The Dental Hygienist is one of the most lucrative health care jobs available today. But how can a person get the dental hygienist training? How long does this all take? What kind of salary can a person make? Are there going to be dental hygiene jobs available after getting the training?

The wages of the Dental Hygienist are top notch and can be over $100,000 per year working full time. Many Hygienists make their own schedules and many only work part-time. Many work at several dentists offices each week.

Dental Hygiene education programs involve 86 credit hours to achieve a two year Associate degree, or 122 credit hours to achieve a four year Baccalaureate degree.

What About the Jobs?

According to the Job Occupational Outlook Handbook for 2010-2011, the dental hygienist jobs are expected to grow much faster than average through the year 2018 making this an excellent outlook for jobs. Their prediction puts growth for this job profession at 36%.

Since almost all of the population has their own teeth these days, dental work will always be needed. People want to keep their teeth and gums in good condition. Many hygienists are now performing some of the duties that dentists did in the past.

Many dentists have a hygienist in their office part of the week. Dentists view Hygienists as a good source of leads for dental work. How many dentists do you think there are in the US? All of the above equates to many jobs for dental hygienists across the country.

What Exactly Does a Dental Hygienist Do?

A dental hygienist is a licensed health professional who focuses on preventing and treating diseases of the mouth to protect the patients’ total health.

What is the Work Environment Like?

The work environment is a typical dentists office. You will be working with multiple patients each day cleaning their teeth, taking xrays, making recommendations for treatment, and keeping records. You will remain in one position for the period of time it takes to work on each individuals mouth. You will be seated during much of this time.

What is the Dental Hygiene training like?

You will need to be ready for serious study. The training programs have waiting lists in some states to get in. General education courses include English, speech, psychology, and sociology. Basic science courses include anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, microbiology, and nutrition. Dental science courses include histology, embryology, oral pathology, dental anatomy, head and neck anatomy, radiography, pain control and dental materials.

With over 309 entry level dental hygiene training programs available across the country, you may need to move to attend one if it is too difficult to get in right away. Contacting the dept. head in your local community college that offers the program is a good place to start in getting your class information together.