Are you looking for a career that offers stability, good pay, and the opportunity to make a difference in people's lives? If so, then becoming a dental hygienist may be the perfect choice for you. Dental hygienists are responsible for providing preventive and therapeutic dental care services to patients. They work in a variety of settings, including dental offices, hospitals, nursing homes, and other medical facilities. With the right education and training, you can become an RDH (Registered Dental Hygienist) and unlock your career potential. At San Joaquin Valley College (SJVC), we offer a dental hygiene program to prepare you for a career as a dental hygienist and to pass your bachelor's degree exams.
Our program provides students with the knowledge they need to pass bachelor's exams and gain successful employment as an RDH. As an RDH, you will evaluate a person's oral health, perform preventive and therapeutic dental cleanings, and place antimicrobial agents, sealants and temporary therapeutic restorations. Online classes can be beneficial for earning a degree in dental hygiene or for taking continuing education classes for licensing requirements. Community college and technical school programs typically take about 3 years to complete, including previous dental hygiene courses. However, you cannot complete a CODA-approved dental hygiene program online due to laboratory and clinical practice requirements.
These programs provide laboratory, clinical, and classroom instruction on a scientific basis for the practice of dental hygiene, the skills and procedures needed to provide dental hygiene services with high professional standards and community health and research principles. Dental hygienists can work in a number of different types of environments, including dental offices, hospitals, nursing homes, and other medical facilities. To perform these tasks, dental hygienists use several types of equipment, including hand, electrical and ultrasonic tools. As a hygienist, you will play a fundamental role in the dental office and in the oral health of each patient by performing routine care, analyzing preventive measures and detecting dental diseases. In many situations, when a patient goes to the dentist for a routine checkup, they will spend most of their appointment with the dental hygienist. Dental hygienists also work closely with dentists to share information about patients and determine what instructions to give them.
Working as a dental hygienist allows you to earn a good dental hygienist salary with stable hours in a comfortable work environment. At SJVC, to apply for the dental hygiene program, you must complete a mandatory list of core classes at an accredited institution, which includes courses in chemistry, microbiology, physiology, psychology, sociology and mathematics. At SJVC, it can take about 16 months to complete the dental hygiene program and earn an associate's degree in science.
