Registered Dental Hygienist - RDH

Position Title: Dental Hygienist.

Status: Non-exempt, Regular, “At-will” Work Status, Part-time/Full-time.

• Standing 20% of the time.
• Sitting 80% of the time.
• Moderate noise levels from dental and other lab equipment.
• Medical, office, and lab setting.
• Minimum lifting requirements of 35 pounds to transfer equipment and pack/unpack supplies.
• Frequent bending, twisting, and position changes to examine and service patients.
• Exceptional hand‑eye coordination, control, and finger dexterity for using dental implements for exams, mixing, and placing materials on tools, products, and in mouths, and for grasping, manipulating, or assembling very small objects.
• Arm‑hand steadiness—maintaining hands and arms steady while moving or holding them in one position.
• Near‑vision—seeing details at close range (within a few feet of the observer) for mixing and placing materials on tools and membranes.
• Manual dexterity—quickly moving the hand, arm, or two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
• Frequent client and inter‑office personnel interaction as this position is chair‑side to the dentist and heavily dependent on excellent customer interaction.
• Active learning—understanding the implications of new information for current and future problem‑solving and decision‑making.
• Excellent communication skills—talking to others to convey information effectively.

The Dental Hygienist is the chief preventive provider of the Practice. This team member motivates, educates, and provides excellent treatment. Under indirect supervision, the Dental Hygienist will remove hard and soft deposits from teeth and examine oral areas, head, and neck for signs of oral disease. He or she will educate patients on oral hygiene, provide preventative dental care, take and develop X‑rays, or apply fluoride or sealants.

By discovering and documenting areas of failure, both periodontally and restoratively, he or she facilitates the dentist’s diagnosis and treatment recommendations.

• Welcome and seat patients cheerfully.
• Prepare and properly set up treatment rooms for hygiene procedures.
• Review and update patients’ health history; chart progress, treatments, and home‑care compliance.
• Clean calcareous deposits, accretions, and stains from teeth and beneath margins of gums using dental instruments, including scaling and root planning for patients with periodontal disease.
• Apply fluorides and other cavity‑preventing agents to arrest dental decay.
• Assess and evaluate patients through exams, patient records, and patient medical history to assist in the diagnosis of dental hygiene problems, disease, and efficacy of administered treatment plans. Complete scheduled treatments.
• Recognize early signs of periodontal disease; chart restorations and notate areas of concern.
• Develop and present treatment plans.
• Capture x‑rays, process, download, and mount for the doctor to view; capable of interpreting x‑rays independently.
• Perform head, neck, and oral cancer exams.
• Use probes to examine gums to locate periodontal recessed gums and signs of gum disease.
• Communicate findings to patient and doctor.
• Select, mix, and place materials on instruments and in the patient’s mouth as needed.
• Educate and motivate patients on proper oral hygiene and corrective/preventative measures.
• Work chair side with Dentist as needed, assist the doctor in hygiene examination.
• Schedule appropriate re‑care appointments.
• Assist in sterilization duties.
• Maintain hygiene handpieces and instruments in good repair and sufficient supply.
• Adhere to strict safety guidelines and procedures to OSHA and office standards.
• Must always represent the practice in a professional, pleasant, and cooperative manner.
• Maintain regular attendance and adhere to assigned work schedules and office policies.
• Must be able to comfortably and efficiently handle multiple deadlines and task assignments.
• Must be able to work both independently and cooperatively in team settings displaying exceptional skill in time management in order to set and maintain own and subordinate procedure and task schedules.
• Always maintain the highest level of confidentiality to HIPAA…