Hygienist - TX Killeen Full Time

Coast Dental; Killeen (TX); On-site; USD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Jobvite, Inc. in Texas seeks a Registered Dental Hygienist to provide preventive hygiene, assess periodontal health, and assist the dentist with diagnosis-driven care. You will educate patients and contribute to treatment planning within a collaborative dental team.

You will follow infection control protocols, radiographic safety standards, and state regulations while delivering high-quality, compassionate dental care in a clinical setting.

Qualifications

• Licensed and in good standing with the state of Texas.
• Associates or Bachelor's degree in dental hygiene.
• Current Basic Life Support (BLS) and CPR certification.
• Willingness to partner with the dentist and work well as part of the dental team; visual acuity and manual dexterity required.

Responsibilities

• Assess patients' teeth, bone, and periodontal tissues.
• Create periodontal treatment plans based on dentist's diagnosis.
• Bring to the dentist's attention any suspected lesion.
• Remove deposits and stains using hand instruments and ultrasonic devices.
• Instruct patients on oral hygiene and home care.
• Perform prophylaxis where appropriate.
• Perform full mouth debridement and scaling/root planing as needed.
• Place locally administered antibiotics as adjunctive therapy.
• Implement irrigation and desensitizing procedures as needed.
• Expose radiographic films and sensors.
• Perform in-office whitening procedures.
• Apply fluoride and sealants.
• Make re-care and follow-up recommendations.

Skills

Licensed Dental Hygienist

Teamwork

Patient education

Detail oriented

Education

Associate's or Bachelor's in dental hygiene

Job description

JOB PURPOSE

Registered Dental Hygienists are assigned duties and responsibilities which involve licensed professional work providing dental hygiene services. A Registered Dental Hygienist (RDH) implements appropriate standard of care therapy, assists a dentist in providing hygiene, periodontal or dental care and treatment, provides dental hygiene assessments, creates treatment plans based on a dentist's diagnosis, and provides oral and overall health care education and instruction to patients.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Assess patients' teeth, bone, and periodontal tissues indicating the presence of any abnormalities or suspected diseases or conditions.
• Creates periodontal treatment plans based on the dentist's diagnosis.
• Bring to the immediate attention of the dentist any suspected lesion in the mouth or on the teeth.
• Thoroughly remove soft and hard deposits and extrinsic stain from teeth, using hand instruments, ultrasonic cavitron inserts, and prophy handpieces.
• Instruct patients on good oral hygiene practices, recommend appropriate products or devices for patients' home care, and provide other health care education, as necessary.
• Perform prophylaxis in the absence of periodontal disease or gingivitis.
• Perform full mouth debridement, either as a first stage gingivitis therapy or to remove interfering calculus to further enable a more accurate diagnosis and treatment plan.
• Perform scaling and root planing as a periodontal therapy.
• Place locally administered antibiotics as supportive periodontal therapy.
• Implement irrigation and desensitizing procedures or products as adjunctive to periodontal therapy.
• Position and expose dental and carpal radiographic film and sensors.
• Perform in-office whitening procedures, including first application of gel, curing the gel, and subsequent applications.
• Apply cavity-preventive agents, such as fluorides and pit and fissure sealants.
• Make recommendations as to patients' re-care interval and follow-up needs.
• All other duties and responsibilities as assigned and allowed under applicable Texas state laws and regulations.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Must be licensed and in good standing with the state of Texas.
• Associates or Bachelor's degree in dental hygiene.
• Current Basic Life Support (BLS) and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) certificate.
• Must be willing to partner with the dentist and work well as a member of the total dental team. Should have visual acuity and manual dexterity, since they use dental instruments within a patient's mouth with little room for error.

WORKING CONDITIONS

An RDH works in clean, well-lit offices. Important health safeguards include, but are not limited to strict adherence to proper radiological procedures, infection control protocols, and the use of appropriate personal protective equipment when administering anesthetic gas, handling or using cleaning chemicals, or working in the dental laboratory.

An RDH must also wear appropriate personal protective equipment including, at minimum, safety glasses, surgical masks, full arm length gowns/lab coats, and gloves to protect themselves and patients from infectious diseases during all patient care and when handling contaminated instruments or equipment. Open-toe shoes are forbidden, long hair must be pulled back, and fingernails must be kept short and tidy.