Dental hygienists perform an important job in the oral community. They give patients cleanings and work to keep their patients on track with good dental health. The salary for a dental hygienist varies across the country, experience, and level of education. However, the general trend shows that this profession is a good one to get into, as they earn around $65K all across the country each year.
Dental hygienists perform an important job in the oral community. They give patients cleanings and work to keep their patients on track with good dental health. The salary for a dental hygienist varies across the country, experience, and level of education. However, the general trend shows that this profession is a good one to get into, as they earn around $65K all across the country each year.
Registered Dental Hygienists earned $80,000 in May 2019. The highest-earning 10% made $110,000 that month, while the lowest-paid made $38,000.
Salary For Registered Dental Hygienist Overview
Registered dental hygienists are one of the most sought-after professions in the healthcare industry. With a growing number of people seeking preventive care, dental hygienists are more in demand than ever before.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that employment for dental hygienists will grow by 20% over the next decade, which equates to around 21,000 new jobs opening up each year. They also note that employment for dental hygienists will be concentrated in hospitals, medical and diagnostic laboratories, nursing care facilities, offices of dentists and oral surgeons, and community health centers.
In terms of education requirements, registered dental hygienists typically have a 2-year degree from an accredited school of hygiene or dental hygiene program. All states have some form of licensure for dental hygienists; however, there is some variation from state-to-state as far as what’s required to obtain a license and what it entails. The following information details what is typically required to become a registered dental hygienist:
-At least 1-2 years of college coursework focused on science courses such as biology and chemistry
-Registered Dental Hyg
Registered Dental Hygienist Responsibilities
As a dental hygienist, you’ll need to:
- provide dental advice on dental hygiene care and oral health education to patients of all ages
- work closely with the dental team to treat and help patients in preventing gum disease
- use a range of dental instruments to clean, polish and scale teeth
- apply treatments to reduce decay
- ensure that dental instruments are sterilised appropriately
- take impressions and radiographs (x-rays) of teeth
- give local anaesthetic
- apply fissure sealants to protect teeth
- apply temporary dressings to protect a broken tooth or replace a lost filling
- encourage and demonstrate tooth brushing and cleaning in-between teeth
- sterilise dental equipment
- show care and compassion for patients and put them at the centre of care
- collect medical and dental histories and maintain patients’ health records
- work to a professional code of ethics and keep up to date with new developments within the profession.
Dental hygienists are able to carry out treatment direct to patients or following a prescription (instructions) from a dentist. Newly qualified dental hygienists are advised to work following a prescription from a dentist for at least one year before carrying out treatment direct to patients, either as part of a dental team in a dental practice or independently.
Registered Dental Hygienist Salary
- Starting salaries for dental hygienists working in the NHS are typically between £24,907 and £30,615, which is band 5 of the NHS Agenda for Change (AfC) pay rates.
- Specialist dental hygienists can earn between £31,365 and £37,890 (band 6). Experienced hygienists with training responsibilities may be able to earn up to £44,503 (band 7).
- Hourly rates can range from around £16.56 to £31.18 per hour.
Salaries vary depending on a range of factors, including your experience, location, type of employer (i.e. private or NHS) and whether you’re employed directly by a practice or self-employed.
Income figures are intended as a guide only.
Registered Dental Hygienist Working hours
You’ll usually work 37.5 hours per week, 8.30am to 5.00pm. You may sometimes need to work in the evenings and at weekends, depending on your employer.
If you’re working in a hospital, you may have to be on call during weekends, or work shifts.
If you’re working for a community dental service, flexibility may also be required.
Often dental hygienists work in multiple settings during their working week, either in more than one dental practice, hospital or community dental service.
Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Registered Dental Hygienist Jobs
We’ve identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Registered Dental Hygienist job is above the national average. Topping the list is Green River, WY, with Santa Clara, CA and San Francisco, CA close behind in the second and third positions. San Francisco, CA beats the national average by $12,987 (15.6%), and Green River, WY furthers that trend with another $20,913 (25.2%) above the $83,143 average.
With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Registered Dental Hygienist appears to be exceedingly fruitful.
Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top ten cities varies very little at 12% between Green River, WY and Bridgeport, CT, reinforcing the limited potential for much wage advancement. The possibility of a lower cost of living may be the best factor to use when considering location and salary for a Registered Dental Hygienist role.
| City | Annual Salary | Monthly Pay | Weekly Pay | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green River, WY | $104,056 | $8,671 | $2,001 | $50.03 |
| Santa Clara, CA | $98,461 | $8,205 | $1,893 | $47.34 |
| San Francisco, CA | $96,131 | $8,011 | $1,849 | $46.22 |
| Washington, DC | $95,241 | $7,937 | $1,832 | $45.79 |
| Fremont, CA | $93,922 | $7,827 | $1,806 | $45.15 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $93,772 | $7,814 | $1,803 | $45.08 |
| Jersey City, NJ | $93,509 | $7,792 | $1,798 | $44.96 |
| Germantown, MD | $91,757 | $7,646 | $1,765 | $44.11 |
| Marysville, WA | $91,547 | $7,629 | $1,761 | $44.01 |
| Bridgeport, CT | $91,420 | $7,618 | $1,758 | $43.9 |
