Dental Hygienist

MAJOR FUNCTION

Under the general supervision of a Dental Director, work closely with the dentist to diagnose, prevent and treat oral disease, performs clinical responsibilities in accordance with normal concepts and unifies services. Perform dental functions in accordance with legal and judicial mandates; performs technical applications to meet state and federal standards and regulations; does related work as required.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Dental Prophylaxis: provide dental prophylaxis to patients who are new patients or established patients who are on our recall list. Prophylaxis defined as the polishing of teeth using a rotary instrument supra-gingivally.
• Periodontal Treatment: treatment of periodontal disease is undertaken by the dentist/hygiene team. The responsibilities of the hygienist are to:
• Chart the periodontal pocketing as a baseline before treatment commences.
• Begin treatment called scaling and root planning which entails the delivering of local anesthesia (by the doctor) or topical anesthesia (by the hygienist) on one or more quadrants of the mouth.
• The debridement of calculus from the roots of teeth and curettage of the gingival sulcus.
• To recall patients after treatment for re-evaluation of their periodontal health. This includes re-charting of perio, pockets and charting of any bleeding from the sulcus, tooth mobility etc.
• Study, evaluate, diagnose, and treat the diseases of the teeth and gums related to dental training.
• Treats clients and maintains an awareness of interactions of medication.
• Explain treatment plan as formulated.
• Maintains complete and adequate case and dental histories and renders reports.
• Provides professional direction to other dental personnel.
• Follows HJAHC procedures for documenting patient records to ensure appropriate billing for client treatment.
• Greets all patients/clients/customers via telephone or directly in a personal and professional manner.
• Is a member of the health team.
• Be accessible and approachable
• Have respectful interactions with colleagues
• Identifying opportunities to improve process and become part of the solution
• Be a good colleague and team member using the core values of transparency, civility, and respect.
• Performs other duties and assumes other responsibilities as apparent and/or as assigned by Dental Director. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change or new ones may be assigned at any time with or without notice.

ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

Requirements

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE:

• Completion of an accredited Dental Hygienist training program required
• Demonstrated competence in the field.

LICENSURE AND/OR CERTIFICATIONS:

• Licensure to practice as a Dental Hygienist in the State of New Jersey
• High energy level, comfortable performing multifaceted projects in conjunction with day-to-day activities.
• Strong persuasive and presentation skills
• Thorough knowledge of accepted principles of dental practices and the role of dental services in a public health program.
• Ability to render effective dental diagnosis and treatment in a public health setting.
• Bilingual (English/Spanish) preferred; capable of working with computers and software applications suitable for health care environment; excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Good Health and freedom from disabling physical and mental defects which would impair the proper performance of the required duties or which might endanger the health and safety of oneself or others.
• Ability to read, write, speak, understand or communicate in English sufficiently to perform the duties of this position. American Sign language or Braille may also be considered as acceptable forms of communication.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES AND OTHER (KSAO’s)

ORGANIZATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS:

• The Dental Hygienist is responsible to the Dental Director for the administration of the organization and for proper interpretation and fulfillment of all his/her functions, responsibilities, authority and relationships.
• The Dental Hygienist maintains personal contacts with the Dental Director, other staff, and the public to the greatest degree possible.

PHYSICAL & WORK REQUIREMENTS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

This position requires the manual dexterity sufficient to operate phones, computers and other office equipment. The position requires the physical ability to kneel, bend, and perform light lifting. This person must have the ability to write and speak clearly using the English language to convey information and be able to hear at normal speaking levels both in person and over the telephone. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, depth perception and the ability to adjust focus. Generally, the working conditions are good with little or no exposure to extremes in health, safety hazards and/or hazardous materials.