I know you want to get your dental hygienist license that is why you are looking forward to giving this article a read!
I can give you all the details that you are looking for, regarding how you can get enrolled in a dental hygienist program and get your dental hygienist license.
Let’s get an overview about the procedure you have to follow in order to get a dental hygienist license in Florida.
How To Get A Dental Hygienist License In Florida?
This might be the first question that comes into your mind when you decide to open this link, well I am here to give you all the answers of the questions that might have clicked your mind. Let’s look at the steps that you need to follow in order to get a dental hygienist license program in Florida.
- Find a dental hygienist training institute, college or university providing the best training course
- Get graduated from a dental hygiene program which is officially recognised by CODA (commission on dental accreditation)
- Clear all the examinations taken by dental hygiene board
- Clear the dental hygiene licensing examination conducted by American board of Dental Examination (ADEX)
- Along with the required documents, submit the application to get the license for dental hygienist in Florida
- For administration of local anesthesia, apply for its license too
- Maintain your license for dental hygienist in Florida and apply for renewal regularly
Look For A Dental Hygienist Training Program
To get your dental hygienist license, at first you are required to find yourself a suitable institution to study and make up to the requirements to be a dental hygienist in Florida.
Search for the best training institute for your dental hygienist program to study at the best possible institution and get all the information and knowledge that you need.
But with that, if you’re planning to study in Florida then make sure that the institution is recognised by the Florida board of dentistry.
Graduate From A Dental Hygiene Program Recognised By CODA
After you have successfully chosen your dental hygienist institution, get yourself enrolled in the dental hygienist program to start your oral hygienist training, for this you have to meet the age requirement of at least 18 years. Now, after getting enrolled you have to graduate from this program which should be recognised by CODA (commission on dental accreditation) with good grade point and grades, if you don’t have good grades then you might face problems with the further upcoming procedures.
Clear Dental Hygiene Exams
After graduating from a dental hygiene program recognised by CODA, now you have to apply for appearing in the dental hygiene board examination.
This board exam contains theory based exam and a practical based or in hand skill based exam. The theory based exams are conducted in the form of Multiple choice questions, you are given 350 MCQ’s and you have to answer them.
In the practical based exams you are required to perform different dental procedures on different patients and also you are tested on the basis of how you can deal with the child patients and elderly patients.
The ADA (American dental association) takes this examination with the help of NBDHE (National board dental hygiene examination)
Clear Dental Hygiene Licensing Exams
Once you have passed the dental hygiene exam by NBDHE, now you have to appear in a dental hygienist licensing exam conducted by American board of Dental Examination (ADEX) and clear it at all cost in order to be eligible for getting your dental hygienist license. This exam comprises of two test:
- The CSCE or computer simulated clinical examination
- The PTCE or patient treatment clinical examination
The CSCE is a type of clinical practice based exam which is taken to test your ability to diagnose the dental disease and plan the treatment procedure with the help of computer made optical images, radiographs, laboratory data and pictures. This exam is conducted at your designated prometric testing center for about a time duration of 2 hours.
While the PTCE is conducted at any dental clinic or dental hospital as your clinical exam site, its time duration is for about 4 hours. This exam is designed to test your clinical skills, this includes mouth tissue management, measurements of tooth pocket depth, removal of calculus etc. In this exam you are required to deal with the patients at the clinical site.
Apply For License
Immediately submit the application for your dental hygienist license after you have cleared your CSCE and PTCE exams.
To submit the application, you have to pay your processing fee, along with that there are certain documents that are required to be attached with the application, which are: your dental hygienist program completion documents, NBDHE score, your fingerprints, your identity card along with your paid fee receipt.
Apply For Certification For Administering Anesthesia
As you know that before starting most of the dental procedures, it is necessary to administer the local anesthesia.
For that you have to get enrolled in a course program providing you with practice of anesthesia administration, by enrolling in this type of program you will learn how to give anesthesia to your patients and you will get knowledge regarding the dose of anesthesia required for different patients. After you complete your anesthesia administration course then you have to submit an application so that you can be certified for the administration of anesthesia.
Maintain Your License
Once you have gained your dental hygienist license with years of hard work, now you have to take good care of your license and always keep it active, by this I mean that you have to work frequently in your own field and never take a gap of more that two or three years from working, if you do so then you will be required to apply for the certification once again. Also, make sure that you apply for the renewal of your dental hygienist license on time.
What Makes Me Eligible To Get A Dental Hygienist License Program In Florida?
You can get a dental hygienist license either by getting admission in a university providing this course and get your license from there or you can opt for any of the following programs and then get your dental hygienist license in Florida
- Get a degree in dental therapy and dental hygiene or get a degree in oral health sciences (the time duration of this degree is 3 years)
- Get a basic degree in oral health sciences and oral health hygiene (the time duration of this degree is 2 years)
- Get a diploma in dental therapy and dental hygiene or get a diploma in oral health sciences of higher education (the time duration of this diploma is 2 years)
What Are The Career Opportunities That I Have If I Get A Dental Hygienist License In Florida?
Although this field is extremely vast and has so many different options that you can opt to enhance your career and skills in this field. Some of the career options are enlisted below for you to look up to:
- After getting a dental hygienist license in Florida you can easily work in a dental clinic to practice your dental skills, also you can work at a health care centre or a hospital.
- You can train and teach the students who also want to be a dental hygienist after further training and education.
- If you want to switch to orthodontic therapy and dental health promotion, then you can easily do that after gaining more knowledge and experience the field of dental hygienist
- Once you have gained a plentiful experience as a dental hygienist in Florida then, you can also be in a dental practice management.
Duties Of A Dental Hygienist
Although a dental hygienist is mainly required to educate the patients for proper dental and oral hygiene techniques and develop dental radiographs, but there are many other responsibilities and services that a dental hygienist must provide to the patients. Some if the duties and responsibilities of a dental hygienist are described as follows:
- Plaque removal is one of the essential duties of a dental hygienist.
- A dental hygienist is also required to give demonstration to the patient regarding how they can floss and brush their teeth.
- With the guidance of a professional dentist, a dental hygienist is required to administer the local anesthesia to the patient.
- To prevent gum diseases a dental hygienist cleans and polishes the teeth.
- A dental hygienist must know how to take a patient’s dental x-ray along with that he must know how to develop the x-ray too. With the help of this, the dental hygienist can check different tooth problems and jaw problems.
- One of the responsibility of a dental hygienist is that he or she have to remove tartar and stains from the teeth of the patient
- A dental hygienist is required to encourage the patients to brush their teeth and floss their teeth regularly in order to educate the patients regarding different techniques of oral hygiene.
- To reduce the decay of teeth a dental hygienist can apply antibacterial treatments.
- It is also the duty of a dental hygienist to make different treatment plans for his patients according to their requirements and also make proper documents of the dental care being provided to a certain patient.
- In order to protect the teeth of the patient, the dental hygienist is required to apply the temporary coating, fluorides and temporary sealants to the teeth of the patient.
- It is also the duty of a dental hygienist to plan and manage the dental hygiene care for their patients
What Is A Dental Hygienist Or Oral Hygienist?
A dental hygienist is also known as oral hygienist, a dental hygienist is a dental professional who is licensed by the national dental association, they work along with the dentists to give proper oral and dental care to the patients. To maintain and develop good oral hygiene and good oral health, the dental hygienists are required to provide proper dental hygiene and dental treatment plans.
A dental hygienist is required for cleaning a patient’s teeth and removing any plaque or tartar if present in the patient’s mouth.
It is also a responsibility of the dental hygienist to keep an eye on your oral health and find any signs of dental damage or disease. If a disease or damage is detected, then a dental hygienist is required to make different treatment plans accordingly.
An oral hygienist also assists the patients to choose the correct toothbrush and toothpaste according to their age and the dental problem they are facing. Along with that, a dental hygienist polish and clean the teeth with the help of different air-polishing devices, sprays, ultrasonic tools and other powered tools. The dental hygienists mostly deal with children in order to educate them with oral hygiene techniques and teach them regarding the relationship between eating healthy and good oral health and hygiene.
If you wish to become a dental hygienist, then you can easily get training from your local colleges, dental schools and universities. Mostly, the dental hygienist programs lasts for 3 years or sometimes less, but after completing the dental hygienist program, you have to apply for the dental hygienist license to be active in this field and practice as a dental hygienist.
Courses Studied To Become A Successful Dental Hygienist
The dental hygiene program provides clinical and theory education of the subjects listed below:
- Neurophysiology
- Oral pathology
- Dental materials
- Pain control and management
- Oral physiology
- Mouth infection control
- Pharmacology
- Microbiology
- Local anesthesia medical emergency
- Periodontal course
- Radiology
- Oral anatomy
Important Qualities For Dental Hygienist:
To become a successful dental hygienist, you need to possess certain qualities in your personality including:
- Desire to treat patients
- Communication skills
- Respect
- Desire to learn new dental procedure and skills
- Interpersonal skills
- Critical thinking
- Flexibility with time
- Problem solving skills
- Dexterity
- Attention to details
- Physical strength and fitness