When I walked in through the door of the dentist 's office, I was a little bit nervous. I had done my best to blend in with the staff who all wore black scrubs. The front desk receptionist, Priscilla, told me to take a seat and I eased into the cold, black, leather sofa. I fumbled with my fingers nervously as if I was a patient about to get a root canal. Eventually, Frankie, the dental hygienist who I was to shadow, walked in through the door beside the reception desk and lead me to her office. She was very warm and eager to teach me all about her craft. I learned a lot in the two days I worked with her. There was never a dull moment and I got to see so many different patients; patients of different backgrounds, ethnicities, age groups, and gender. All my initial fear was basically fear of what I was getting myself into. It was fear of the unknown. But that fear had quickly dissipated within the first hour of shadowing Frankie. I came to the conclusion that I was on the right path towards a career that was ideal for me. I love conversing with people and getting to know all about them. That initial relationship-building phase is very …show more content…
Overall, it was an eye-opening experience. Obviously, just like most students wanting to get into the dental hygiene program, I was interested in the financial security that comes with this occupation. However, after my shadowing experience, I learned what a truly rewarding career choice this is. It left a very positive impression on me, seeing how happy Frankie was at her job. Working with Frankie gave me a sense of the importance of a dental hygienist at a dental clinic. There are many dentists that don 't employ dental hygienists because they do their own hygiene work. However, I feel that a dental hygienist can be a valuable asset, especially when they help build a strong relationship with the patients. This way, the dentist can deal with the other important issues that may arise that require more invasive