Whats the difference between a dental hygienist and a dental technician?
Dental hygienists specialize in oral hygiene, including teeth cleaning. They can examine patients for dental disease and propose treatment plans. (Only a dentist can actually diagnose disease, however.) It’s also common for them to treat gum disease, especially by scaling and root planing in more advanced cases.
Dental technicians assist hygienists and dentists with various procedures, such as mixing materials for fillings and helping assemble orthodontic appliances.
A dental hygienist is licensed, and trained to work directly with patients, providing preventive services, such as tooth cleaning and fluoride treatments. A dental technician is trained to work in a dental lab and creates restorative structures such as crowns and dentures. Technicians work from models that are made of the mouth; they can not treat patients by working directly in their mouths.
