Amber Ojak considers the importance of your professional support for a dental hygiene or therapist in practice

One of the most important bonds that can be made in a dental practice is that between a dental nurse and a hygienist or therapist. Without the support from dental nurse Kim Robb, my aim to deliver the best possible patient care is made 10 times more difficult and I would feel isolated, too. There is great relief knowing you always have the support of a dental nurse.

With your support

When I get my patient for their appointment, I know Kim is ready to suit them up with glasses and bib whilst I am able to take medical histories and any other notes. This way, I can give my full attention to record keeping, rather than fiddling around with clasps and clips and trying to communicate effectively. The support from Kim allows me to identify any areas of relevance to which she can alert the dentist. It means she can update histories for me rather than me running backwards and forwards to the computer. Some professionals I know like their dental nurse to write up notes and, even though I like to do mine myself, I know this is such a help with regards to time saving. It allows the team to use every minute to provide optimum care. I have also found that having dental nurse support, especially whilst aspirating, is one of the best things to happen to hygiene and therapists – we really need this extra help. Not only can you wonderful dental nurses sometimes make better headway at getting a patient to open wider, but, by helping with aspirating, it also means you can help with holding back the tongue or cheeks. This means less pressure on us as professionals so we can focus on removing tartar and staining. We know the patient is in safe hands and won’t be drowning! I look upon Kim as a mini lifeguard when I am scaling, which she finds hilarious.

There is nothing better than being in sync, especially with aspirating. I always make sure I take regular breaks to allow my dental nurse time. I have found patients really pick up on how well you work as a team.

Having Kim's support also makes my life easier should I need any specific oral hygiene aids, which I may not have got out or that may be in another room. I am reassured knowing that, should I need something, I am able to continue my appointment whilst Kim can find what it is I need. I have always found it so useful, whilst demonstrating oral hygiene advice, to have Kim there to support what I am saying and then highlighting it to the patient. She can also explain the benefits of oral health aids, such as TePes or single-tufted brushes.

This really boosts patient confidence in what I am advising and shows it is common knowledge across the dental team. I have always found the more dental professionals advising something, the more it may be listened to.

Without your support

Without support, the stresses and pressures placed on us are immense. Suddenly you must become a juggling act, as you have to set up your surgery and then get your patient in. You then have to try to ask them all the questions about medical histories and social histories whilst setting them up in the chair with glasses and bibs – and sometimes head cushions and neck rests. This takes up more time in your appointment when some of us are still faced with 15-20 minutes at a push. You then have to compromise on patient treatment, as you can either do a handscale (to try to remove as much build up as possible) or you can suddenly grow three hands and try to hold the aspirator, mirror and scaler whilst keeping an eye on the patient!

Once this is completed you then have to try to find the oral hygiene aids dotted around the surgery and then write notes, clean up and prepare for the next one. Repeating this multiple times throughout the day is enough to make your stress levels and blood pressure go through the roof. A dental nurse can relieve us of all this stress like a magic wand.

The support a hygienist and therapist needs is so important and I think having a good working relationship with a dental nurse makes all our lives better.

Respect and communication

I always expect my dental nurses to communicate with me – we are a team and need to work together. If they are struggling to keep up with me reading out pocket charts or to clean up the water, I want them to tell me to repeat things or ask me to move out of the way.

If we can’t work together, then the whole appointment can fall apart very quickly. I always make sure I tell my dental nurse if I need them to move differently to get the water or to check charts for me. Having respect for each other is key. I can do my job a lot more thoroughly with support.

I expect my dental nurse to stay in the room to act as a chaperone. In the unlikely event of an issue with a patient, I feel much safer with more than one person in the room. This also helps when it comes to a medical emergency. Having support is very reassuring and adds another layer of protection against any unforeseen circumstances.

Dental nurses not only play an important role with us in surgery, but they also make great teammates. I cannot stress enough how many times one of my dental nurses has been a shoulder to cry on or given me the little bit of support that sometimes a clinician needs. I have had a few occasions where I have dealt with some tricky patients and my dental nurse has reassured me at the end of the appointment I did the best I could and how I shouldn’t be hard on myself if oral hygiene advice hasn’t got through to the patient as I had hoped.

By building strong relationships with my dental nurse, I never feel isolated. Without a dental nurse, I know a lot of hygienists or therapists would feel they have no one to talk to about cases that may have been a little tricky or needed some support. Having this bond with my dental nurse really makes my working life much better and a lot more relaxed.

Overall, dental nurses play a crucial part in the day of a hygienist or therapist in terms of support, help with appointments and guidance with patients.

I feel very lucky I get to work with a dental nurse all the time and I know when all dental hygienists and therapists are given this opportunity, all our jobs – and the effectiveness of our treatments –will only become even stronger.

Top 10 reasons to ♥ a dental nurse Enables dental hygienists and therapists to deliver optimum care Alleviates the feeling of isolation when working alone Meets and greets and prepares patients whilst we prep the surgical stuff Communicates well with patients and underpins our advice to them Makes a big difference with aspiration Can fetch essential oral health aids (we may have forgotten or not have in surgery) mid-appointment Takes medical and social histories Manages stress levels by simply being there Are a vital second pair of hands Makes the best team mate!

Author: Amber Ojak