Salary and Benefits

October 10, 2008

Dental hygienist

Pay: The 3,090 dental hygienists working in the Seattle-Bellevue-Tacoma area earned a median wage of $44.08 an hour or $91,680 a year in 2007, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $40.61 and $47.47 an hour. More than half of all dental hygienists work part time.

The job: Hygienists remove soft and hard deposits from teeth, clean and polish teeth, teach patients how to practice good oral hygiene and provide other preventive dental care. They use X-ray machines to take dental pictures.

Need to know: Full-time, part-time, evening, and weekend schedules are widely available. Dentists frequently hire hygienists to work only two or three days a week, so hygienists may hold jobs in more than one dental office.

Demand: Employment is expected to grow 30 percent through 2016, much faster than the average for all occupations.

Training: Prospective dental hygienists must be licensed by the state. A minimum of an associate degree or certificate in dental hygiene is generally required for practice in a private dental office.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: www.stats.bls.gov/oco

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Salary and Benefits, Salary and Benefits,

2 Comments

Edevina on May 7, 2009 8:27 PM | Reply

I am a dentist with solid 20years of dental practice in both Philippines and Saudi Arabia.

I am interested to work as a dental hygienist in your posted job opportunity.

I look forward to your favorable response.

Thank you.

Have Rox on April 25, 2010 1:06 AM | Reply

Wow I didn't realize they made that much. As a pre-med student I think I should explore that option a little bit more.
Have Rox

Dentist St Petersburg

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