Overview:

Position available at a new, specialist periodontist practice, at the Netcare Christiaan Barnard Hospital, in the Cape Town Foreshore/Waterfront area.

Background:

The available opportunities for oral hygienists in private practice generally fall within three categories;

1. General dental practice

Predominantly medical aid rates, high patient turn over, predominantly scale & polish, some bleaching, admin, assisting, etc. Not all dental practices have oral hygienist positions. Some dentists provide those services themselves.

2. Orthodontic practice

Generally not medical aid rates, high patient turn over, large teams of predominantly female staff, ortho elastic replacements, etc. Most ortho practices do large teams of oral hygienists.

3. Periodontist practice

Generally not medical aid rates, moderate patient turn over, smaller team, multidisciplinary treatment, predominantly surgical and periodontal. Most perio practices have one or more oral hygienist(s).

About the job & practice:

I closed my Johannesburg practice and relocated home to Cape Town to open at the Netcare Christiaan Barnard Hospital. This is a brand new practice, new staff and team comprising myself, surgical assistant, sterilisation assistant, receptionist, and oral hygienist. Our neighbour is a maxillofacial surgeon, there is one other general dentist in the building.

Our practice has two dental surgery rooms that are equipped identically with chair, x-ray, computer, intraoral scanner, consultation desk, computer, etc. The practice includes a staff break room, photography area, CBCT room, dedicated sterilisation room, patient admin room / office, and obviously reception and patient area. Situated at the hospital, below the practice on the 3rd floor, are the theatres where I will be working part of the time.

I work very closely with an oral hygienist on patient treatment plans. Ideally what I am looking for is to recruit a newly qualified hygienist and mentor this person in my likeness, to co-manage patients with me. It is my goal to train someone to provide treatments as I would (scaling, root planing, anaesthesia etc.). I want to train and mentor a hygienist to eventually take patient photographs (portrait, intra-oral), intra-oral digital scans, compile smile designs, to work with our lab and referring dentists etc.

In our practice we generally manage three categories of services:

1. Specialist implant dentistry
2. Gum surgery
3. Periodontal disease

The hygienist in our team works hand in hand in all three categories. With the surgical treatments, the new hygienist will be involved in pre-surgery cleaning and hygiene training. Post-surgery, the hygienist is involved in wound care, delicate cleanings of the wound site(s), suture removal, etc. On occasion where necessary, the hygienist may even assist in surgeries. The bulk of the hygienist’s duties are coupled to management of periodontitis patients, in the cause-related therapy phase, referral back after re-evaluation if surgery is not yet indicated, and ultimately in the maintenance of all patients (both surgery & periodontal disease).

The hygienist in the team ideally is involved in treatment coordination and planning. That is, eventually when mentored and able, the hygienist could help coordinate the treatment plans, collect the needed oral scans, photographs, CBCT scans etc. as well as being in involved in the digital planning of cases, coordinating those treatment plans, etc.

You’re a good fit if you:

- Are eager to be challenged and learn, and be mentored by a specialist
- Are excited to work beyond the basics of scale and polish, and rather be involved in more specialised treatments
- Want to work with a moderate patient load, instead of high turnover at medical aid rates
- Want to be more included in the overall treatment plans and treatment coordination, admin, planning, etc.
- Would prefer to work in a smaller, diverse team that is new, instead of a larger team with an established workplace culture
- Are a good communicator, show initiative and drive, and want to grow in your career

While I have already met with a few candidates, it would be important for the opportunity to join our practice to be equally available to anyone who is interested. Please also Google me & check my Instagram to get a better idea of who I am the work I do.

Warm regards
Dr Du Toit