How Much Dental HYGEINISTS Get Paid $$$?

[Cofo]

For those of you who ARE dentists, how much do you pay your dental hygeinists for starting pay? If you are not a dentist, and believe you have a legitimate answer, please post! HOW MUCH DO DENTAL HYGEINISTS GET PAID? IS IT HOURLY OR SALARY?

Thanks

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[PChemGrad]

If your "wife" become a hygienist, you can pay her what ever you want. just tell her you are doing her a favor of letting her work for you. And that should be enough financial compensation in and of itself.
They average $25-40/hr

Go ask your dentist these questions.

 

[Cofo]

Go ask your dentist these questions.

(a little snooty) but thank you for the quick asnwer.

 

[RDHwife]

What state are you referring to??? It differs a lot depending on which part of the country you are in.

 

[Cofo]

What state are you referring to??? It differs a lot depending on which part of the country you are in.

In the state of Texas. Around the Dallas, Ft. Worth area? In Texas, how much do DH's get paid?

 

[DrJeff]

The most recently hired hygenist in my practice (less than a year ago, a 2005 hygiene school graduate) is at $33 an hour, plus monthly uniform allowance ($50), Yearly CE allowance (ends up being around $500 on average), Health Insurance ($2400 a year is what my partner and I contribute), and retirement (between $7000 and $10,000 a year depending on practice profit levels and that person's production numbers).

We also have a part time, temporary hygienst right now filling in for one of my regular hygenist whose recovering from a broken wrist(the scaler hand of course ) that we're paying $38.75 an hour with no benefits

 

[krstfrb]

For those of you who ARE dentists, how much do you pay your dental hygeinists for starting pay? If you are not a dentist, and believe you have a legitimate answer, please post! HOW MUCH DO DENTAL HYGEINISTS GET PAID? IS IT HOURLY OR SALARY?

Thanks

I am not a dentist but....

http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm

hygienists are at 29-2021 and if you click on the highlighted hygienist portion, you can get state-by-state info, and even different areas w/in each state... for 2006... I think...

Just as a note, my girlfriend is going to hygiene school and is hearing she will be starting at least a couple bucks an hour higher than those listed on the BLS website. It does depend on what bennies come with the package though.

 

[djeffreyt]

I am not a dentist, but a dentist out here in San Diego I know told me he is going through negotiating a pay raise for one of his 3 hygienists. She has been with him about 5 years and he said he currently pays her $250 a day (so about $31 an hour) and he also pays into her retirement, benefits, and CE courses...don't know how much that stuff goes for.

 

[johntara04]

I live in Philly, and work at a dental office. The hygienist that works there gets 35% of her production, sees 8-12 pts a day with her avg daily prodcution $1206, so she makes on average $422 a day.

 

[Daurang]

$250/day in San Diego is highway robbery! Where did your dentist friend find someone that cheap? They all tend to want $400 now.

 

[Lidopaine82]

400-422... isn't that A LOT of friggin money for a DH?

 

[docj1]

400-422... isn't that A LOT of friggin money for a DH?

Your DH is/should be your best friend in your office. My hygenists hourly pay is $32/hour but they work on production when it's higher than her hourly pay(33% of production). 2006 my 1st hygenist made $42 an hour. My 2nd hygenist was just under $38 an hour. 2 weeks paid vacation and 401k contributions. You won't consider that alot of money when you see the returns that you get.

A happy staff is a productive staff. Treat your hygenists like collegues, pay them well, and it will pay off big time.

 

[DrJeff]

400-422... isn't that A LOT of friggin money for a DH?

Not when you as an owner will make atleast that off of that hygenist per day as long as your not enrolled with a bad ins. plan

 

[1992Corolla]

Your DH is/should be your best friend in your office. My hygenists hourly pay is $32/hour but they work on production when it's higher than her hourly pay(33% of production). 2006 my 1st hygenist made $42 an hour. My 2nd hygenist was just under $38 an hour. 2 weeks paid vacation and 401k contributions. You won't consider that alot of money when you see the returns that you get.

A happy staff is a productive staff. Treat your hygenists like collegues, pay them well, and it will pay off big time.

The only reason I believe you is it looks like you're doing right...you're on a fishing boat having fun!

Actually this is exactly what we have been told at Temple. DH are your best friend and can bring in a substantial amount of business.

 

[DrJeff]

Just take a step back and think about the valuble dentist/hygenist realtionship as follows. In most areas of the country, unless your participating with a bad insurance plan, a hygenist will bill on average atleast $100 an hour (prophy, radiographs, fluoride, etc). Factor in their hourly pay, and any pay extras(health ins, CE, retirement, etc) and you're paying them maybe $50 an hour. The amount of additional overhead needed to keep your hygenist going accounts for not alot of additional costs to you (some new instruments a few times a year, recall cards + postage, prophy paste, prophy head, toothbrushes, floss, toothpaste, etc). One would assume that you already have a receptionist/billing personel handling your production, so you unless you have a really big hygiene staff don't need to hire more front desk personel to handle the hygiene side of your practice.

Bottom line, unless your being contractually "held hostage" by poor insurance plan fees, hygiene can be a very nice profit source for a practice, so treat your hygienists well, and certainly don't think of them as just plaque scrapers, because they are an integral part of not only patient treatment, but also patient education and patient retention in a practice

 

[albany11]

The most recently hired hygenist

and retirement (between $7000 and $10,000 a year depending on practice profit levels and that person's production numbers).

that a great deal --$52k on 200 days or $63k on 240 days with
$7k-10/yr bonus for retirement

i think being a hygieniest is a great job for a 2 year degree,

--2 years after high school, with only 8-10k loan
and making 50k-100k at 19-20 years old with flexible schedule at times

 

[albany11]

I live in Philly, and work at a dental office. The hygienist that works there gets 35% of her production, sees 8-12 pts a day with her avg daily prodcution $1206, so she makes on average $422 a day.

52/hr? I shadowed a new dentist, one year out; he's making 48/hr at a
hospital. i saw several ads for dentist offering $400/days. Like I said, hygieniests do really well.

 

[johntara04]

--2 years after high school, with only 8-10k loan
and making 50k-100k at 19-20 years old with flexible schedule at times

Not to be ticky taky, but it is 4 years out of high school. They do 2 years of pre-reqs, very similar to what we have to do, basically without the physics, and then 2 years of hygiene school. It is very competitive as well. A lot of girls in hygiene programs could easily get into dental school (you could probably say that about any professional program though). My wife had a 3.9 gpa through high school and a 4.0 gpa in her prereqs (general bio, gen chem, anatomy, physiology, biomed, english, history, etc) and she was waitlisted at Weber State and accepted a week into the semster (Weber's class average gpa is a 3.7 and that was dragged down due to one guy who still hasn't passed his clinical board 3 years later. Talk about a blow to affirmative action). So, these girls do work hard for their good job. I think that is why some get the prima donna attitude about dentists later on. They feel that they could of gone to dental school and been just as successful (again, some could, but they didn't and you did, so that is why you get to big bucks, respect, ability to diagnose, etc, etc).

Anyways, for 4 years, it is still probably the best job you could get out there, but I would still rather do 8 years and have the potential to make $300,000+ then do 4 and have a ceiling around $70,000.

 

[NewNameForGoogleBot]

A lot of girls in hygiene programs could easily get into dental school (you could probably say that about any professional program though). My wife had a 3.9 gpa through high school and a 4.0 gpa in her prereqs (general bio, gen chem, anatomy, physiology, biomed, english, history, etc) and she was waitlisted at Weber State and accepted a week into the semster (Weber's class average gpa is a 3.7 and that was dragged down due to one guy who still hasn't passed his clinical board 3 years later. Talk about a blow to affirmative action).

I'm sorry, there is no way lots of hygienists could have easily gotten into dental school. Your wife sounds like an extreme exception to the rule. Most hygienists go to community or technical school for 2 year programs (not 4). Only in Utah where thousands of dental assistants (working for the insane number of dentists there) want to upgrade to hygiene is the competition this stiff.

I think that is why some get the prima donna attitude about dentists later on. They feel that they could of gone to dental school and been just as successful (again, some could, but they didn't and you did, so that is why you get to big bucks, respect, ability to diagnose, etc, etc).

This is a lie we all love to tell ourselves. We look at someone who is more "successful" and say we could have done it. If that were true, we would have a quiet confidence instead of a prima donna, chip on my shoulder attitude.

 

[Lesley]

I'm sorry, there is no way lots of hygienists could have easily gotten into dental school. Your wife sounds like an extreme exception to the rule. Most hygienists go to community or technical school for 2 year programs (not 4). Only in Utah where thousands of dental assistants (working for the insane number of dentists there) want to upgrade to hygiene is the competition this stiff.



This is a lie we all love to tell ourselves. We look at someone who is more "successful" and say we could have done it. If that were true, we would have a quiet confidence instead of a prima donna, chip on my shoulder attitude.

We are all part of a team and each part is important. But, in the Northeast area most hygienists have two year associate degrees. Many do take pre-reqs on a part time basis before settling into a dental hygiene program often at community college. Most states have community colleges that are inexpensive to attend, unlike dental schools where even some state schools are not cheap. Whether a hygienist has a four year degree or two year degree makes no difference to me as an employer. All I am interested in is do they have a license, what kind of experience they have and what hours are they available. Considering the length of their education, dental hygienists and even dental assistants with an x-ray license, some who have attended a nine-month community college dental assisting program and some with experience only, earn a very good hourly wage.

Dental Front Desk $15+/hr + benefits (usually on the job training)

Dental Assistants $15-20+/hr + benefits. (education minimum 0-9 months)

Dental Hygienists $38+/hr + benefits (education minimum 2 years/18 months)

Dentists, employee, about $100,000+/yr + benefits, about $50+/hr ~many have considerable dental educational debt. (education minimum 8 years/81 months total, college 36 months, dental school 45 months)

Dentists, self employed as per ADA $180,000 about $100+/hr ~ many with considerable dental education debt and practice debt. (education minimum same for employee dentist - 8 years/ 81 months)

In today's market many DA's, DH and employee dentists are afforded a lot of opportunity have a flexible work schedule. Any DA's and DH's that are pining to go to dental school, nobody is stopping them. It's a choice they have to make. Choices are good.

 

[NewNameForGoogleBot]

We are all part of a team and each part is important.

Agree completely

 

[johntara04]

I'm sorry, there is no way lots of hygienists could have easily gotten into dental school. Your wife sounds like an extreme exception to the rule. Most hygienists go to community or technical school for 2 year programs (not 4).

You need to read the post before you react it it. I said the hygiene program was 2 years, BUT (and please read this part this time, b/c you failed to do so last time) there is 2 years of pre-reqs for hygiene. Hence the 4 years. Read before you react.

Also, most hygiene programs have an average of a 3.2 sci gpa, which is the average of most dental schools, so, the numbers say a lot of hygiene students could get into dental school.

 

[johntara04]

Any DA's and DH's that are pining to go to dental school, nobody is stopping them. It's a choice they have to make. Choices are good.

Exactly, it is a choice they make. Being a dentist is not everybody's dream job. It may be yours or mine, but that doesn't mean it is everyone's. Just because someone doesn't choose to do what we do, doesn't mean they couldn't or aren't as able.

 

[Lesley]

Exactly, it is a choice they make. Being a dentist is not everybody's dream job. It may be yours or mine, but that doesn't mean it is everyone's. Just because someone doesn't choose to do what we do, doesn't mean they couldn't or aren't as able.

Although there are hygienists who do go on to dental school, I don't know of any personally. I'm sure there are very intelligent and capable hygienists that could be successful in dental school, but a large part of getting into DS and becoming a dentist is motivation and endurance in addition to intelligence. Most of the DH's I've had the pleasure of working with remember dental hygiene school as a lot of work and stress; they are not looking to further that experience. The cost, additional years and time commitment would be overwhelming for many of them. I also think after working in a dental practice as a hygienist, many decide that they do not want the additional responsiblity of running an office too; they are use to being an employee. Most are not looking to be a dentist anymore than most nurses want to become doctors. Many hygienists become hygienists not because they couldn't become dentists, but because they wanted to be hygienists in the first place. The option to go on to dental school is always there, and my hats off to anyone who chooses to do so.

 

[Cofo]

Hey guys, that is terrific that we are keeping this thread alive, but, please, let's keep on topic. If you know, please tell me what state you live in, and how much money Dental Hygienists get paid an hour. Thanks.

 

[johntara04]

Although there are hygienists who do go on to dental school, I don't know of any personally. I'm sure there are very intelligent and capable hygienists that could be successful in dental school, but a large part of getting into DS and becoming a dentist is motivation and endurance in addition to intelligence. Most of the DH's I've had the pleasure of working with remember dental hygiene school as a lot of work and stress; they are not looking to further that experience. The cost, additional years and time commitment would be overwhelming for many of them. I also think after working in a dental practice as a hygienist, many decide that they do not want the additional responsiblity of running an office too; they are use to being an employee. Most are not looking to be a dentist anymore than most nurses want to become doctors. Many hygienists become hygienists not because they couldn't become dentists, but because they wanted to be hygienists in the first place. The option to go on to dental school is always there, and my hats off to anyone who chooses to do so.

This is what I was trying to say, thank you for clarifying.

 

[Lindbergjb]

I have been shadowing my dentists for about two years, both are close family friends, and they pay their hygeinist around $60,000 a year. It is a fairly large practice with 5 hygeinist and 3 dentist. The main shareholder, Dr. mike, rakes in about $500,000 a year before taxes. He owns a practice in New Richmond Wisconsin, which is about 6000 people, and one in Roberts Wisconsin, which is about 2000 people. This is my 2 cents

 

[DrJeff]

I have been shadowing my dentists for about two years, both are close family friends, and they pay their hygeinist around $60,000 a year. It is a fairly large practice with 5 hygeinist and 3 dentist. The main shareholder, Dr. mike, rakes in about $500,000 a year before taxes. He owns a practice in New Richmond Wisconsin, which is about 6000 people, and one in Roberts Wisconsin, which is about 2000 people. This is my 2 cents

Small town dental practices are great!

 

[docj1]

Small town dental practices are great!

Yes, they are.