A Thankless Job???

Sometimes I wonder why I chose the profession I did. I am a dental hygienist and a pretty darn good one too. But I say thankless because the response I get most when I answer the question “what do you do?” is I HATE THE DENTIST. I’m not a dentist so I turn the other cheek, while rolling my eyes. What do I care if she would rather go through natural childbirth than get her teeth cleaned???

I mean, did you wake up one morning with periodontal disease? Nobody can answer that question with yes any more than I can admit that I somehow gained 50 lbs over night, but it progressed like a mad snowball with my neglect of watching what I ate. Perio develops over time, sometimes it is inherited or autoimmune and there is nothing the patient can do, but mostly it is from neglect. So is my patient’s lifetime of neglect my fault? NO! I try not to let it get me down, but sometimes that is really hard.

My first patient this morning was new to my office and hadn’t had her teeth cleaned for almost 5 years. It was a big job. I anesthetized her lower right and went to work. She informed me she had taken ½ a Xanax before she arrived so as not to be so anxious. YAY! I sat and talked to her for a few minutes about how I need to unload my SUV as soon as possible and I could see her relax as she told me what she would do in my position. “Just get a For Sale sign in the window and see what happens.” She even told me to park it over by the restaurant she works at because it would get lots of foot traffic. By the end of the hour what do you think she said to me? “Wow, that wasn’t so bad! Can I make the rest of my scalings with you too?”

But of course! I may even get a free martini out of the bargain…

I’m not going to lie, in my time as a dental hygienist I have come across all manner of personalities within the profession. Heavy handed—light handed. Aggressive— Conservative. Shy—Outgoing. Why lump us all together as a Sweeney Todd type. We’re not all bad. If you don’t like the hygienist you got, why not ask to try the other one if there are 2 in the office. We aren’t offended (and may not like you either). If you take responsibility for the health of your mouth, dental visits can be fun and easy, trust me. A cleaning appointment with me can consist of an hour of conversation about our latest travels, whether or not the Dodgers are winning or who we like on Dancing with the Stars. It doesn’t have to be a lecture, a hack job, or me begging the patient to PLEASE see the Periodontist before (as my worst patient says) you spit your teeth out onto your plate! That isn’t any fun for either of us.

Some days though, I get the little atta girl I need to keep going. Yesterday I saw one of my favorite patients that I rescued from her fear of the dentist. She came in several years ago, her teeth and gums in horrible condition. I diagnosed quad scales and explained to her the process of periodontal disease and the rationale for the treatment I was proposing. She agreed and made her appointments. The first one, again I anesthetized ¼ of her mouth, scaled and root planed to my heart’s content and at the end of the hour, guess what she said to me? “Wow, that wasn’t so bad!”

She has come to see me every 3 months since we finished that initial treatment. Her fear of the dentist has abated and when she is in my chair we talk about her dogs, what movies we’ve seen, and my classes and basically giggle for an hour. She made her next appointment, and left to go home, but not before telling me this:

“I don’t tell you this enough, but it is a delight to work with you. Remember how I was so afraid to come here? Well it is because of you, that I will never have a problem going to the dentist the rest of my life. You have cured me of my fear. Thanks.”

I may have become a dental hygienist because of the money, but I stay because of patients like her.