Dental Hygienist

Goodneighborcommunityhealthcenter; Columbus (NE); On-site; USD 60,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

The Good Neighbor Community Health Center is seeking a Dental Hygienist to provide preventive oral care in school, community programs, and long-term care facilities across Boone, Colfax, Nance, and Platte Counties in Nebraska.

This full-time role emphasizes autonomy, community impact, and meaningful patient relationships, serving underserved populations while promoting oral health education and care coordination with the dental team.

Qualifications

• Graduate of an accredited Dental Hygiene program.
• Current Nebraska Dental Hygienist license.
• Local anesthetic certification.
• Basic Life Support (BLS) certification.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work effectively with diverse populations.
• Commitment to maintaining confidentiality.

Responsibilities

• Perform oral prophylaxis and root planning via hand and ultrasonic instruments.
• Assist with administrative tasks and pre-authorizations.
• Apply sealants, SDF, and fluoride varnish as prescribed.
• Expose radiographs as prescribed by the dentist.
• Conduct periodontal and caries assessments and charting.
• Monitor nitrous oxide administration.
• Maintain operatory and stock supplies.

Skills

Dental Hygiene

Communication

Interpersonal skills

Patient education

Education

Associate or Bachelor's degree in Dental Hygiene

Job description

Dental Hygienist

Full-Time | Boone, Colfax, Nance, Platte Counties

Join a mission-driven team bringing preventive dental care directly to underserved populations. As a Dental Hygienist, you’ll work beyond the traditional clinic setting, serving children, families, and older adults across schools, community programs, and long-term care facilities.

This role is ideal for someone who values autonomy, community impact, and meaningful patient relationships.

Position Summary

The Dental Hygienist provides preventative oral care under a generalized supervision. The Dental Hygienist performs all duties within the scope of practice of dental hygiene including but not limited to subgingival and supragingival scaling, root planning, coronal polishing, administering local anesthetic, exposing radiographs, placing sealants and chemotherapeutic agents, inspecting the oral cavity for abnormal tissue, taking alginate impressions, and assisting the dentist as necessary.

What You’ll Do

• Perform oral prophylaxis and/or root planning to dentition via supra- and subgingival scaling using hand and/or ultrasonic instruments, coronal polishing (as needed), and head/neck/oral cancer screenings.
• Assist in copying, filing, faxing, updating pre-authorizations and plans as well as other projects related to administrative support.
• Apply sealants, SDF, fluoride varnish, or other chemotherapeutic agents in collaboration and as prescribed by dentist.
• Expose radiographs in collaboration and as prescribed by the dentist.
• Perform periodontal assessment, caries assessment, and all required/appropriate document charting while collaborating with the dentist.
• Monitor nitrous oxide.
• Assist the dentist and/or other team members when necessary or as time permits.
• Clean and stock operatory and maintain equipment as needed.
• Provide oral health (and systemic health correlation) education, explain treatment plans, and treatment options to patient.
• Review patient health history and take blood pressure and pulse vitals.
• Practice universal precautions and other sterilization and infection control procedures.
• Provide information to callers regarding patient care as directed by dentist.

What You Bring

Required Qualifications:

• Graduate of an accredited Dental Hygiene program
• Current Nebraska Dental Hygienist license
• Local anesthetic certification
• Basic Life Support (BLS) certification
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to work effectively with diverse populations
• Commitment to maintaining confidentiality

Preferred Qualifications:

• Previous dental hygiene or community health experience
• Experience with portable dental equipment
• Bilingual skills or experience working with interpreters.

Why Join Us

• Meaningful, community-focused work
• Opportunity to serve diverse populations across the lifespan
• Collaborative public health environment
• Autonomy in a non-traditional clinical setting