Dental Hygienist Wages

A career as a dental hygienist is a wise choice if you are a people person, natural caretaker and interested in working in a health care profession. You'll have flexible hours, the ability to work part-time at multiple jobs, and enjoy a position in one of the country's fastest-growing professions with middle class wages. Increasing demand for dental care due to population growth and an increasing elderly population of "baby boomers" means that more dental hygienists will be needed to support the dental industry. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, job opportunities for dental hygienists will increase 36 percent by the year 2018.

Dental hygenist wages and employment opportunities

As of May 2010, the mean annual dental hygienist wages were $68,680 for an hourly rate of $33.02. The middle 50 percent of the 177,520 employed hygenists fell between $55,930 and $81,340 per year. Wages vary by state and the type of practice in which you are employed. One of the benefits of this dental profession is that you can frequently choose to be employed part-time and reap the benefits of working flexible hours at several offices. This can mean higher earning potential, although one obvious drawback is that you may not be eligible for the same employment benefits, as people who are employed full-time. Hygienists don't just work at dentists' offices, though: As a dental hygienist you may find employment at a hospital, a public or private school, and in dental equipment research or sales.