October is Dental Hygiene Month: Spotlighting Our Dental Hygienist
Meet Our Dental Hygienist: Lauren Rhodes
October is Dental Hygiene Month and Southwest Family Dentistry wants to celebrate by spotlighting one of our favorite Dental Hygienists!
Lauren Rhodes is originally from Lake City, FL and graduated from Santa Fe Community College with an A.S. in Dental Hygiene. Read our fun interview with Lauren to learn more about her, her favorite (guilty) snacks and what a day in her life is like!
What drew you to the field of dentistry?
I always wanted to be in the health field in some way. I wanted to be a nurse for years until someone I know mentioned dental hygiene. I gave it some thought and had the opportunity to volunteer during high school at a local hospital as well as a dental practice. I found out I really enjoyed being at the dental office, but not so much at the hospital, so that’s when I decided to pursue dental hygiene.
What is your favorite part of being a dental hygienist?
Not everyone takes the best care of their teeth, so it’s always rewarding to see when a patient uses what you’ve taught them to make improvements in their oral care, not only for just healthy teeth and gums, but for their overall health as well.
If a young person were considering a career as a dental hygienist, what advice would you give them?
To me, the best way to find out if dental hygiene is right for you is to volunteer. Find one or several dental offices in your area and ask if they would let you shadow them for a day. That way you’ll get to see how a dental office runs day to day.
In one sentence convince us why dental hygiene is important.
Dental hygiene is important not only for the obvious reasons (you only have to floss and brush the ones you want to keep!) but not having proper oral hygiene can lead to a lot of other health problems
October is dental hygiene month, but we know not everyone is a saint when it comes to taking care of our teeth. What is your favorite cavity-inducing food/snack?
Skittle, sour patch kids. There’s really too many to name!
What is a normal day in the life of a dental hygienist?
A typical day starts at 8 am and runs till about 5 or 5:30. On average, I see about 8 patients a day. Appointments vary from just a general cleaning to a more in depth cleaning called a periodontal scaling. I also take X-Rays and assist the Dr. during his routine exams with the patients
Tell us the truth, do you indulge in a few sweets here and there during the Halloween season?
Of course! Probably a little more than I should admit.
