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Oral hygiene is the cornerstone of good dental care. Professional dental cleaning and regular check-ups help prevent serious tooth and gum disease. As a dental hygienist, you can do your part to keep patients' teeth and gums healthy. In return, you can enjoy a stable, high-demand career with flexible hours and generous benefits.
What Does a Dental Hygienist Do?
Dental hygienists are the professional practitioners and advocates of good oral hygiene. They support their patients' oral health by cleaning and polishing teeth and by providing guidance on how to maintain healthy teeth and gums. As a dental hygienist, you can expect to encounter the following responsibilities:
Dental hygienists with specialized training or certification may also perform other clinical functions to support the dentist. The advanced tasks dental hygienists perform vary by state, but may include:
In addition, dental hygienists assist the dentist in a variety of procedures. They may administer clinical laboratory tests and confer with the dentist to analyze results. Like many clinical assistants, dental hygienists fulfill a broad range of job responsibilities.
What Are the Steps to Becoming a Dental Hygienist?
A career in dental hygiene requires formal education and state licensing. Learn how to become a dental hygienist by following these steps:
Formal training is essential to your preparation for a dental hygiene career. There are approximately 300 dental hygiene programs accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation. Most programs last two years and lead to an associate's degree. Other options include the one-year certificate program and more advanced bachelor's and master's degree programs. Courses teach you how to become a dental hygienist, covering topics such as anatomy and physiology, periodontology, histology, dental materials, clinical dental hygiene, and pathology.
Use formal education as your springboard into an entry-level dental hygiene job. You can then leverage this training as a foundation for other professional development activities throughout your career.
How to Become a Great Dental Hygienist
Now that you've learned how to become a dental hygienist, you're ready to look ahead to the next step in your career: becoming a great dental hygienist. The difference between skilled oral hygiene support staff and an advanced dental hygiene professional depends on the steps you take to develop your expertise and credentials. Take these steps to advance your dental hygiene career:
By developing your expertise and credentials, you can broaden your career opportunities and achieve a greater professional impact in the field of dental hygiene.
Dental Hygiene: Job Outlook
In return for your commitment to healthy teeth and gums, you should benefit from strong career opportunity and a favorable quality of life. Dental hygienists rank among the fastest growing occupations in the U.S., with 36 percent job growth predicted by 2018, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In addition to job security, hygienists enjoy a flexible schedule and generous compensation. Hygienists earned a mean salary of $67,860 in 2009--an impressive sum given the short two-year education requirement.
Dental hygienists have the potential to make a real difference in public health. Preventative care and good oral hygiene habits are the most important factor in maintaining healthy teeth and gums. By advancing your career as a dental hygienist, you equip yourself to promote the value of dental hygiene among the general public.
Resources for Dental Hygienists
These schools offer particularly quick info upon request, and we have written detailed profiles for each (click school names to see the profiles).
Request info from multiple schools, by clicking the Get Info links.
| School | Locations | Degrees | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argosy University | MN | Associate | |
| Carrington College | AZ, ID, OR | Associate | |
| Fortis College | MD, PA, UT | Coursework, Diploma | |
| Missouri College | MO | Associate | |
| Sanford Brown Institute | FL | Associate | |
| West Coast University | CA | Bachelor |
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