It’s a very exciting time for dental hygienists in North Carolina! Governor Roy Cooper recently signed a law enabling our state’s dental hygienists to administer local anesthesia to dental patients. This is a huge win for our dental hygienists being that North Carolina was one of only 5 states still restricting this practice. This certification is acknowledged by the North Carolina State Board of Dental Examiners and upon completion, enables hygienists greater autonomy in the scope of dentistry and will also lessen some of the demands placed on our dentists.
To earn this certification, our hygienists must complete rigorous coursework including 16 hours of online class time and tests as well as supervised in-person practical experience on live patients. Our hygienists have already been participating in online coursework and have their in-person practical April 2nd.
In addition to the stringent North Carolina state requirements, Dr. Gillespie has developed a pre-certification program wherein our hygienists are slowly introduced into the actual administration of local anesthesia. Initially, this involves practicing on avocados, oranges and chicken thighs. Avocados have a tough skin with a pit, mimicking what it’s like to find bone with the needle. Oranges have a tough, thick skin allowing them to practice dispensing an entire carpule of anesthetic and chicken thighs mimic the lower jaw with tissue supported by bone.
As our hygienists gain proficiency, we have several willing in-office volunteers who will be anesthetized under supervision. After certification, Dr. Gillespie and our other dentists will supervise anesthetic administration to these helpers in the effort to make this transition seamlessly!
Not only is this a huge milestone for North Carolina and all the hygienists currently licensed in our state, allowing our clinicians this sovereignty also benefits dental practices and YOU, our patients!
Some benefits include:
- Facilitate appointment efficiency – less interruption to treatment
- Time management
- No waiting on dentists – dentists maintain a busy restorative schedule & this will keep them from having to leave their patient schedule simply to administer local anesthesia for a periodontal cleaning
This is a HUGE win for all involved! We’re both very excited and very proud of our hygienists and all the hard work they have been dedicating to earning this certification. Don’t forget to ask them about it when you’re in for your next dental cleaning.