Dental Hygienist Salary

These days, the number of people suffering from teeth problems is increasing at a rapid pace and hence, the job of a dental hygienist has become one of the most in demand medical jobs. Though the cost of the education for becoming a dental hygienist is high in some universities, the salary for dental hygienists who have the requisite talents and skills is quite high, which makes it possible to recover educational expenses in a few years.

Dental Hygienist Salary Details

A dental hygienist's salary depends largely on the education, number of years of experience and their location of work. As per salary surveys conducted by experts, dental hygienist average salary is believed to be around USD 64,000 per year. Dental hygienists, in some places, can also practice as independent medical professionals as per the new laws passed. On an hourly basis, dental hygienists, whose income falls in the 'lowest' range, are known to earn around USD 20.5 per hour. On the other hand, the highest paid dental hygienists are known to earn more than USD 43 per hour. On an annual basis, it is not difficult for dental hygienists to earn more than USD 100,000 per year, after gaining quality experience of at least eight years. Salary for dental hygienist with less than two years of experience is around USD 40,000 per year. With around five to seven years of experience, this can go up to USD 60,000 per year.

The states of Washington, California, Nevada and Alaska are known to pay the best packages to dental hygienists. Dental hygienist salary for professionals working in Washington and California is more than USD 81,000 per year. While dental hygienists in Alaska earn around USD 90,000 per year, the salary for those employed in Nevada is around USD 77,000 per year. The salaries of those employed in Michigan can be around USD 60,000 per year. Dental hygienists who are employed in hospitals, can expect to earn around USD 57,000 per year while those working in offices of dentists can earn USD 65,000 per year.

Dental Hygienist Job Description

Dental hygienist job description consists of performing important tasks such as teaching good dental habits to the patients, cleaning teeth properly and maintaining them. These dental hygienists teach the right ways of brushing teeth and also make patients understand the importance of regular dental check ups. They also give patients some useful tips regarding what diet to follow and also tell them why there is a need to give up addictions such as smoking and chewing tobacco. Dental hygienists assist the dentists in diagnosing and treating medical problems of teeth, gums and the mouth. By assisting dentists, dental hygienists gain useful on the job experience, which is very useful for their future career growth. Dental hygienists also provide general dental care facilities and diagnose serious illnesses such as oral cancer. Taking X-rays of teeth, polishing fillings, prescribing suitable medicines to the patients, applying sealants and fluorides to the teeth for making them strong and keeping a medical record of the past health history of patients, are some of the other tasks of dental hygienists.

The dental hygienist salary has shown a growing trend since the last few years and the same trend is expected to continue as per the opinions of job market experts. You should be prepared for hard work and have a lot of patience, as gaining a respectable position in the field of medicine is a long process.