| By taking medical and oral
histories, monitoring blood pressure, conducting head and neck exams, and
focusing on extensive oral exams, dental hygienists are gaining a reputation as
experts in preventive inter- vention. Signs and symptoms of many potentially
life threatening diseases appear in the mouth first, when they are most
treatable. Even though oral cancer is easily detected and often curable in early stages, oral and throat cancers are a major cause of death in the United States, according to the National Cancer Institute. Most dental hygienists conduct oral and throat screenings at every visit and alert patients of suspicious conditions |
ORAL CANCER |
| Dental hygiene services are centered on the promotion of wellness. In addition to examining patients for serious diseases, dental hygienists provide direct patient care and educate patients to follow preventive measures at home. These services include procedures to prevent periodontal infections and tooth decay. | |
| The focus of the dental hygiene services is the oral prophylaxis, sometimes referred to as teeth cleaning. This involves scaling, the removal of hard calculus deposits above (supragingival) and below (subgingival) the gumline. These deposits aid the development of bacterial colonies that cause loose teeth and root decay. | 
CALCULUS DEPOSITS UNDER GUMLINE |
| It is important to note that supragingival scaling and coronal polishing do not constitute an oral prophylaxis. Since periodontal diseases begin below the gumline, scaling must be done below the gumline. It is negligent for a dental hygienist or dentist to provide a simple polishing and represent the polishing as a thorough oral prophylaxis. When polishing is performed by untrained personnel, polishing procedures can cause harmful changes in the teeth, remove the outer layer of enamel containing protective fluoride, and damage the tooth structure underneath. | 
CALCULUS REMOVED BY A LICENSED REGISTERED DENTAL HYGIENIST |
WOULD YOU WANT SOMEONE TO TRAIN ON YOU USING THESE UNDER YOUR GUMLINE?
© 1999 Paula Harris
Background music is Copyright © 1996, 1997 by Michael D. Walthius. All Rights Reserved.