Average Dental Hygienist Salary

The job of a dental hygienist is well-paying and very prestigious. To become a dental hygienist, the education period is quite long. In order to complete your studies from a reputed university, you will have to score exceptionally well in your high school as well as course entrance exams. Apart from this, it is a well-known fact that medical studies do not come cheap. The fees for such courses is higher than most other courses. However, considering the increase in the dental hygienist salary, you will be able to recover your costs and make a high-flying career in this field.

Dental Hygienist Salary

The average dental hygienist salary will largely depend on your skills, educational qualifications, place of job and type of employer. The more experience you gain, more would be your salary in this field. According to job market sources, the average dental hygienist income is around $64,000 per year. At many places, these medical professionals are paid on an hourly basis. While the lowest paid dental hygienists make around $21 per hour, the highest paid ones can make a cool $42 per hour. Dental hygienists working in major cities such as Washington and California can expect to earn more than $80,000 per year. Those employed in Nevada and Michigan earn more than $65,000 per year. Dental hygienists working for reputed hospitals will surely earn much more than those working for smaller hospitals. Dental hygienists having more than ten years of practical experience can easily earn more than $100,000 per year. Dental assistants, who help dental hygienists too earn well and according to research, dental assistant salary range can be between $30,000 to $40,000 per year. Let us first discuss the dental hygienist job description in the next section.

Dental Hygienist Job Description

Dental hygienists teach good dental care techniques to patients and clear their doubts about maintaining dental health. Removing sutures, removing tartar from teeth, carrying out root canal procedure and taking X-rays of teeth are some other important tasks of dental hygienists. These medical professionals tell people to undergo regular dental check-ups to detect problems in their teeth and tooth decay earlier so that they can be treated on time. Dental hygienists are known to remove stains from teeth and maintain the margins of gums. They provide effective medical services to people of all age groups. Keeping a detail and up-to-date record of patients who have been treated before, is also a duty of dental hygienists. This record can prove to be extremely useful for treating other patients. Some dental hygienists also work on a part-time basis for dentists who have a well established practice of their own.

A course in dental hygiene from an accredited educational institute can help you grab the best dental hygienist jobs in the industry and earn more than the average dental hygienist income. Good scores in high school can alone guarantee you admission to such institutes. Effective communication skills, interpersonal skills, hardworking ability and dedication for work are essential qualities to make a mark in this field.

So, this was all about the average dental hygienist earnings and duties of dental hygienists. Considering the career opportunities in this field, you should try your best to get good education and achieve your goals here. All the best and do well!