments. Focusing on each patient entails compartmentalizing appointments, examining the context for procedures, and giving each task your undivided focus.

8. Organization

Your organizational abilities enable you to manage a dental practice's busy calendar and smoothly transition from one appointment to the next.

9. X-ray Operation

Taking x-rays of each patient's teeth is standard practice for identifying areas of concern or diagnosing the cause of dental symptoms.

10. Dental Cleaning

According to established dental protocols, cleaning teeth is one of the most critical abilities for Dental Hygienists. Knowing what measures to follow for patients with various dental needs and applying the proper pressure when using dental equipment are all part of having practical dental cleaning abilities.

Now on to a brief overview of what to include on a dental hygienist resume. . . 

What Should be Included in a Dental Hygienist Resume?

One of the most important goals of a resume is to ensure that it distinguishes you from other applicants. As a brief overview, here are some of the most important aspects of a dental hygienist's resume:

1. Relevant experience

When someone, or an automated system, is reading your CV, tailoring your experience to match the keywords in the description will help you stand out.

2. Accomplishments

While you should include critical experiences that relate to the job description, you should also highlight accomplishments that set you apart from other candidates.

3. Certifications

You should include all relevant certificates and education on your resume because Dental Hygienists must be licensed by the state they practice.

4. Variety of Experiences

An employer would expect you to have extensive expertise with patient care, completing oral screenings, reporting, and executing preventative and non-surgical periodontal operations if you have been a dental hygienist for several years.

5. Hard and Soft Skills

Your hard skills will take up a big chunk of your resume as a certified dental hygienist. Still, your related soft skills should also be expressed because they provide another opportunity to distinguish yourself apart from other candidates.

More Information 

6 Skills in High Demand for Dental Hygienists

Dental Hygienist Job Description

Dental Hygienist Skills to Include on Your Resume

Crucial Certifications and Skills You Need To Have To Be A Dental Hygienist

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