I remember when I was in school hearing all my classmates talk about how much they hated going to the dentist. Going to the dentist has been something I have always loved to do. The noise of the instruments and simply the smell of the clinic has never been a bad atmosphere for me, I actually like the dentist. Laura was my first dental hygienist for as long as I can remember, and she had the whitest teeth I have ever seen! I've honestly come to the conclusion that I'm obsessed with teeth. That being said, I always felt and knew that I wanted to be a dental hygienist. I am currently a first year here at Community College getting my dental hygiene preq. I always get the question, “Why would you want to look into someone's mouth all day?” After hearing this question and then I start thinking about myself. I want to be a dental hygienist because first of all someone has to do it and second of all I think smiles light up rooms and if I can help get more smiles in this world then that's what I will do. In pursuing my career in dental hygiene I have high hopes that I can help people understand and find compassion in caring for their teeth and inspire them as Laura has inspired me. When most people think of dental hygienists, the first and only thing they think of is cleaning and whitening their teeth. However, this is mostly what dental hygienists do, but they also learn to do much more. According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, hygienists clean teeth, examine patients for signs of oral diseases such as gingivitis, and provide other preventative dental care. They also educate patients on ways to improve and maintain good oral health. As explained on the American Dental Association, the dental hygienist... at the center of the paper... health. This was reassuring because now I know that if I don't absolutely love being a dental hygienist, there are many other paths I can go down. Moving forward, I plan to complete my prerequisites and hopefully get into the dental program. After finishing the dental program I plan to get a job as a dental hygienist. If I love it, I will continue to pursue it; however, if I don't, I will separate myself and become a representative or even teach some kind of science. This research helped and inspired me to pursue the career path I chose. Works Cited “Dental Hygienist.” -American Dental Association. Np, nd Web. March 20, 2014."Summary." US Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, n.d. Web. March 19, 2014. “Dental Hygienist Job Description.” World of healthcare salaries. Np, nd Web. March 19. 2014.