Running head: THE INSPIRATION ABOUT BECOMING A DENTAL HYGIENIST

The Inspiration about Becoming a Dental Hygienist

Alice Mai Vu

DEH 204 – Community Dental I

Mrs. Lisa Stiner

September 19, 2020

Running head: THE INSPIRATION ABOUT BECOMING A DENTAL HYGIENIST

I first came to the US and lived in California in 2007. I graduated from California State

University of Long Beach with Bachelor of Science in Health Care Administration in 2013. I had

worked in hospital as nutritional assistance for two years. I did not see my future with the old

career. Then, I knew about dental hygiene program and I decided to get back into school.

I asked myself many times why I decide to be a dental hygienist. Maybe, I was born to be

a caretaker, or because my sister influenced my perspectives of dentistry, or because it was a quick

money making career. So I think all of that drove me into this career. During practicing in school

clinic, I had chance to treat children, adult and elderly. I received verbal and written recognition

from them thanking me for treating them and developing their concept of the importance of clean

teeth. At that moment, I realized my actions and coaching had the ability to influence the future of

an individual. I recognize that dental hygienists provide so much more than a dental appointment;

my services truly are affecting individuals’ lives long term. Finding one’s passion may take time,

it may come as a surprise, and it may require a little work. To me, I find it at the time I was

struggled to give up or keep following this career. Now, I know why I want to become a dental

hygienist with a greater purpose. I see the Dental Hygiene Program as a great blessing to those

who want to achieve greater things in life and to be a hygienist means everything to me.

The long term goal I have after graduation is to work in cities of Colorado to gain

experience and at the same time provide oral care for community. Being bilingual with Vietnamese

language gives me the opportunity to help Vietnamese people who are not able to communicate in

English. I found that many Vietnamese people choose not going to the dentist due to their lack of

English. With me being bilingual it gives me the opportunity to bring more Vietnamese patients

to the dentist and give comfort to them.

Running head: THE INSPIRATION ABOUT BECOMING A DENTAL HYGIENIST

Poor populations tend to have little to no dental hygiene care. The experience I had was in

my home country in Vietnam where many children grew up poor and never had the opportunity to

get care for their teeth. Even, children in middle or rich class do not have knowledge why hygiene

is important to their health. I want to educate and provide the oral care to the communities. My

contributions would be teeth cleaning, educating oral home hygiene techniques, volunteering to

the dental public health activities, support the community water fluoridation and providing many

dental care accessories or dental aids such as tooth paste, tooth brush, floss for the communities. I

believe caring about my profession will take me to further heights and will eventually make myself

known as a great dental hygienist.

As dental hygienist advancement opportunities, dental hygienists can find employment in

a variety of work environments, including medical clinics and offices and educational facilities. I

am also interested in doing research or for manufacturing firms that produce dental equipment or

supplies. According to Dental Hygienist Advancement Opportunities (2019), the dental hygienists

can work with dental pharmaceuticals and medical apparatuses to deal with technical and scientific

products. However, to qualify for the job, the dental hygienists may need to go back to school to

complete a bachelor’s degree in a science such as chemistry or engineering. To be a sale

representatives, the dental hygienists “usually involve establishing customer leads, pitching

products, assisting customers in product selection, composing sales contracts, submitting orders,

and providing help to buyers when needed” (Dental Hygienist Advancement Opportunities, 2019).

Another job position that fits me very well is medical and health services manager. This job is a

relevant promotion for dental hygienists wanting to improve or maintain the services provided by

a dental clinic. This job descriptions are including “organizing service records, forming budget

plans, monitoring staff members, hiring employees, and enforcing healthcare policies” (Dental
Running head: THE INSPIRATION ABOUT BECOMING A DENTAL HYGIENIST

Hygienist Advancement Opportunities, 2019). This position requires the dental hygienists to

achieve the additional a bachelor's degree or master’s degree in health administration to fulfill this

role.
Running head: THE INSPIRATION ABOUT BECOMING A DENTAL HYGIENIST

References

Dental Hygienist Advancement Opportunities. (2019, January 02). Retrieved September 20,

2020, from https://study.com/articles/dental_hygienist_advancement_opportunities.html