The dental industry is rising as more and more of the world starts to get involved with their teeth and oral health, and if you have decided that you want to get involved in that industry, then the best place to start is to be a dental nurse.
Dental nurses are people who support the dentist in all aspects of the patient’s dental care, and that means that dental nurses need to know a lot!
So much that it can seem overwhelming, but if you want to know the basics of what you need to know to be a dental nurse, as well as other tips to make your time as a nurse fruitful, then here is what you need to know.
You Will Need To Get Licensed
Just like dentists themselves, you will need to complete a course based on the GDC’s (General Dental Council’s) registration requirements for dental nurses, and once you are licensed and have completed all the exams, you will be able to register.
A dental nurse is going to be invaluable to any dental practice, and you will need to be able to handle all the tasks of a dentist.
Maintaining And Decontaminating
The biggest tasks that dental nurses will often need to do is to focus on maintaining and decontaminating. Between every single patient, you will need to decontaminate, sterilize, and exchange the instruments that have just been used with clean ones.
Additionally, you will need to maintain equipment and periodically check the equipment over in order to make sure that it isn’t falling apart and won’t break down when it is needed the most.
Good Organizational Skills
You will be depended on by the dentist and probably other members of the staff to manage files, patient reports, and other information about all the patients you are working with.
Additionally, you will be the first and the last person that that patient sees, and whenever the dentist comes in you will need to make notes about what they are saying to the patient in question.
Having the ability to keep yourself as well as all your information and files organized will be a good skill to have, and will be crucial for your dentist so they can give the correct information to the correct patient.
You Need To Have Good Communication and Listening Skills
You will likely be working with patients before and after the dentist does, so being able to have a calm bedside manner helps as well. Talk to your patients, get to know them, and chat with them both about their lives and their teeth and oral health.
Additionally, you will need to learn how to read your patients. Some may be anxious or nervous about an upcoming procedure or simply about being at the dentist in general, and calming them down and coaxing them through their concerns is going to be extremely helpful.
Additionally, you need to be able to listen to the dentist as well as other members of the staff, because they will be telling you what to do and how best you can help them.
Make sure to follow directions and know when to ask for clarification when it is needed, and that will help you in the office.
Also, You Will Need To Wear A Uniform
Every dental nurse needs to wear a dental nursing uniform which is essentially a pair of scrubs, similar to what nearly everyone in the medical profession wears.
While you might be able to wear your scrubs in a certain color depending on the dentist and how they want to market their business, often you will be wearing simple scrubs that might seem a little basic compared to the rest of the clothes in your wardrobe.
But a well-put-together nurse’s uniform is able to minimize infection control and can also protect both nurses and patients from infections and other problems as well. This means you can work with and around patients safely, and can also show yourself off as a dental nurse with pride!
The Knowledge Of A Dental Nurse Doesn’t Stop There!
Finally, being a dental nurse opens up a lot of doors for you if you wish to continue opening doors in the dental industry. You can learn how to use machines, perform surgeries, and eventually know enough to become a dentist yourself one day. So learn all you can to become a dental nurse, because the gaining of knowledge isn’t going to stop!
