As a dental world outsider, I have always thought of dental assistants and hygienists as women. I’ve never encountered a man in this role, and, in fact, I had never given much thought to men as assistants and hygienists at all. According to Dentistry iQ, the gap between women and men in the profession is slowly closing as jobs are becoming more challenging to get a hold of.
Enter Trevor Johnson.
Johnson is a dental assistant who lives and works in Jacksonville. He began his career in Maryland 13 years ago and has never looked back. “I became a dental assistant due to needing to select a career in the AirForce,” he said. “Something that I could use on the outside if I were to ever get out of the military.”
Johnson said he’s been very accepted by coworkers and patients alike. “The patients don’t look at it being a surprise to see me chairside any more then they see a male nurse in their room,” he said. As a man in a mostly female profession, he said he is able to bring balance to any office at which he is employed. One of the biggest positives he’s found in his position is that he’s able to limit the “he said, she said” gossip, which is a strength he uses in the work place to create a fun and energetic atmosphere.
Johnson said his favorite thing about being a dental assistant is building personal connections with his patients. “I run into some of my patients in grocery stores, and they will open their mouths and show me their teeth,” he said. “It’s funny.” But the most wonderful feeling for him, he said, is when his patients build a trust in him. “When you have that patient in the chair who has not been to a dentist in years knowing that they have a lot of work to be done, and they trust in you,” he said. “You can make a difference.”
As for Johnson’s next move, he said he is looking to start hygiene school soon.
To learn more about the gender gap, check out the Dentistry iQ article “How male dental hygienists are breaking down gender roles.”
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