Generally, the duties of a dental hygienist revolve mainly around working jointly with a dentist. Dental hygienists help educate patients with proper oral health care and teach them different techniques on how to take care of their dental health. They advise patients to undergo regular checkups with the dentist, and guide them on how to prevent the build-up of tooth decay and other oral problems that can pose complications later on.
Apart from these tasks, dental hygienists are also expected to get involved in removing suture, carry out dental procedures such removing tartar, taking x-rays of teeth, and in performing root canals. In other times where they get alarming findings, they advise the dentist and together, they decide on the diagnosis of the patient’s condition.
Because the responsibilities of a dental hygienist can be highly-specialized and skilled at most times, these working professionals also receive considerable amount of dental hygienist salary from their services. Dental hygienist salary can vary depending from their arrangement with the dentist. Most dental hygienist salary can be in the form of daily and monthly wage. Sometimes, dental hygienists also receive their salary through commission basis.
Average Dental Hygienist Salary
The hourly dental hygienist salary often falls under the $32.28/ hour median. For beginners and entry-level, dental hygienist salary could go at a minimum of $21.59/ hour. The more experienced and well-trained dental hygienists often get compensated at $44.64/ hour. As per job market survey, the average annual dental hygienist salary is $67, 340. The lowest annual dental hygienist salary can go at around $44,900 and the highest can reach $112,000 or even more. Dental hygienists who are certified and professionally licensed have a lot of opportunities for career growth and receive agreeable monthly compensations which are higher than average.
The varying differences in a dental hygienist salary largely depend on the education, training, experience, location and type of medical facility that the dental hygienist works in. Dental hygienists who live and work in cities, such as California and Washington, where the cost of living is relatively higher, earn around $80,000 per year. Dental hygienists working in Nevada and Michigan receive dental hygienist salary of around $65,000 annually. Dental hygienists who render their services to big hospitals evidently receive higher compensations. Also, dental hygienists who work in public institutions also get good benefits from their job.
Dental Hygienist Job Outlook
Aside from the working environment and location, good education and years of experience will also mean higher salary increase for dental hygienists. Graduates from accredited training institutes are almost always offered by medical institutions with job positions after they receive their license. In order to get higher dental hygienist salary, most dental hygienists do not limit themselves to the certificate training that they receive. Dental hygienists who continue with their studies after their certificate program can either take up Bachelor studies or even proceed to Master’s Degree. With such choices, they are permitted to take on other dental hygienist-related professions such as working in the academe, in research laboratories, or practice their profession.
Another way that other dental hygienists increase their annual dental hygienist salary is by taking on other part-time jobs as dental hygienist in other institutions. The pay will usually mean hourly compensation, and their work load can vary depending on the number of hours they are willing to render everyday.
There are a lot of ways that dental hygienists can earn above average dental hygienist salary. All it takes are their diligence to work hard, the patience to continue and further their education, and acquire new skills and experiences that will make them highly valuable in whatever medical facility they are a part of.