Dental hygienists must always work under the supervision of a dentist, so these are not professionals who are ever independently employed in any way. While working for a dentist, or a group of dentists, dental hygienists perform a wide variety of responsibilities throughout each day. The whole scope of the duties they are likely to perform, however, tend to fluctuate simply because the specific needs of employers tends to vary.
To give you a general idea, though, the typical responsibilities of dental hygienists include the following functions:
- Cleaning and scraping deposits from patients’ teeth and gums
- Removing stains
- Cleaning the teeth and gums prior to examination by the dentist
- Flossing the teeth
- Taking x-rays
These are just the basics of the general responsibilities that are routinely performed by dental hygienists; however, there are other responsibilities that some hygienists must perform in addition to the primary ones listed above. For the most part, these responsibilities depend upon the hygienist’s employer and his or her expectations. In some instances, dental hygienists may also perform some functions that are most typically associated with the responsibilities of office or practice managers.
What they earn
Wages for dental hygienists can vary quite drastically between different parts of the United States. Some workers may earn as little as $38,000 per year, while others may earn as much as $90,000 per year. Much of this disparity is a result of many different factors, including number of years of experience, educational background, size of the employing dental practice, and geographic location.
Of course, if you live in a large metropolitan area you are far more likely to command a greater salary than someone who lives in a small rural area. Likewise, the more education and experience you have under your belt, the better position you will be in to ask for (and receive) a higher salary and substantial benefits package.
Where the jobs are
If you are willing (and able) to relocate for a better paying position, then you might be interested to know which cities in the United States consistently pay the highest salaries for dental hygienists.
According to PayScale.com, the top ten cities in America are:
- Dallas, Texas
- Boston, Massachusetts
- Austin, Texas
- Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Chicago, Illinois
- Portland, Oregon
- New York, New York
- Denver, Colorado
- Virginia Beach, Virginia
- Atlanta, Georgia
The overall average salary for a dental hygienist is approximately $55,000, so it is quite a profitable career field to enter into for anyone who has an interest in this line of work.
A field worth entering
The United States Department of Labor reports that the career field for dental hygienists is expanding at a fairly rapid rate. In fact, it is one of the fastest developing careers in this country right now, and has been for the past few years. For recent high school graduates or anyone who is looking to make a career change, becoming a dental hygienist is a viable option that offers lots of advantages for qualified candidates.
Over the next ten years, experts anticipate that job growth within this field will grow by a whopping 30%. With many dental offices offering flexible hours, part-time scheduling options, and benefits packages that are generally quite good, more and more candidates are entering dental hygienist programs of study each year.