what is the market like for dental hygienists?

[iamnew]

i am thinking about either training to be a dental hygienist or studying dentistry. is there a future for hygienists?

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[johntara04]

i am thinking about either training to be a dental hygienist or studying dentistry. is there a future for hygienists?

Yes. I would do dentistry though.

 

[gainsbourg]

"Is there a future for hygienists?"

The following video will answer your question.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbqnY0XAzdQ

 

[red88m]

Affirmative. I would do dentistry as well. But you could try out dental hygiene first and see how you like it before you commit to dentistry.

 

[rals]

Both are great choices in terms of careers. if you want the challenge of being a doctor and all that comes along with it, go to dental school. I know that there aren't enough good hygienists out there and that it's a great investment in terms of the time in school you put in and the skills you come out with. Both are well-payed, and have MANY similarities, but even more differences in terms of the sort of people they're suited towards.

Good luck!

 

[johntara04]

The market is great for hygienists and for dentists. You do well for a job and financially with either choice (a lot more money if your a doctor). Go and watch both work and see what you would enjoy more as a career.

Also, I don't know how old you are, or if you already have a career or not, but think things through before jumping ship. I know a hygienist who is getting ready to start her interviews for dental school. She is 30 years old, and by the time you figure in lost income, student loans, loans to buy a practice, etc she will be two million behind when she starts practicing as an orthodontist (her aspiration). In my eyes, being a hygienist with no debt to climb out of is a much better lifestyle than trying to start out when you are 37 two million behind everybody else that is ten years younger than you.

 

[red88m]

Yeah, the finances seem to make more sense with hygiene, but the monotony of it is ..... monotonous.
As for the hygiene market, we're generally in demand. It does depend on the economy of the area though. You can quickly find a job in most states- there aren't many jobs up here in Michigan right now b/c the economy sucks. So don't move to Michigan if you want to do hygiene. And don't move to Alabama either (assistants can "clean teeth").

 

[johntara04]

Also on the hygiene market, my wife and I moved out here from Utah, and a month before we moved out she had 3 job offers and was able to get them to bid for her services and she ended up with lots of benefits (vacation, CE paid for, health care, 401, etc) and getting an extra $21,000 a year than what she was making in Utah! 😱 We were shocked. In Philly, they are desperate for hygienists.

 

[johntara04]

Yeah, the finances seem to make more sense with hygiene, but the monotony of it is ..... monotonous.
As for the hygiene market, we're generally in demand. It does depend on the economy of the area though. You can quickly find a job in most states- there aren't many jobs up here in Michigan right now b/c the economy sucks. So don't move to Michigan if you want to do hygiene. And don't move to Alabama either (assistants can "clean teeth").

Yeah. If you are still in college and not making any real money, or have a job that is paying very little, dental school is definitely the way to go. But if you are already making good money, even though your yearly wage may go up as a dentist, you may actually end up losing money over the course of your lifetime. So, my advice is just be smart and really think things through before making a decision.

 

[red88m]

Yeah. If you are still in college and not making any real money, or have a job that is paying very little, dental school is definitely the way to go. But if you are already making good money, even though your yearly wage may go up as a dentist, you may actually end up losing money over the course of your lifetime. So, my advice is just be smart and really think things through before making a decision.

Good advice- think about what you want. Is money more important or is contentment?

 

[red88m]

Also on the hygiene market, my wife and I moved out here from Utah, and a month before we moved out she had 3 job offers and was able to get them to bid for her services and she ended up with lots of benefits (vacation, CE paid for, health care, 401, etc) and getting an extra $21,000 a year than what she was making in Utah! 😱 We were shocked. In Philly, they are desperate for hygienists.

Lucky you- I had to wait for a year to find an opening and then compete with 75 other applicants to get my current job.

 

[johntara04]

Lucky you- I had to wait for a year to find an opening and then compete with 75 other applicants to get my current job.

Wow, that is rough. Well, I hope your application to dental school (I am assuming here) goes much, much better than that. 🙂

 

[Avrelian]

Lucky you- I had to wait for a year to find an opening and then compete with 75 other applicants to get my current job.

I've heard one woman complaining on the radio that there are were only 3 job opening in the whole state of Michigan for hygienists. While having 1 or 2 schools of the profession. The radio host ridiculed her but I know that not everything is ok in the Danish kingdom.