In the business of smiles
Published Saturday July 12th, 2008
Terri Inman is cleaning her instruments, straightening up her operatory and going home. And it's only 12 noon.
One of the things the single mom loves about her job as a dental hygienist is the flexible work schedule that allows her lots of family time.
Inman has been a dental hygienist for 21 years. Like many women today, Inman wanted both a career and a family.
"I've always been interested in the health-care field. I thought about going into veterinary medicine, physiotherapy, different things. But I knew that I wanted to have a family and I didn't want a career that would be all consuming and I wouldn't be able to be home."
After completing a two-year diploma at Dalhousie University in Halifax she went on to find her dream job, one with no shift work and weekends and holidays off.
Inman currently works with dentist Dr. Andrew Rowe on St. Mary's Street.
In New Brunswick, all hygienists work under the supervision of a dentist and are regulated by the New Brunswick Dental Society.
Inman's typical day begins at 8 a.m. when she reviews the charts of patients she will see that day and prepares the instruments and equipment she will need for her five to six-hour shift.
"I make sure my instruments are nice and sharp and get ready for my first client," said Inman.
We typically think of the hygienist as someone who cleans our teeth. But over 50 years the profession has evolved and become much more than that, said Anne Comeau, president of New Brunswick Dental Hygienists Association. If she could, Comeau would remove the word cleaning altogether.
"This isn't just about a pretty smile anymore. This is about basic health care," said Comeau.
Hygienists do remove stains, deposits and plaque build-up from teeth and gums, apply fluoride treatments, take x-rays and dental impressions, and assist the dentist in dental assessments. Some do restorative work and orthodontic procedures such as adjusting the wires on braces.
Both Comeau and Inman identify another aspect of the job, that of educating patients on the care of their teeth and gums and the importance of good health.
It is one of the reasons Inman loves working with children. If she gets them early enough as a patient, they can learn good habits that will last them a lifetime.
"Give them some good instructions and you know you have played a part in starting them off on the right track at an early age," said Inman.
One of the things children fear most is going to the dentist's office. Inman enjoys the challenge of calming their fears and making their visit as pleasant as possible.
"When you have a little one come in and they're very apprehensive and unsure you can bring them out of their shell, coax them, and give them a good first experience and then they leave with a smile. Then you have great job satisfaction."
With three children of her own, she also finds it easy to relate to the teens who come to her chair.
To work in this field, you can't be someone with "personal space issues" Inman says. Working up close and personal with someone whose hygiene leaves something to be desired, "sometimes you have to have a strong stomach," admitted Inman. People with mental challenges can also require an extra measure of patience. Inman deals with it by focusing on her role as a health-care provider and the patient as someone in need of her care.
There can be dangers in this job. One of them is treating patients infected with a contagious disease. One of Inman's more challenging patients was a six-year-old child who contracted HIV through a blood transfusion. Again she treated it as her professional duty to care for this little person.
Such cases may require donning something more protective than the latex gloves, such as masks, goggles and gowns, and taking extra care not to get a cut from a sharp instrument. It is also important for hygienists to keep updating their immunization shots, said Inman.
There is a general shortage of hygienists in many parts of Canada and in New Brunswick it occurs in pockets, particularly in rural areas said Comeau.
The president of the professional association would like to see a lot more hygienists in a lot more places, such as schools, nursing homes and public health clinics. But current provincial legislation prevents them working anywhere but a dentist's office.
"If you could stand over my shoulder and look into the mouths of New Brunswickers, you would be absolutely appalled," said Comeau who practises in Moncton.
A lot of people suffer from gum disease and inflamed and bleeding gums. Studies have now shown that these oral diseases have implications for heart disease, diabetes and other health problems.
Comeau said hygienists could easily address this problem, but the message is not getting out there because of a lack of access to hygienists and to the kind of education, preventative and therapeutic dental care they can provide.
"We must recognize dental hygiene care as being very important in preventing systemic complications and recognizing the oral/systemic links. Hygienists are in the best position to prevent and treat inflammatory disease that may impact on general health," said Comeau.
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