{"id":1062,"date":"2018-09-27T12:59:04","date_gmt":"2018-09-27T00:59:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.citydentists.co.nz\/dental-blog\/dental-treatment\/whats-the-difference-between-a-dental-hygienist-and-a-dentist\/"},"modified":"2025-03-01T16:15:05","modified_gmt":"2025-03-01T04:15:05","slug":"whats-the-difference-between-a-dental-hygienist-and-a-dentist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.citydentists.co.nz\/dental-blog\/whats-the-difference-between-a-dental-hygienist-and-a-dentist\/","title":{"rendered":"What&#8217;s the difference between a dental hygienist and a dentist?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span id='pk-id' value='6064403' \/><\/p>\n<p>When you need dental care, you may see <a href=\"https:\/\/www.citydentists.co.nz\/dental-blog\/dental-treatment\/demystifying-dentistry-all-about-the-different-roles\/\">either a hygienist or a dentist<\/a>, depending on what your appointment is for. Although both provide assistance and advice on maintaining your dental hygiene, a dentist is qualified to carry out higher level procedures and surgery. Some dentists specialise in a particular area of oral health &#8211; such as replacing missing teeth, or working with children.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>What is the difference between a dental hygienist and a dentist?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dental hygienist<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The role of a dental hygienist is to help patients maintain oral health by providing tips and advice specific to their teeth. They can be considered educators, rather than fixers &#8211; offering&nbsp;forms of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.citydentists.co.nz\/dental-blog\/why-your-dental-check-up-is-just-as-important-as-your-hygienist-visit\/\"  data-wpil-monitor-id=\"134\">preventative care<\/a>, such teeth cleaning, to reduce the chances of gum disease and other issues developing. An <a href=\"https:\/\/www.citydentists.co.nz\/dental-services\/dental-hygienist.html\">appointment with a dental hygienist<\/a> may involve:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Discussing how patients care for their teeth, product recommendations and any changes they should make.<\/li>\n<li>Advice about the effect of diet and lifestyle on dental hygiene.<\/li>\n<li>Scaling treatments to removed plaque and tartar build up.<\/li>\n<li>The removal of surface stains.<\/li>\n<li>Checking for signs of tooth decay, gum disease or any other dental hygiene issues.<\/li>\n<li>Taking x-rays to assist the dentist in diagnosis.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>While dental hygienists are often seen separately, they also assist dentists in their patient appointments, as might the surgery&#39;s dental assistant.<\/p>\n<div class=\"inlineImageWrapper\" style=\"padding-right: 3px; float: left; margin: 10px !important; width: 100% !important; height: auto !important;\">\n<figure style=\"margin: 0px!important; font-style: italic!important;\">\n\t<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Dental hygienists can assist dentists in their appointments.\" class=\"inlineImage\" height=\"auto\" id=\"14108890\" src=\"https:\/\/www.citydentists.co.nz\/dental-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/x_0_0_0_14108890_800.webp\" width=\"100%\" \/><figurecaption>A dental hygienist may assist the dentist in their procedures.<\/figurecaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Dentist<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A dentist receives more specialist training than a hygienist and is qualified to perform surgery and more complicated procedures. They provide a wide range of treatments related to dental care. Much of a dentist&#39;s work is about fixing a problem, in contrast to the preventative focus of the dental hygienist. That said, the dentist will inspect the patient&#39;s mouth for signs of gingivitis and other general hygiene concerns too.<\/p>\n<p>Tasks carried out by a dentist include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Procedures such as root canal, dental implants and dental bridges.<\/li>\n<li>Administering sedatives and anaethestics where required.<\/li>\n<li>Prescribing medications and treatments.<\/li>\n<li>Repairing fractured or chipped teeth.<\/li>\n<li>Applying&nbsp;sealants.<\/li>\n<li>Providing tooth whitening treatments in the surgery or to take home.<\/li>\n<li>Take impressions for replacement teeth and dental bridges.<\/li>\n<li>Examination of x-rays and using them for diagnosis and treatment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"inlineImageWrapper\" style=\"padding-right: 3px; float: left; margin: 10px !important; width: 100% !important; height: auto !important;\">\n<figure style=\"margin: 0px!important; font-style: italic!important;\">\n\t<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Working with children is one form of dental speciality.\" class=\"inlineImage\" height=\"auto\" id=\"14113616\" src=\"https:\/\/www.citydentists.co.nz\/dental-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/x_0_0_0_14113616_800.webp\" width=\"100%\" \/><figurecaption>Dentists may choose to specialise &#8211; such as in working with children.<\/figurecaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>If you&#39;re not sure who you need to see about your dental hygiene, speak to our friendly team to find out how we can help. Give us a call on 04 978 4964 or, if you know who you need to see, <a href=\"https:\/\/onlinebookingapac.3pointdata.com\/v1\/view\/organization\/362\/index.html?pid=NZCDL01#\/perspectives\/3\">book an appointment online<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>At your dental appointment you may see a dentist or a hygienist, depending what needs to be done. What is the difference between a dentist and a hygienist?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1063,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[110],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1062","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general-dentistry-treatments"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.3 (Yoast SEO v27.6) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What&#039;s the difference between a dental hygienist and a dentist?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"At your dental appointment you may see a dentist or a hygienist, depending what needs to be done. 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