Dentist doing hygiene only?

[PreDent08]

i was just browsing through the los angeles craigslist and came upon 2 offices looking for dentists with either DDS/DMD doing full time hygiene only. Does anybody know any dentists doing this? I could see how in LA, if it's hard to find a job in our current economy, some new grads may pursue this if they have a hard time finding a regular GP job initially. But I'm wondering if the pay should be better because of our dental degree? Any thoughts and anybody know people doing this?

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[longhornpride]

i was just browsing through the los angeles craigslist and came upon 2 offices looking for dentists with either DDS/DMD doing full time hygiene only. Does anybody know any dentists doing this? I could see how in LA, if it's hard to find a job in our current economy, some new grads may pursue this if they have a hard time finding a regular GP job initially. But I'm wondering if the pay should be better because of our dental degree? Any thoughts and anybody know people doing this?

Stuff like this is why lots of Cali dentists are moving to Texas, especially Austin. I wouldn't be surprised if the Texas cities become as bad as Cali in the next 15 years.

 

[SeattleRDH]

Usually when a dentist is working as a hygienist they get paid as a hygienist. Not sure why an office would want a DDS to do hygiene, maybe there are more dentists looking for work than RDHs?

 

[Daurang]

Smilecare in Norcal is offering new dentists $150 per day or 25% production. Hygiene may just pay more now 😡.

 

[PreDent08]

i also find it strange that an office is specifically looking for a dentist to do hygiene. The only reason i could think of is peoples' perception of a dentist doing the cleaning may be "better"... although usually the reverse is true.

Well to think of it..at a detnal office i worked at before dental school, there were a few ppl who requested that the dentist do the cleaning instead of the hygienest. Not sure if it's because of the personal relationship or that perception...

 

[charlestweed]

Smilecare in Norcal is offering new dentists $150 per day or 25% production. Hygiene may just pay more now 😡.

Even with all these pay cuts, Smilecare still lost a lot of money and had to sell itself to Coast Dental (http://www.news-medical.net/news/20110802/Coast-Dental-acquires-SmileCare.aspx). When Coast Dental took over the ownership, it realized that Smilecare was just a worthless company (too much money loss due to too many billing errors). And it had to fire a lot of directors, regional managers, office managers, dentists, and dental specialists to recover the loss.

According to a friend of mine, Smilecare in Southern CA pays the associate dentists 30% of the production and the dentists have to pay the lab fees. Many dental procedures worth zero dollars (because many patients have HMO)…..30% of $0 = $0😡.

I am glad that I have my own offices and only work part-time for a dental chain. Who know when the dental chain, that I currently work for, files bankruptcy….or let me go.

 

[charlestweed]

A dental hygienist has to work under the supervision of a licensed dentist. The reason the owner dentist wants to hire an associate dentist to do "hygiene only" is the owner doesn’t have to be physically at the office. The owner can be at the golf course while his/her associate dentist does all the scalings and root plannings for his patients. That’s what my friend (a very successful general dentist) does. He lets his associate dentist do the cleanings and other simple procedures on the days when he is not at the office. And he asks his office manager to save all the highly productive/profitable procedures for him to perform on the days when he comes to work at his office.

If I were an associate general dentist and didn’t owe a lot of student loans, I wouldn’t mind doing dental hygiene all day long….easy job, low stress, zero complaint from patients. It is no fun doing RCT, making dentures, extracting teeth with curve roots, treating crying kids, doing crown prep on tooth # 2 on a patient with fat cheeks etc.

 

[GTFOOMICT]

A dental hygienist has to work under the supervision of a licensed dentist. The reason the owner dentist wants to hire an associate dentist to do "hygiene only" is the owner doesn’t have to be physically at the office. The owner can be at the golf course while his/her associate dentist does all the scalings and root plannings for his patients. That’s what my friend (a very successful general dentist) does. He lets his associate dentist do the cleanings and other simple procedures on the days when he is not at the office. And he asks his office manager to save all the highly productive/profitable procedures for him to perform on the days when he comes to work at his office.

If I were an associate general dentist and didn’t owe a lot of student loans, I wouldn’t mind doing dental hygiene all day long….easy job, low stress, zero complaint from patients. It is no fun doing RCT, making dentures, extracting teeth with curve roots, treating crying kids, doing crown prep on tooth # 2 on a patient with fat cheeks etc.

Say it like it is. These young GPs need to get out of California.

 

[SeattleRDH]

A dental hygienist has to work under the supervision of a licensed dentist. The reason the owner dentist wants to hire an associate dentist to do "hygiene only" is the owner doesn’t have to be physically at the office. The owner can be at the golf course while his/her associate dentist does all the scalings and root plannings for his patients. That’s what my friend (a very successful general dentist) does. He lets his associate dentist do the cleanings and other simple procedures on the days when he is not at the office. And he asks his office manager to save all the highly productive/profitable procedures for him to perform on the days when he comes to work at his office.

If I were an associate general dentist and didn’t owe a lot of student loans, I wouldn’t mind doing dental hygiene all day long….easy job, low stress, zero complaint from patients. It is no fun doing RCT, making dentures, extracting teeth with curve roots, treating crying kids, doing crown prep on tooth # 2 on a patient with fat cheeks etc.

I suppose it depends on the state but I can see patients when there is no dentist in the building. I just can't do anesthetic or nitrous.

I still think a dentist doing hygiene is a waste of resources. And why would you want to wear out your back and hands doing hygiene all day? I love when I get to do restorative all day! I feel like I can still do something active after work.

 

[DrJeff]

A dental hygienist has to work under the supervision of a licensed dentist. The reason the owner dentist wants to hire an associate dentist to do "hygiene only" is the owner doesn’t have to be physically at the office. The owner can be at the golf course while his/her associate dentist does all the scalings and root plannings for his patients. That’s what my friend (a very successful general dentist) does. He lets his associate dentist do the cleanings and other simple procedures on the days when he is not at the office. And he asks his office manager to save all the highly productive/profitable procedures for him to perform on the days when he comes to work at his office.

This is pretty much the definition in my book of the owner screwing over the associate 👎

If I were an associate general dentist and didn’t owe a lot of student loans, I wouldn’t mind doing dental hygiene all day long….easy job, low stress, zero complaint from patients. It is no fun doing RCT, making dentures, extracting teeth with curve roots, treating crying kids, doing crown prep on tooth # 2 on a patient with fat cheeks etc.

As a restorative dentist, personally I don't like doing hygiene (or pretty much any perio for that matter). I'd feel like I'm wasting all the education I acquired if I was doing it all day long, and would actually be stressed out by that. I enjoy doing RCT's, making dentures (okay atleast most dentures 😉 ), working on most kids (heck even hygiene gets a crying kid every now and then ), I could sit back an cut crown preps all day long (even on #2 and #15), and when I see a really curved rooted tooth, I'll gladly grab a referral slip and be onto my next better paying procedure vs. what I'd bill for a prophy, some films and an exam and possibly fluoride.

This scenario can also create a true awkward moment about who would be doing the exam and then often prepping and starting to sell the patient on any treatment they might need upon exam findings. Would the "hygiene" dentist do the exam and the "selling" and then have the senior dentist just grab all the work, or would the senior dentist actually come into the operatory and actually "check" the work and clinical findings and diagnoses that the "hygiene" dentist did??

Given the personalty traits of most dentists, it always amazing me when I hear of situations like this, and it really makes me wonder the vast majority of the time why a generally speaking new d-school grad can be so set on a specific geographic area that they would take a job like this at the expense of their personal autonomy and their take home pay??😕

 

[charlestweed]

This is pretty much the definition in my book of the owner screwing over the associate 👎



As a restorative dentist, personally I don't like doing hygiene (or pretty much any perio for that matter). I'd feel like I'm wasting all the education I acquired if I was doing it all day long, and would actually be stressed out by that. I enjoy doing RCT's, making dentures (okay atleast most dentures 😉 ), working on most kids (heck even hygiene gets a crying kid every now and then ), I could sit back an cut crown preps all day long (even on #2 and #15), and when I see a really curved rooted tooth, I'll gladly grab a referral slip and be onto my next better paying procedure vs. what I'd bill for a prophy, some films and an exam and possibly fluoride.

This scenario can also create a true awkward moment about who would be doing the exam and then often prepping and starting to sell the patient on any treatment they might need upon exam findings. Would the "hygiene" dentist do the exam and the "selling" and then have the senior dentist just grab all the work, or would the senior dentist actually come into the operatory and actually "check" the work and clinical findings and diagnoses that the "hygiene" dentist did??

Given the personalty traits of most dentists, it always amazing me when I hear of situations like this, and it really makes me wonder the vast majority of the time why a generally speaking new d-school grad can be so set on a specific geographic area that they would take a job like this at the expense of their personal autonomy and their take home pay??😕

The owner is a hero in my book. He helps create job. There’s nothing wrong with the business owner who tries to find ways to maximize the profit. And if I were the employee, I would want my boss to have a successful business so I could keep my job….so I could pay back my student loans.

The associate gp doesn’t have to work here if he/she thinks the owner is unfair to him/her. There are plenty of other new grads who would love to take his/her place. Working at a private practice (no HMO, fewer patients) is way better than working at a dental chain.

If I were an associate general dentist, I’d rather doing dental hygiene and earn a guaranteed daily salary than treating a bunch of HMO patients at a dental chain and getting paid the percentage of the production. One of the most stressful things in dentistry is dealing with patients’ complaints….tooth still hurts after the RCT, the PFM shade on #8 doesn’t match the natural tooth #9, can’t eat with the new dentures etc.

Of course, a better way would be to move out of CA.

 

[gryffindor]

If I were an associate general dentist and didn’t owe a lot of student loans, I wouldn’t mind doing dental hygiene all day long….easy job, low stress, zero complaint from patients. It is no fun doing RCT, making dentures, extracting teeth with curve roots, treating crying kids, doing crown prep on tooth # 2 on a patient with fat cheeks etc.

I did this as a GP. My job doing hygiene as a dentist was much better than the job where I did general dentistry. The office was cleaner, the equipment was better, the staff was more competent, the patients were nicer, the owner paid me on time, etc. I got paid somewhere between the hourly for a hygienist and a dentist. I liked going to work knowing I didn't have an RCT #2 on my schedule. I still enjoy when I get a chance to pick up the cavitron and attack some calculus in my ortho patients prior to placing a bonded retainer or when the adults have coated their molar brackets with calculus.

Basically every situation is different and you have to evaluate if it's worth the money the hygiene job will bring you.

 

[Daurang]

Maybe people should stop dreaming about being a rich dentist. I just want to be a public union employee toll collector or gardener raking in $100K with benefits.

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/high_pay_pa_crew_taking_their_toll_fow7ejUj111RDLHeZkGhbI

 

[jay47]

Stuff like this is why lots of Cali dentists are moving to Texas, especially Austin. I wouldn't be surprised if the Texas cities become as bad as Cali in the next 15 years.

Hah....there are TWO dentists on every corner in Austin, not one. I wouldn't touch that place with a ten foot pole.

 

[yappy]

Nah, CEO is the way to go. More money and your job performance matters even less.

Maybe people should stop dreaming about being a rich dentist. I just want to be a public union employee toll collector or gardener raking in $100K with benefits.

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/high_pay_pa_crew_taking_their_toll_fow7ejUj111RDLHeZkGhbI

 

[DrJeff]

Nah, CEO is the way to go. More money and your job performance matters even less.

Nah, much better to just go find some quite, dentally underserved area of the country (that gives you somehwere between 2/3rds and 3/4ths of the country to choose from), and be a "real" dentist, employ a hygienist or two AND be a CEO 😉

 

[HuyetKiem]

Hah....there are TWO dentists on every corner in Austin, not one. I wouldn't touch that place with a ten foot pole.

THREE in Houston 😡

 

[HuyetKiem]

A dental hygienist has to work under the supervision of a licensed dentist. The reason the owner dentist wants to hire an associate dentist to do "hygiene only" is the owner doesn't have to be physically at the office. The owner can be at the golf course while his/her associate dentist does all the scalings and root plannings for his patients. That's what my friend (a very successful general dentist) does. He lets his associate dentist do the cleanings and other simple procedures on the days when he is not at the office. And he asks his office manager to save all the highly productive/profitable procedures for him to perform on the days when he comes to work at his office.

If I were an associate general dentist and didn't owe a lot of student loans, I wouldn't mind doing dental hygiene all day long….easy job, low stress, zero complaint from patients. It is no fun doing RCT, making dentures, extracting teeth with curve roots, treating crying kids, doing crown prep on tooth # 2 on a patient with fat cheeks etc.

Wow, it's so opposite here in Texas. As the owners, we always put our associates ahead of ourselves. My associates have a pick first of patients, procedures. My office managers always ensure that all my docs meet their production goal and have a low stress day everyday. 😀

 

[longhornpride]

Wow, it's so opposite here in Texas. As the owners, we always put our associates ahead of ourselves. My associates have a pick first of patients, procedures. My office managers always ensure that all my docs meet their production goal and have a low stress day everyday. 😀

I'll need a job in 2014... where do I sign up?? 😉

 

[HuyetKiem]

I'll need a job in 2014... where do I sign up?? 😉

by that time, we will be all working for our government anway under Obamacare. No need to sign up, you will be forced to take the job. 😛😛

 

[Nedadoc]

Does anyone know if the hygienist "dentist" needs to take xrays and does all the cleaning without having an assistant, like a real hygienist or the owner needs to provide an assistant for the hygienist dentist?

 

[Voltron2010]

i was just browsing through the los angeles craigslist and came upon 2 offices looking for dentists with either DDS/DMD doing full time hygiene only. Does anybody know any dentists doing this? I could see how in LA, if it's hard to find a job in our current economy, some new grads may pursue this if they have a hard time finding a regular GP job initially. But I'm wondering if the pay should be better because of our dental degree? Any thoughts and anybody know people doing this?

I have seen this with students in grad school that have a DDS. Some dentist pursue other degrees and want some income butdont want the liability of doing extensive work so they work doiong hygine only. I know a few docs that want their law degree and are only doing hygiene in their spare time while they are finishing law school.

 

[DrJeff]

Wow, it's so opposite here in Texas. As the owners, we always put our associates ahead of ourselves. My associates have a pick first of patients, procedures. My office managers always ensure that all my docs meet their production goal and have a low stress day everyday. 😀

Exactly! A happy associate is usually a PROFITABLE associate which keeps both the associate and owner happy 😍

 

[DrJeff]

Does anyone know if the hygienist "dentist" needs to take xrays and does all the cleaning without having an assistant, like a real hygienist or the owner needs to provide an assistant for the hygienist dentist?

Probably an office by office thing here. In some offices, especially if the "dentist dentist" and "hygienist dentist" were onbaord with really trying to crank out some production then an assistant could help by doing those things to free up the "hygienist dentist" to see another patient at the same time. And who knows, maybe even let the "hygienist dentist" do some basic restorative on a patient too 🙄

On the flipside, if the "dentist dentist" is really trying to nickle and dime things, the thought of having to pay an extra assistant $x per hour + possible benefits might not be appealing and hence in an office like that the "hygienist dentist" very well could also have the title of "assistant dentist" too 😱

 

[SeattleRDH]

Probably an office by office thing here. In some offices, especially if the "dentist dentist" and "hygienist dentist" were onbaord with really trying to crank out some production then an assistant could help by doing those things to free up the "hygienist dentist" to see another patient at the same time. And who knows, maybe even let the "hygienist dentist" do some basic restorative on a patient too 🙄

On the flipside, if the "dentist dentist" is really trying to nickle and dime things, the thought of having to pay an extra assistant $x per hour + possible benefits might not be appealing and hence in an office like that the "hygienist dentist" very well could also have the title of "assistant dentist" too 😱

As to option one here with an assistant helping to crank out production I wouldn't recommend this to anyone. Today I had to work two columns of hygiene because the other hygienist was out having carpal tunnel surgery (red flag!). I had an assistant to help take xrays, turn rooms, polish, and take notes during the dentist's exam. So I spent 9 hours bent over patients scaling. My back and arms are killing me. Sometimes I hate my job. Please please please future dentists do not do this to your hygienist!

 

[DrJeff]

As to option one here with an assistant helping to crank out production I wouldn't recommend this to anyone. Today I had to work two columns of hygiene because the other hygienist was out having carpal tunnel surgery (red flag!). I had an assistant to help take xrays, turn rooms, polish, and take notes during the dentist's exam. So I spent 9 hours bent over patients scaling. My back and arms are killing me. Sometimes I hate my job. Please please please future dentists do not do this to your hygienist!

If you're "lucky" enough, at the end of d-school you'll be running 2 rooms all day with an assistant to help you AND then have to periodically pop into a few other rooms and check a hygienist or two 😉

Running 2 full columns all day will usually quickly have one's time management and multi tasking skills increase asymptotically! 😀

Let's just say that I don't have any issues figuring out why at the end of a day of work when I get home, I'm usually EXHAUSTED!

 

[Daurang]

If you're "lucky" enough, at the end of d-school you'll be running 2 rooms all day with an assistant to help you AND then have to periodically pop into a few other rooms and check a hygienist or two 😉

Running 2 full columns all day will usually quickly have one's time management and multi tasking skills increase asymptotically! 😀

Let's just say that I don't have any issues figuring out why at the end of a day of work when I get home, I'm usually EXHAUSTED!

I see 10-15 patients a day and I'm exhausted. I don't know how people do it seeing two fully booked columms of DMO patients!🙁

 

[DrJeff]

I see 10-15 patients a day and I'm exhausted. I don't know how people do it seeing two fully booked columms of DMO patients!🙁

Come on now Daurang, everyone knows what we do all day long is EASY and all we do at the end of the day is just deposit bags of money in the bank on the way home to our 20,000 sq. ft. mansions while driving in one of our 75k+ cars, and that of course is just on those couple of days a month that we actually work instead of being off on vacation at some exotic destination in the world 😉

 

[SeattleRDH]

If you're "lucky" enough, at the end of d-school you'll be running 2 rooms all day with an assistant to help you AND then have to periodically pop into a few other rooms and check a hygienist or two 😉

Running 2 full columns all day will usually quickly have one's time management and multi tasking skills increase asymptotically! 😀

Let's just say that I don't have any issues figuring out why at the end of a day of work when I get home, I'm usually EXHAUSTED!

Yeah but I'm scaling the entire time. I do restorative too and I'll tell you that scaling all day is much more physically demanding than placing and polishing composites.

 

[djeffreyt]

Before I ever went to dental school I knew a dentist in San Diego who graduated and did one year of GP before becoming a full time hygienist. She said she preferred the low stress and could manage the finances well so that's what she decided to do.

I did a lot of my hygiene, actually pretty much all of it, my first year out. But I never worked exclusively as a hygienist. I actually kinda miss the ScRPs, they were $$$. It always seemed easy to get the patients to agree to it and the PPOs paid decently for it and since I always had an asst when I did them, I could do them pretty fast. I'd never want to do it full time, but I loved when a hygiene patient came in, it felt like a break from root canals, crowns, and fillings all day.

 

[Lidopaine82]

Yeah but I'm scaling the entire time. I do restorative too and I'll tell you that scaling all day is much more physically demanding than placing and polishing composites.

Do you use hand instruments exclusively? Why not a cavitron or sonic scaler?