Timothy Ruiz

Senior Portfolio
Lesson 5

Career Research
In case you werent aware, dental hygienists and dentists are not the same thing, although
they are both health care professions that focus primarily on teeth and the mouth. Dentists and
dental hygienists differ pretty significantly in many areas, such as the length and difficulty of
training that is required, the salary that they typically receive, the duties they usually perform,
and the level of authorization that they are granted by the state dental board. Dental hygienists
clean teeth and examine oral areas, head, and neck for signs of oral disease. They may even have
to educate patients on oral hygiene, take and develop x-rays, or apply fluoride or sealants.
However, before one can even begin to do all of this, certain skills must be obtained that are
required in order to work in this field.
There are many skills and abilities that are required to work as a professional dental
hygienist. The five most important skills for this career are: active listening, speaking, critical
thinking, reading comprehension, and social perceptiveness. Someone who would like to work in
this career would have to be able to give their full attention to what other people are saying, but
also be able to talk to others and convey information effectively. Logic must be used along with
reasoning to identify strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or
approaches to the problem. The last skill needed is to be aware of others reactions and
understand why they react the way that they do. The five most important abilities that are
required are: oral comprehension (the ability to listen and understand information and ideas
presented through spoken words and sentences), problem sensitivity (the ability to tell when
something is wrong. Not necessarily solving the problem, just recognizing it.), oral expression
(the ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand), near

Timothy Ruiz
Senior Portfolio
Lesson 5

vision (the ability to see details at close range), and finger dexterity (the ability to make precisely
coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble
very small objects). With the required skills and abilities, you also need your education.
There are several colleges, universities, and institutions that provide training in the field
of dentistry. These include the University of Minnesota, the Los Angeles School of Dentistry, and
the San Francisco School of Dentistry. The university, obviously, is located in Minnesota, while
the other two are in California. In order to attain the necessary training, getting your education is
required; getting an associates degree and then a state-issued license is legally required for you to
work as a dental hygienist. In most states, it is required to complete a training program, a written
test, and a hands-on test. The average annual wage for California is $90,220. At least ninety
percent made $54,360; seventy-five percent made at least $74,040; fifty percent made at least
$93,670; twenty-five percent made at least $108,350; and ten percent made at least $119,090.
There are actually quite a few careers that are related to a dental hygienist. Some of the
related careers/ clusters include: dental assistants, dentists (general) orthodontist, prosthodontists,
radiologic technicians, respiratory therapists, and surgical technologists. Many of these are
similar in that they have to do with health care. Not all of these careers interest me, however. The
ones that do interest me are dental assistant (somewhat), a general dentist, and an orthodontist.
I feel that I could be successful in this career if I worked hard enough and pushed
myself. Two skills that I would definitely need for this career are active listening and
critical thinking. These skills are also skills that I have. But also, I could learn some of
the other skills that I would need for this career. For example, I could learn to be

Timothy Ruiz
Senior Portfolio
Lesson 5

perceptive socially, to be more aware of others reactions and understand why they react
as they do.

Timothy Ruiz
Senior Portfolio
Lesson 5

Bibliography
Deland, Peggy. "How Does a Dental Hygienist Differ From a Dentist?" EHow. Demand Media,
28 Oct. 2008. Web. 12 Feb. 2015.
"Dental Hygienist." Job Overview. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2015.
"Welcome to Family Connection by Naviance." N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2015.