How careful you are at keeping your oral cavity healthy decides the health of the rest of your body. I am a Dental Hygienist since 2004 and I know that with the concept of holistic dentistry, almost any disease and condition in the body starts from the oral cavity. Not only do you have to be careful about what you eat but you must also pay close attention to cleaning and washing your oral cavity regardless of what you eat. The saliva that you swallow can be extremely dangerous for your health if plaque and tartar from your teeth goes into your body with it.
With new technology and newer ways of treating teeth and oral cavity, the field of dentistry is getting popular. You can now make a successful career by being a dentist and expect to earn big salaries at the end of the year. However, becoming a dentist is not always the choice of many people. Assisting a dentist side by side, researching on dentistry related subjects or teaching dentistry is something that many people take interest in. These are the people who are not following the education to become a dentist primarily. They are more interested in getting dental hygiene education by completing a certificate or degree program.
Being a dental hygienist myself, I know that the scope of dental hygienist is limited when you have completed only a certificate program but you can always follow the longer degree program that will earn you the baccalaureate dental hygienist degree. Not all schools that offer a certificate program will also be offering the baccalaureate degree. However, there are many that you can choose from. The important thing when you are looking for dental hygiene schools is to consider the accreditation. The program must be accredited by the governing body of that state or country. This information is mostly available on the website of the university.
Another important thing is to look at the reputation of the university. If you are completing the program from a well-known university for its dental hygiene degree you can expect to have bonus points when you are being interviewed for dental hygienist’s post. The quality of the program matters a lot too. Make sure that your certification is not going to complete in less than 2 years. The program should consist of many practical activities where the students should be allowed to help the real patients with their services and do other things related to their job.
There are many online websites that can help you in looking for schools and universities that are offering dental hygiene program. You will be asked to enter the zip code of your area to know the nearest school to your house. This infographic on dental hygiene programs can also be helpful. There are online classes available for dental hygiene certification as well but completing the program in classrooms is highly recommended for this particular program. You must also make sure that you have completed the pre-requisites before going for the certification or degree in dental hygiene. There are universities that accept students from other countries and offer them online classes too.