Michelle Boyd
Dental Hygienist
New Palestine Gentle Dentist
New Palestine, IN USA
“Follow your dreams and goals don't let anyone else choose your career for you.”
Milestones
My road in life has been direct.
I knew I wanted to be a dental hygienist since I was in the 8th grade. Classes were tough to get there and I applied twice before I got in the program but I didn't give up.
Financial was always tough. I had to get student loans for school and pay them back myself. I knew I had to succeed and have a good paying job to pay these loans off.
I had to work many hours on top of going to school to help pay for expenses. Sometimes it was a challenge to work and keep up with school work.
Education
High School
Career
Dental Hygienist
I work to meet the oral health of patients, help in prevention of gingivitis or periodontal disease.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Medicine
Education
Accomplishing Goals
Day to Day
I see anywhere from 11-13 patients in a day. I get 40 minutes per patient to take any necessary xrays and clean their teeth. We go over home care and if there needs to be any changes or areas that need attention. I also treat periodontal disease and help those patients prevent the progression of the disease.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for college students
Make sure you have a great resume and make yours stand out from the rest. When getting your resume out there, hand deliver them to the office. Walking into an office you can see if this is somewhere you would like to work just by the greeting of the front office staff. You can see how old or new the office is too.
Recommended Education
My career is related to what I studied. I'd recommend the path I took:
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Family:
"Why stop at being a dental hygienist? Continue on to be a dentist."
