Grams 1
Laci M. Grams
Mrs. Mitchell
Honors Adv. Comp.
26 Aug. 2020
Research Essay: Dental Hygienist
The profession that I would like to pursue would be a career in dental hygiene. Being a
dental hygienist would make me feel accomplished, also make me feel like my dream came true.
When thinking about being a dental hygienist, I get this happy feeling like I can just talk about
everything about the teeth and the mouth for hours. A dental hygienist is truly what I want to be.
To become a dental hygienist, you must first have your associate’s degree. “A bachelor's
or master's degree usually is required for research, teaching, or clinical practice in public or
school health programs” (ADA American Dental Association). The program can take up to three
years to complete and if the college provides it you can take it at a community college. To obtain
your license, you must be a graduate of an accredited U.S. dental hygiene program, take the
National Board Dental Hygiene Examination, and pass a state or regional
clinical licensure exam. To be a dental hygienist, you must graduate high school. When in
college, you must graduate with your associate’s degree. You can go on further, then learn more
things, but to just be a dental hygienist all you need is your associate’s degree (ADA American
Dental Association). Georgia Highlands College provides a dental hygienist programs and it can
take up to three to three and half years to complete. Other jobs you can take before becoming a
dental hygienist is playing a non-clinical role. A non-clinical role is where you can product
development in the oral healthcare industry (ADA American Dental Association). You must
have communication, people skills, patience, love for the job, be detail-oriented, and also have a
Grams 2
steady hand and gentle touch. These are just a couple things you need to be successful at being a
dental hygienist. (ADA American Dental Association)
According to “Pros and Cons of being a Dental Hygienist it says, “Most hygienists’ daily
duties include removing plaque from and polishing a patient's teeth during a routine checkup,
screening patients, reviewing a patient's oral health history and teaching appropriate brushing
and flossing techniques”. Everyone needs their teeth cleaned at least every six months. Being a
dental hygienist and fitting it into big company is hard. In a dentist office, you are most likely the
first person the patient sees before the dentist. You are the first impression. “Most dental
hygienists work in clinical practice where they typically treat one patient each hour during an
eight-hour day. Many dental hygienists choose to work three-four days per week, and they may
work in more than one dental office” (O*NET OnLine).
The workplace is very calm and gentle and what I mean by gentle is everyone there is
patient and will help you. When you are scared, they are there to help you and talk you through
everything they will be doing. A dental assistant is below a dental hygienist. They provide
paperwork and x-rays and other small things to help out. Above a hygienist is a dentist which
does most of the work like fill-ins and other things. The average salary of a dental hygienist in
the U.S. is about 74,000. They get paid hourly and depending on the state, in Georgia the hourly
pay rate is about 37.77 in a hour. In Georgia, the average salary is about 66,000. (U.S. Bureau of
Labor Statistics) 74 percent of hygienist get paid vacations and holidays. “Roth IRA’s are more
flexible than the traditional 401(k). Funds are added to the account after tax, which allows any
future deduction of the funds to be tax-free. After the account is five years old, the money can be
withdrawn without penalty” (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).
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According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics it says, “For many hygienists, a developing
trend appears as a continual effort by dentists and staff to marginalize the dental hygienist’s
abilities and knowledge” (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). This is just one the main things
hygienist face. To me this not okay and could be very hard to take in. In Cartersville the job
market is kind of low. There are only 35 jobs available. Also, within Georgia there are only 283
jobs openings. (EHC, N.P.D.) The dentist office did not hold any of this well, due to the fact that
they were consider “nonessential.” They lost business and could have possibly struggled paying
their employee, which is never a good thing. The local business around here would be like any
dentist office like “cline dental”, “smiles”. This career helps benefit the community because if
you don’t have a healthy mouth you might not be able to eat. Everyone needs to eat and it’s just
a big impact on everyone and everything. Just like the doctor makes sure you are healthy. (EHC,
N.P.D.)
After doing my research, I have found that I am still interested in being a dental
hygienist. I will continue to find more and more information on being a dental hygienist. Not
only the fact you only have to go to school for three years, you can come out making 70,000
easily. There will definitely be bad and good times, but for me I seem to find that could be in any
job. Being a dental hygienist will take a lot of focus and gentle hand.
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Works cited
“Dental Hygienist.” ADA American Dental Association. N.P. N.P.D., www.ada.org/en/education
careers/careers-in-dentistry/dental-team-careers/dental-hygienist . Accessed 19 August 2020.
“Dental Hygienist.” EHC, N.P.D., explorehealthcareers.org/career/dentistry/dental-hygienist/. Accessed
19 Aug. 2020.
“Dental Hygienist.” O*NET OnLine. Bureau Labor of Statistics, N.P.D.,
www.onetonline.org/link/details/29-2021.00 . Accessed 19 Aug. 2020.
“Dental Hygienist.” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Department of Labor, 10 April 2020,
www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/dental-hygienists.htm . Accessed 19 August 2020.
“Pros and Cons of being a Dental Hygienist.” Carrington College. 17 October 2019, Carrington
College, carrington.edu/blog/pros-cons-dental-hygienist/. Accessed 19 August 2020.
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