Dental hygienists are basically assigned to examine patients for dental problems, clean teeth, and provide preventive oral care procedures. They are different from dental assistants as they focus more on preventive and maintenance oral care methods. Patients may come to them for cleaning and diagnosis, especially at times when a dentist is not available.
Dental hygienists work in a dental clinic or office, and they are available during regular office hours. They are not usually exposed to stress and pressure, as they perform only light dental care tasks.
As of May 2010, average dental hygienists salary is $68,250 or $32.81 per hour. There are different indicators that have to be considered in order to determine favorable compensation packages for people in this position, and these include educational background, type of work environment, and geographic location.
Payment Terms for Dental Hygienists
Unlike other health-care related jobs, dental hygienists work and get paid by the number of hours they render. The lowest 10% of people working in this position earn around $45,000 per year, while the highest 10% earn somewhere around $93,820.
Dental hygienists may work fulltime or part-time depending on the office or clinic they are employed in. There are establishments that employ dental hygienists only on a part-time basis, depending on their need.
How to Become a Dental Hygienist
There are two ways to become a dental hygienist, and one of them is by taking an associate course in dental hygiene. This course lasts for up to two years, depending on the institution that offers the said program. In this course students are taught about the different methods and procedures of oral care, and they are also subject to complete a practical training program in a clinic or dental office.
Meanwhile, aspiring dentists may also work as dental hygienists before stepping into their chosen profession. Most graduates of dentistry work first as dental hygienists while they are not yet licensed. They usually assume the post as part of their training, especially when they are planning to work in establishments that require a few years of experience in the oral care environment.
Best Establishments to Work as a Dental Hygienist
The best establishments to work as a dental hygienist include that of dental clinics, nursing homes, schools and offices. While indeed there are hospitals that have dental departments, usually only dentists and their assistants are required to perform in the said office.
Dental clinics are among the best places for hygienists to work for, as their services will be used on almost every patient that will come during the day. They take on both pre-dental and preventive oral care procedures as prescribed by the supervising dentist, and as well assist in certain specified tasks.
There are also establishments in which a dental office is present, but not dentist can be found. These include schools, fitness centers and offices. Since they do administer serious dental issues, they require dental hygienists instead to perform maintenance cleaning duties on students, customers or employees.
There is a strong demand for dental hygienists in the United States, but there are certain states that offer the most favorable conditions for persons in the said post. Among these states are Alaska, Nevada, California, Florida and Alabama.
There are highly favorable opportunities for dental hygienists in Alaska due to the increasing number of health care establishments and facilities in the said state. With the ongoing hiring of health care professionals and workers, dental hygienists are likewise tagged in the bandwagon and may expect good compensation packages in establishments there.
Other states such as Nevada, California, Florida and Alabama have equally high demands for dental hygienists because of the continuous population growth, particularly due to migration and of the increase of the elderly generation.
Dental hygienists are among the fastest growing jobs in the health care industry at present. There is an expected 38% growth in demand for the said job until 2020, due to a number of factors. Aside from continuous population growth and rise in the elderly generation, technological advancements also give more room for role expansion-dental hygienists will be given more technical tasks to focus on, aside from the basic oral care procedures assigned to them at present.



