Career Opportunities and Work Life

Skills You'll Need

Salary Ranges

The Classroom Experience

Certificate & Degree Options

Job Duties
Dental hygienists differ from dental assistants in that hygienists are licensed to perform more complex tasks. These tasks include teeth cleaning, examining gums for disease, and charting conditions of decay and disease for diagnosis and treatment by the dentist. In addition, dental hygienists, like dental assistants, may take and develop x-rays, apply fluorides and sealants, and show patients how to maintain good oral health with proper brushing and flossing techniques.

Work Settings As a dental hygienist, you can expect to work in private dental practices and dental clinics, at public health agencies, schools, correctional facilities, nursing homes and in hospitals. These positions can be full- or part-time depending on your employer. You will most likely work a standard Monday through Friday workweek, during normal daytime business hours since most private practices are not open on weekends, evenings or holidays. However, some practices do offer limited evening and weekend hours to accommodate increasingly busy patient schedules.

Job Outlook
According to the Department of Labor, demand for dental hygienists is very strong. Nationally, a 43 percent increase in employment is expected in the field by 2012. Job prospects are expected to be very good due to population growth and greater retention of natural teeth. Additionally, as dentists' workloads intensify, they are more likely to hire more hygienists to perform preventive dental care such as cleaning.