Introduction

Being a dental hygienist, is a vital part of our overall dental team in providing preventative care, regular oral cancer
screening, identifying problems in their formative stages, and recommending aesthetic options. Regular cleaning
appointments allow dental hygienist to assess your gums and to update your clinical condition. This allows our
entire dental team to refine your treatment plan to best accommodate any changes that have occurred since your last
visit.
We highly recommend a regular cleaning appointment be made every three to six months. This, of course, depends
upon many diverse factors and we will be happy to work with you to determine the best frequency for your
particular situation.

Job Title
Dental Hygienist

Nature of Work & Duties

Dental 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.
Duties
Dental hygienists typically do the following:

Remove tartar, stains, and plaque from teeth

Apply sealants and fluorides to help protect teeth

Take and develop dental x rays

Keep track of patient care and treatment plans

Teach patients oral hygiene techniques, such as how to brush and floss correctly

Dental hygienists use many types of tools to do their job. They clean and polish teeth with hand, power, and
ultrasonic tools. In some cases, they remove stains with an air-polishing device, which sprays a combination of air,
water, and baking soda. They polish teeth with a powered tool that works like an automatic toothbrush. Hygienists
use x ray machines to take pictures to check for tooth or jaw problems.
Dental hygienists help patients develop and maintain good oral health. For example, they may explain the
relationship between diet and oral health. They may also give advice to patients on how to select toothbrushes and
other oral-care devices.

Working Conditions

Dental hygienists provide clinical services in a variety of settings such as private dental practice, community health
settings, nursing homes, hospitals, prisons, schools, faculty practice clinics, state and federal government facilities
and Indian reservations. In addition to clinical practice, there are career opportunities in education, research, sales
and marketing, public health, administration and government. Some hygienists combine positions in different
settings and career paths for professional variety. Working in education and clinical practice is an example.
Flexible work hours can be a feature of this profession, with some hygienists working full-time, others part-time.

Employment
Educational opportunities can be found in clinical and didactic educational experiences. Do you enjoy teaching
someone a better way of doing things or sharing some of the things youve learned? There is a significant shortage
of motivated, dedicated educators at all levels of dental education. Whether in a hygiene program, dental school or
assisting program, public or private, nonprofit or for-profit, educational institutions are seeking qualified faculty and
administrators to continue to educate the future of the profession. However, these opportunities involve more than an
associates level degree.
A bachelors degree is needed to teach clinical courses, while didactic education requires a masters or beyond. If
you are interested in pursuing an educational opportunity but do not have a degree, many programs are available to
help you gain that higher degree while staying employed. Education does not have to be formal; if you are
comfortable with public speaking, becoming a continuing-education presenter offers a great opportunity to advance
beyond clinical. Many of the current continuing-education speakers have had a desire to educate others about
products or procedures they use, and many doors have opened as a consequence. Never think that no one wants to
hear what you have to say or that they already know how to do something. You may have an idea that can change
anothers perspective.

Training: Qualifications
Dental hygienists receive their education through academic programs at community colleges, technical colleges,
dental schools or universities. The majority of community college programs take at least two years to complete, with
graduates receiving associate degrees. Receipt of this degree allows a hygienist to take licensure examinations
(national and state or regional), become licensed and to work in a dental office.
University-based dental hygiene programs may offer baccalaureate and master's degrees, which generally require at
least two years of further schooling. These additional degrees may be required for a career in teaching and/or
research, as well as for clinical practice in school or public health programs.
Dental hygiene program admission requirements vary depending upon the specific school. High school-level courses
such as health, biology, psychology, chemistry, mathematics and speech will be beneficial in a dental hygiene career.
Most programs show a preference for individuals who have completed at least one year of college. Some
baccalaureate degree programs require that applicants complete two years of college prior to enrollment in the dental
hygiene program. Contact the particular dental hygiene program of interest to you for specific program
requirements.

Dental hygiene education programs offer clinical education in the form of supervised patient care experiences.
Additionally, these programs include courses in liberal arts (e.g., English, speech, sociology and psychology); basic
sciences (e.g., anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, immunology, chemistry, microbiology and pathology); and
clinical sciences (e.g., dental hygiene, radiology and dental materials). After completion of a dental hygiene
program, dental hygienists can choose to pursue additional training in such areas as education, business
administration, basic sciences, marketing and public health.

Job Outlook
Employment outlook for dental hygienists is expected to grow much faster than the average for all other
occupations. Between now and 2020, employment of hygienists is expected to grow by 38 percent. This is mainly
due to continuing advancements in dental hygiene and oral care. As new technology is discovered and implemented
into dentists' offices, the demand for new hygienists as well as dentists and dental assistants is expected to increase.
As of 2010, there were 181,800 dental hygienist jobs in the United States, and with the aforementioned growth, it is
expected that 68,500 jobs will be added by 2020.
It's easy to see why a career as a dental hygienist may look so attractive to students and others interested in the
dental field. Not only is the job outlook expected to improve over the next 10 years or so, but the flexibility of a
dental hygienist position may enable students to continue their education and seek out even better positions while
working a job that pays well enough to support a middle-class lifestyle.

Earnings
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average annual salary of a dental hygienist was $68,250 as of
May 2010. This averages to $32.81 per hour, which is well above the average salary of most healthcare careers. Of
all the dental hygienists employed in the U.S. at this time, the lowest 10 percent earned less than $45,000 a year.
Meanwhile, the highest 10 percent earned more than $93,820. Obviously, this is a pretty large gap, but that is
certainly good news for anyone wishing to become dental hygienists. After all, $45,000 a year is still a decent wage
and these statistics suggest that you will be making more than this as a hygienist.
It's important to note that pay for a dental hygienist can vary from one office to the next. Some hygienists are paid a
salary, while others are paid hourly. Others still work on commission. Benefits also vary by employer, but they may
include paid vacations, sick leave or contributions to a retirement fund. These are generally only available to fulltime employees, which only made up 38 percent of dental hygienists in 2010.

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Source
http://www.paulylindds.com/dental_hygiene/index.html
https://collegegrad.com/careers/dental-hygienists
http://explorehealthcareers.org/en/career/2/dental_hygienist

http://www.ada.org/en/education-careers/careers-in-dentistry/dental-team-careers/dental-hygienist/educationtraining-requirements-dental-hygienist
http://www.collegesanddegrees.com/programs/dental-hygienist/job-outlook-and-salary
http://www.rdhmag.com/articles/print/volume-30/issue-6/features/employment-opportunities.html