Dental Hygienist Pros and Cons
Dental Hygienists play an important role in the dentistry field to provide patients with the best oral health care. They work with dentists and dental assistants to maintain oral health and support the body’s overall health.
In this article, we will go over the top dental hygienist pros and cons of the career to see if the dentistry field is right for you.
Table of Contents
Dental Hygiene Scope of Practice
Understanding the scope of practice for dental hygienists is important when choosing this career. It provides the fundamental duties of the career that play a role in the dental hygiene pros and cons. The exact scope of practice may differ depending on where you live and what restrictions are placed on the career.
The basic scope of practice of dental hygienists includes:
- Reviewing Medical Histories: This is an important part of understanding various medical diseases and treatments in order to screen your patients prior to treatment.
- This may include taking vitals such as blood pressure prior to treatment.
- Oral Prophylaxis: This is the procedure of skillfully and thoroughly cleaning the teeth in order to maintain oral health.
- Scaling and Root Planing: A non-surgical periodontal therapy procedure, dental hygienists provide a deep cleaning into the gum pockets and on the tooth’s root’s surface.
- Dental Radiographs: Taking dental x-rays is very important in diagnosing and disease prevention.
- Anesthesia: Dental hygienists are able to provide varying levels of anesthesia to numb the gums and teeth to support patient comfort.
- Additional Treatments: There are other treatments you may provide as a dental hygienist like applying fluoride treatments and dental sealants.
- To learn more, check out our article How Sealants on Molars Help Fight Cavities.
There are many other practices and treatments that dental hygienists provide. These all factor into the dental hygienist pros and cons in the career field.
Dental Hygienist Pros and Cons
Dental hygienists are the prevention specialists in the dentistry field. They are vital in improving and maintaining oral health and preventing cavities and diseases. Like every career, the dental hygienist pros and cons are important to consider.
Pros of Dental Hygiene
1. Job Security
Similar to other medical fields, the dental field comes with security including dental hygiene. People will always have teeth and the need for good oral health continues to increase. The outlook of this career is also very positive. The employment of dental hygienists is expected to grow by 9% over the next decade.
2. You Change Lives
This is one of the biggest factors when deciding between the dental hygienist pros and cons. Dental hygienists directly influence their patients’ lives by improving their physical health. This will lead to a better quality of life as well as boost confidence in a strong smile.
3. Minimal Scholing is Needed
Compared to other medical degrees, an associate’s degree is a great foundation for a long-lasting career. This usually includes some pre-requisite courses prior to entering the program. Dental hygiene does come with degrees and certifications that you can choose from to grow your career.
4. A Great Work Environment
Dental offices and clinics rely on good teamwork to provide the best care to their patients. Dental hygienists work very closely with each other as well as the dentists, dental assistants, and front desk staff. This creates a great work environment with many dental offices having that close family feel.
5. Opportunities to Learn and Grow
The dental and medical fields are continually growing as new knowledge and studies are published. What we know about the human body and how to treat it is continually growing and developing. This gives dentistry and dental hygiene many opportunities to learn and grow, expanding the scope of practice.
Cons of Dental Hygiene
1. Competitive Wages Only Goes So Far
The average annual wage of the dental hygienist can vary depending on where you live. If you live in an area that is oversaturated and your job has limited production opportunities, competitive wages may be limited. This can deter some from entering this career.
2. Benefits Can Be Tricky
An interesting factor of the dental hygienist pros and cons can be the benefits. This career can come with full-time, part-time, per diem, and temping. Some offices will strategically hire more part-time and per diem positions in order to avoid providing benefits.
3. State-by-State Restrictive Laws
The scope of practice for dental hygiene can vary pretty significantly from state to state. In some states, you’re allowed to do more diagnosing, procedures, and treatments while others can be pretty restrictive. Some states allow dental hygienists to own their own practices, while others insist on the direct supervision of a dentist.
This can also influence the required schooling and certifications dental hygienists must attain before licensing in that state.
4. Licensure and Continued Education Requirements
Every medical career requires an active license in order to practice and actively see patients. Licenses do expire and require a fee to reactivate. If you want to be licensed in different states in the United States, you have to have different active licenses in each area.
Dental hygiene also requires continued education credits for each active license term. Some of these credits can be online, while others must be live. It is required to have an active infection control certification credit as well. You can be audited at any point in your career and so bookkeeping is important.
5. Physically Tolling
A big factor in the longevity of a dental hygiene career is the physical toll it can take on your body. Back, neck, shoulder, arm, and wrist pain is common in dentistry. It’s important to use good posture, ergonomics, and instrumentation in order to avoid injury.
This dental hygienist pros and cons ties into the lack of benefits supporting the career. Most insurances do not cover chiropractors or massage therapy which can help support the career.
Is Dental Hygiene Right For You?
The dental hygiene career is a very secure job that will continue to grow and evolve. It can provide many opportunities to help change lives and improve the health of others leading to a very fulfilling career.
After reviewing the dental hygienist pros and cons and if you are still unsure, try shadowing dental offices and talking to dental hygienists in the area you hope to practice in.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the hardest part of being a dental hygienist?
The hardest part of a dental hygienist’s career can vary depending on the office you work at and how you practice from day to day. For some, the physical toll on the body dental hygiene can cause can lead to a short career. For others, it can simply be the medical field is not for them.
Is dental hygiene a stressful job?
The day-to-day workflow can change depending on the office and the expectations they have for its staff. If you work for a production-based company with a high patient count, your days may be more stressful than in a smaller, private office.
Take Home Smile Store
Visit our Take Home Smile Store for educational products and printables to help with oral hygiene in patients and improve your daily workflow. Some products even come with a customizable feature to support your dental office.
