How to Help the Country's Dental Hygiene Problem |
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June 27, 2006
by Joe Cooper
joe.cooper@healthcare-programs.com
Healthcare Programs Columnist
In a poll of over 2,500 people, 60% said that going to the dentist is more stressful than traveling. With discomfort and stress at the helm of a dentist's office, it's up to dentists and dental assistants to offer education and reassurance to the dental patient.
Avoiding the Chair
What's worse than that is that 50% of people in the US don't even receive regular dental care, according to the American Dental Hygienists' Association. Are people avoiding the dentist for fear of discomfort? Do they hate the chair? Could it be that patients simply aren't educated on good dental hygiene?
Ignoring dental problems only makes them worse. What is now a slight, infrequent pain could develop into a full-fledged operation a few years down the line. You can't put a price on dental hygiene, dentists say.
Dental Assistant Education Programs
If you're interested in getting more people to get to the dentist's office and would enjoy a career in healthcare, you might consider becoming a dentist or dental assistant. A dental hygiene degree is the start of a career marked by stability, consistency, and a good cause - healthy teeth.
A dental hygiene degree can take four years or more, but dental assistant programs are more easily completed and put you close to starting a career in dental hygiene. Many dental assistant programs take less than one year to complete, and talk about freedom of job location -- you can work anywhere there are teeth!
A Future as Bright as Smiles
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics calls job prospects for dental assistants "excellent." Not bad for a career you can start with only a year of education.
Sources
Evening Times Online
Jackson Hole Star Tribune
US Bureau of Labor Statistics
About the Author
Joe Cooper is a freelance education and technology writer and edits medical literature. He holds a bachelor's in American Literature from UCLA.
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