Male Dental Hygienist???

[Dentistsomeday?]

Hi everyone,
I have dropped my plans of becoming a Dentist because I don't think I have the patience to commit 8 yrs. and the hard work. I was thinking about a Dental hygiene program to do. It's an Associate degree. I have never seen a male dental hygienist before. But I guess that is because I've been to only one dentist most my life.haha.

Do dentists hire Male Dental Hygienists? Has anyone done it here or seen one? What are Dental Hygienist's typically making starting?
I am gonna take a 2 yr. course in this which leads to a AAS. Do you think this is a good idea?

Your thoughts in this appreciated. Please post if you have any comments.
Thanks
Ash

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[groundhog]

I have seen one male RDH and I know that others exist. In the past, gender was a strong factor in determinaing which roles one would likley play in the health care professions. Within the dental field, the RDH position enabled females to advance beyond dental assistant status and assume sort of an alpha female mommie position within a dental practice. That was the past and could rapidly change now that most dental school classes are nearing 40% or better female enrollment. So, by the time you graduate from DH school, your gender may be less of an issue than it would have been in the past.

In the state of Washington I would advise a male who wants to become a RDH to attempt to get into the 4 year bachelor degree program at Eastern Washington University. I have heard from numerous sources that the community college dental hygiene programs in the state of Washington are dominated by "old girls networks" which put political factors into play for getting accepted into those programs. On the other hand, getting accepted into the DH program at EWU is determined almost entirely by your academic performance in their pre-dental hygiene curriculum.

 

[Supernumerary]

I would try answering a few help wanted ads in the paper before I spent the money on a training course. Several of the dentists I shadowed mentioned that they preferred to have their assistants trained by their current assistants. They said it was easier to teach a newbie than to correct a "trained" assistant from these programs to do things the way the dentist was used to. No special license is required to be an assistant; don't let them fool you into thinking the schooling is necessary. It may be best to do the training, but check things out in your local area and talk to some dentists first. A year is a lot of school for an $8/hr job.

Also, I hate to muddy the issue for you, as I don't know your exact circumstances, but I wouldn't be swayed from a career in dentistry just because of the schooling required. 8 yrs. seems like forever when you're 19 or 20, but the time goes by so much more quickly than you think. I mean, you're already planning on 1 yr training to be an assistant, and another 4-5 years for hygiene if you end up in a bachelor's program. What's another 2 yrs. of school when it means achieving your dreams? (and a much heftier paycheck ) Just my thoughts.

But hygiene will be a great career too - probably with less stress. Whatever you choose to do, I wish you luck.

 

[cwisa]

Dental Hygiene is a great career path to take. As a male you would be greatly outnumbered but that makes no difference. I have seen male hygienists with a full time job. Depending on the state in which you are licensed and work you can do quite a bit. In Washington State hygienists are trained to administer anasthaetic and do fillings (except for drilling the tooth), on top of basic and deep cleanings. Eastern Washington University does have a B.S. degree in hygiene but it was changed from 2 years of prerequisites and 2 years of hygiene school to 2 yrs. pre. and 3 yrs. of hygiene (5 yrs. total). Also, if you are worried about running a practice this is a great solution. The pay is excellent in most states ($40-$50 per hour in WA), and you can always go back to dental school if you really get the urge. Do some research in your state to see how many hygiene schools there are and see how the pay is. The only downfall is that a lot dentists don't give benefits but that is usually negotiable for full-time employees and the high pay scale usually makes up the difference.

Good luck,
CA
UOP 2006

 

[Comet208]

i know of a male dental hygienist.. he works full time at the dental office during the week and as a DJ in a night club over the weekend. he is 25 and i have seen very few people happier and more satisfied in life than him.

Comet!

 

[gryffindor]

We have a male hygienist in my dental school class. Got tired of hygiene, came to dental school.

That said, there is a major shortage of hygienists in the New York state. I have heard this from dentists and hygienists all over the state - Western NY, Syracuse/Utica, Long Island. If you were a hygienist here, male or female, you'd have no problem getting a job because dentists are going crazy looking for people to fill those positions. In this case, I don't think it would matter if you had the two vs the four year degree.

Good luck!

 

[eight143]

I have a friend who is a male hygienist and he makes a lot of money. I have to admit, he is really good in what he does and he really enjoys it. Not only is he fast and efficient, but his work is exceptional.

I believe he contracts with 3 dentists and works five days a week. He doesn't get paid hourly or per day like others. He get's paid a percentage of all his total services. Last time I talked to him it was 45% with one dentist.

This guy is only working on his second year out of dental hygiene school and last year he made $96,000. I'm not sure if this figure is his net income, but assuming it was gross, that's still a lot of money for a hygienist.

Keep in mind, he's really great at doing his work.

 

[perfectsmile]

Sure there are male hygienists, my father is hiring one at his office three days a week. My dad says he's a hard worker.

 

[Dentistsomeday?]

You guys have given good encouragement and advice. It certainly made me think more about it. Now I have a different set of questions regarding this career. If you are a male RDH, isn't it odd doing it when you are a 28-30 yr old, even older maybe (I am 20 right now)? When I tell my friends of this, will they kind of make fun of me or anything? Or what kind of social position in society will I hold? I remember watching a movie, i think it was called 'meet the parents' where this guy who is a male nurse gets made fun of. hehe. So I don't want to be in that position. Please advice.

AN

 

[cwisa]

Dental Hygiene is a well respected profession and requires a sufficient amount of school (brains) to get there. If you are happy then who cares what other people think. Especially when you will make enough money and have a flexible work schedule in which to enjoy your money. Laugh at the slaves that are stuck for 40+ hours per week (me) while you go on vacation every three months.

CA
UOP 2006

 

[groundhog]

Stereotyped gender roles are passe. Would you rather be an unemployed macho steel worker whose job was exported to a mill in India or a well paid dental hygienest whose career is better insulated from the labor dislocations that can arise with the advent of the new global economy.

 

[emeraldazn]

i have an issue. my dad/mother liked how i am going for a dental field; however, my aunt is totally 100% against it. her reasons were:

1) only females work DH
2) its 'gross' (caring for other teeth)
3) ppl can easily go in the field..making it hard to find a available job

i really dont agree with her of course...but i could use yas advice how i should discuss this to her so she wont hate me the rest of my life or something heh.

 

[Bickle]

Originally posted by emeraldazn
i have an issue. my dad/mother liked how i am going for a dental field; however, my aunt is totally 100% against it. her reasons were:

1) only females work DH
2) its 'gross' (caring for other teeth)
3) ppl can easily go in the field..making it hard to find a available job

i really dont agree with her of course...but i could use yas advice how i should discuss this to her so she wont hate me the rest of my life or something heh.

Do you really want to enter the dental profession? I think you should tell your aunt that this is something that you want for yourself. If she doesn't believe DH is a good field of work, then tell HER not to apply! Why do you care what she thinks anyway?

 

[critterbug]

The perfect thing about being a dental hygienist is that if you ever decide to go back to dental school, you'll have the perfect part-time job to work while in dental school. The dentist I shadowed was a hygienist before she went back to dental school at age 26. She worked during the Christmas and summer breaks and made good money (per hour) as a hygienist. There's not many part time jobs you can find that are even worth your time, but hygiene is a different story.

 

[critterbug]

With that being said, I often wonder why most pre-dents who are not interested in pursuing a degree in science, don't do their pre-reqs the first two years and spend the last two years pursuing an Associates in hygiene. Seems like a good way to keep the debt down in dental school without having to essentially work for free at some restaurant or other part-time job. Just a thought.

However, If I had it to do all over again, I would still get a B.S. in Biology. Because I know what I learned will be valuable the first few years of dental school.

 

[mobius]

ppl can easily get in to dental hygeine?

not in florida it is quite competitive, they are paid like 23-28 dollars and hour. i have thought about it but want to go all the way to dentist. but i think it would be an excellent career. with the 4 year you may evven be able to go on to dentist later, not sure about that though.

 

[LestatZinnie]

i hear all these talks about shortage of hygienists and surplus of dentists. but dentists are just as qualified to do hygien work, so where is the shortage coming from if dentists can't find full time work doing dentistry? i, for one, am a bit worried about finding full time dentistry work when i graduate in 4 yrs and wouldn't mind doing hygiene work at all. in fact, even after having my own practice in future, i would likely do all my own hygiene work unless there are really enough dentistry to fill my time. i'm in vancouver, canada by the way ^^

 

[emeraldazn]

the reason why DH is good is because most schools have a very very low admission number (like 16-26 for some schools) per year, so that there wont be an overflow of hygienists.

 

[UBTom]

to LestatZinnie:

The duties performed by RDHs (such as cleaning and prophies) are only the basic aspects. You as a dentist are expected to be able to handle the more complex aspects, such as diagnosis, treatment planning, supportive intervention (deep scaling and root planing, application of adjuncts, etc.), surgical intervention (guided tissue regeneration, tissue graft, repair of localized periodontal defects, etc.), and leading-edge procedures like implant surgery (which GPs, periodontists and oral surgeons can do).

Sure, as a dentist you can do just cleanings and prophies if you wish, but a dentist is capable of doing so much more. That's why dentists are always looking for RDHs so it will free up their time to do the more complex stuff.

And I wouldn't worry about finding full-time work as a dentist once you get your license to practice. Sure, not every dental school graduate can find a $100K/yr associateship right out of the gate, but there are plenty of jobs for dentists out there.

 

[larryt]

I am currently attending dental hygiene program in texas. In my class of 24, 15 males and 9 females. My dentist are paying $40/hrs for his hygienist (of course male), and he is desperated to look for another one. Well, you'll figure the rest... it's your life, your career. As a hygienist, you're not only do prophy,sealant, perio, but lots more other duties such as lab, braces (gosh big money), exam, and treatment plan.

 

[onlyme]

i hope i don't get into any trouble for trespassing onto your boards...

...but i was reading some stuff (dentaltown.com) over at a friend's house who is applying to dental schools. i was shocked to realize how much RDHs make. there was one thread where the DH was asking the dentist for $500 a day! needless to say, the dentist refused to pay.

that seems like a lot of money for a DH. sorry to sound ignorant, but how much schooling is needed for a RDH? (please don't flame me for my question, i am only curious).

 

[larryt]

Prerequisites for Certificate Program:
English Composition I 3 semester hours
Fundamentals of Speech 3 semester hours
General Psychology 3 semester hours
Sociology 3 semester hrs
Human Anatomy & Physiology I 4 semester hours *
Human Anatomy & Physiology II 4 semester hours *
Chemistry 4 semester hours *
Microbiology 4 semester hours *
Electives 2 semester hours

Prerequisites for Baccalaureate Degree Program:
English Composition I 3 semester hours
English Composition II 3 semester hours
Fundamentals of Speech 3 semester hours
General Psychology 3 semester hours
Sociology 3 semester hours
Math 3 semester hours
Human Anatomy & Physiology I 4 semester hours *
Human Anatomy & Physiology II 4 semester hours *
Chemistry 4 semester hours *
Microbiology 4 semester hours *
Computer Science 4 semester hours*
American History 6 semester hours
American Government 6 semester hours
Humanities 6 semester hours
Electives 6 semester hours

It is a fully accredited two-year program (17-19 hrs/each semester), which leads to either a certificate in dental hygiene or a Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene.

 

[larryt]

Many of my dentist's friends are willing to hire male hygienists over female. Reasons:

Cosmetic dentistry(big bucks) are mostly done by female patients. Majority of patients in my dental office (sorry to say this) refer to talk to male hygienist over their treatment plan, oral hygiene stuffs. Talk to several dentists in your area and figureout yourself.

 

[emeraldazn]

larryt are u attending houston university? i was either thinking of going to collin county DH program or houston..how hard was it to get in? may i ask yer stats?

 

[Dr. Pedo]

Larryt,

Becareful how you phrase the sentence "do braces" it can be rather misleading. Surely you didn't intend to imply you have the ability to do orthodontics by any stretch of the imagination!

RRB

 

[critterbug]

Originally posted by larryt
I am currently attending dental hygiene program in texas. In my class of 24, 15 males and 9 females. My dentist are paying $40/hrs for his hygienist (of course male), and he is desperated to look for another one. Well, you'll figure the rest... it's your life, your career. As a hygienist, you're not only do prophy,sealant, perio, but lots more other duties such as lab, braces (gosh big money), exam, and treatment plan.

larry

Have you given up on dental school?

 

[larryt]

yes, I mean orthodontics. The dentists usually do exam and write down what to do on the chart. The hygienists take over from there. Sometime if busy, I help out by putting wire on, cementing the brackets, donut, echain, ortho adjustment..... while hygienist cleans or gross scales the patient.

No I didn't give up on dental school. I will have an interview with Case and baylor next month. Dental hygiene school is a great experience for me, preparing me for the rough years of dental school (just a head start). I am taking Orofacial Anatomy, Histology, Embryology,Periodontology and Preclinical Dental Hygiene this semester (just start last monday).

 

[critterbug]

Originally posted by larryt
yes, I mean orthodontics. The dentists usually do exam and write down what to do on the chart. The hygienists take over from there. Sometime if busy, I help out by putting wire on, cementing the brackets, donut, echain, ortho adjustment..... while hygienist cleans or gross scales the patient.

No I didn't give up on dental school. I will have an interview with Case and baylor next month. Dental hygiene school is a great experience for me, preparing me for the rough years of dental school (just a head start). I am taking Orofacial Anatomy, Histology, Embryology,Periodontology and Preclinical Dental Hygiene this semester (just start last monday).

Well, considering how competitive (?) hygiene school is, were they OK with you leaving their program if you get accepted to dental school for 2004? I know you gotta write a litle essay and get LOR's, did you include your future goals?

By the way, good luck with your interviews

 

[Dr. Pedo]

Originally posted by larryt
yes, I mean orthodontics. The dentists usually do exam and write down what to do on the chart. The hygienists take over from there. Sometime if busy, I help out by putting wire on, cementing the brackets, donut, echain, ortho adjustment..... while hygienist cleans or gross scales the patient.

My bad----I didn't realize you were talking about being an assistant for an ortho doc. This is obviously well within the parameters of anyone who is hired and trained by the doc and in many states within 6 mos. of hiring must take a basic dental assistant exam to become "certified."

 

[larryt]

well, I just tried to give a original poster few general ideas about the dental hygiene profession.

 

[larryt]

Originally posted by critterbug
Well, considering how competitive (?) hygiene school is, were they OK with you leaving their program if you get accepted to dental school for 2004? I know you gotta write a litle essay and get LOR's, did you include your future goals?

critterbug !

Life is full of uncertainty. What if I don't get accepted to dental school for 2004 ? and what if ... ? what if .... ? As a married person with kid, I can't afford any uncertainty. Wait until you have family, you may think the way as mine now.

 

[critterbug]

Originally posted by larryt
critterbug !

Life is full of uncertainty. What if I don't get accepted to dental school for 2004 ? and what if ... ? what if .... ? As a married person with kid, I can't afford any uncertainty. Wait until you have family, you may think the way as mine now.

I agree. Gotta do what you gotta do. I'm not trying to be judgemental in any way. I know my post might of sounded that way. THe reason I am asking you is because I myself was thinking of doin it and I was just wondering if it was a big no no to mention dental school. If I don't get into dental school this year, I will seriously consider hygiene, as I continure to apply a second time around.

Again, I'm just thinking. I might even try to dental assist. I'm not sure yet. Both would be very educational, even if you couldn't finish the hygiene program.

 

[JMJRDH1]

Go to hygiene school. You will never regret it!

 

[JMJRDH1]

i hope i don't get into any trouble for trespassing onto your boards...

...but i was reading some stuff (dentaltown.com) over at a friend's house who is applying to dental schools. i was shocked to realize how much RDHs make. there was one thread where the DH was asking the dentist for $500 a day! needless to say, the dentist refused to pay.

Actually, it may be needless to say the the dentist is just too stubborn to pay a hygienist their appropriate salary. $500 a day for a high quality practice (read $$$) is totaly reasonable. If the hygienist can produce $1500 in a day, then they are making a flat 33% production salary, which is not uncommon.

I happen to know a hygienist who makes damn near 100K per year!!

 

[KAIN DDS]

Hi everyone,
I have dropped my plans of becoming a Dentist because I don't think I have the patience to commit 8 yrs. and the hard work. I was thinking about a Dental hygiene program to do. It's an Associate degree. I have never seen a male dental hygienist before. But I guess that is because I've been to only one dentist most my life.haha.

Do dentists hire Male Dental Hygienists? Has anyone done it here or seen one? What are Dental Hygienist's typically making starting?
I am gonna take a 2 yr. course in this which leads to a AAS. Do you think this is a good idea?

Your thoughts in this appreciated. Please post if you have any comments.
Thanks
Ash

I hope you didnt do it?!

 

[chill45]

Wow, opening up an 8 year old thread...I think this is a record for my eyes

 

[scsc7211]

Wow, opening up an 8 year old thread...I think this is a record for my eyes

Haha, I think I was in 8th grade when the original conversation took place.

 

[Msmouth]

I know of 3 male dental hygienists. One was my instructor in school and a mentor.
Another temped at our office many times and it was a nice change of pace from all women for sure.