Nature of the Work Dental hygienists provide preventive dental care and teach patients how to practice good oral hygiene.
Hygienists examine patients' teeth and gums, recording the presence of diseases or abnormalities.
Dental hygienists also help patients develop and maintain good oral health. For example, they may explain the relationship between diet and oral health, inform patients how to select toothbrushes, and show patients how to floss their teeth. Some hygienists develop and promote community dental health programs which may include teaching how to practice good oral hygiene. Dental hygienists use hand and rotary instruments to clean teeth, x-ray machines to take dental pictures, syringes with needles to administer local anesthetics, and models of teeth to explain oral hygiene. Dental hygienists sometimes administer local anesthetic.