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- Providing Dental Care to Low Income Families as a Dental Assistant
Providing Dental Care to Low Income Families as a Dental Assistant
- By Douglas Adams
- Published September 23rd, 2008
- Community Health
- Unrated
As a Dental Assistant one should take pride in having the ability to provide quality care to people in need. Dental Assistants have to help the Dentists and Dental Hygienists during procedures. This can involve handing them instruments during procedures as well as other miscellaneous work.
However, dental procedures mostly cost a hefty amount and there are sections of society that cant afford it. Lack of insurance, forces a large chunk of the population to neglect their dental health which further aggravates their dental problems.
Dental care is often made available to many low income families through programs, such as Child Development Services, Migrant Services and Head Start. These programs are Federally funded and are conducted throughout the nation.
Through these programs, children and families obtain free of cost dental care. Such programs require highly trained and qualified Dental Assistants to help the Dentists and Dental Hygienists in their work. Knowledge of oral hygiene is one of the most crucial aspects of being a successful Dental Assistant in this field.
Another practice adopted by many Dental Assistants is that of conducting training workshops and informing people about oral hygiene. Generally, they deliver information on a variety of topics, such as importance on brushing twice a day, the proper technique of brushing, the importance of flossing regularly and the right way to floss.
On most such programs, families are handed out pamphlets that have information on oral hygiene, as well as toothbrushes, toothpaste and floss.
For most children and families belonging to the lower strata of population, this is the only way to solve
their dental problems. Although the pay in working for such causes is naturally lesser than what one can get in regular dental facilities, the satisfaction-level one gets in assisting the needy ones, surpasses everything.
However, such programs are still few and far between and a lot needs to be done to address the problems of many of the lower-income people who neglect their dental health.
As a dental professional, one should understand the need to provide services to such people and actively participate in such activities. Although the Medicare and Medicaid programs under the Federal guidelines have given some respite to some, a large amount of work still needs to be done.
The Surgeon General is trying to come up with new schemes in order to do the needful. Establishing and expanding mobile dental clinics, public dental clinics and school based dental clinics, is one such plan.
As a Dental Assistant, you can help the Dental Surgeon a long way in doing so. The Surgeon General is also thinking of building up a scheme, under which Dental Assistants can obtain assistance with tuition in return for working at low income dental facilities. This can benefit both the parties.
The idea is to make the Dental Assistants experience the satisfaction of providing care to the needy and helping them understand the importance of it all.
The Surgeon General is also looking into developing programs for dental staff, including Dental Assistants to receive assistance with tuition if they agree to work in low income dental facilities for a specified period of time.
It is their hope that the staff will choose to remain their after that time period has ended because they see how beneficial their services are to the patients they are serving.
PPPPP
Word Count 670
However, dental procedures mostly cost a hefty amount and there are sections of society that cant afford it. Lack of insurance, forces a large chunk of the population to neglect their dental health which further aggravates their dental problems.
Dental care is often made available to many low income families through programs, such as Child Development Services, Migrant Services and Head Start. These programs are Federally funded and are conducted throughout the nation.
Through these programs, children and families obtain free of cost dental care. Such programs require highly trained and qualified Dental Assistants to help the Dentists and Dental Hygienists in their work. Knowledge of oral hygiene is one of the most crucial aspects of being a successful Dental Assistant in this field.
Another practice adopted by many Dental Assistants is that of conducting training workshops and informing people about oral hygiene. Generally, they deliver information on a variety of topics, such as importance on brushing twice a day, the proper technique of brushing, the importance of flossing regularly and the right way to floss.
On most such programs, families are handed out pamphlets that have information on oral hygiene, as well as toothbrushes, toothpaste and floss.
For most children and families belonging to the lower strata of population, this is the only way to solve
However, such programs are still few and far between and a lot needs to be done to address the problems of many of the lower-income people who neglect their dental health.
As a dental professional, one should understand the need to provide services to such people and actively participate in such activities. Although the Medicare and Medicaid programs under the Federal guidelines have given some respite to some, a large amount of work still needs to be done.
The Surgeon General is trying to come up with new schemes in order to do the needful. Establishing and expanding mobile dental clinics, public dental clinics and school based dental clinics, is one such plan.
As a Dental Assistant, you can help the Dental Surgeon a long way in doing so. The Surgeon General is also thinking of building up a scheme, under which Dental Assistants can obtain assistance with tuition in return for working at low income dental facilities. This can benefit both the parties.
The idea is to make the Dental Assistants experience the satisfaction of providing care to the needy and helping them understand the importance of it all.
The Surgeon General is also looking into developing programs for dental staff, including Dental Assistants to receive assistance with tuition if they agree to work in low income dental facilities for a specified period of time.
It is their hope that the staff will choose to remain their after that time period has ended because they see how beneficial their services are to the patients they are serving.
PPPPP
Word Count 670