How to Become a Dental Hygienist

Want to work in a health care field that allows you a flexible schedule and rewarding interactions with patients? Consider a career as a dental hygienist. Often the one who does all of the "dirty work" when you go to the dentist, a hygienist is responsible for these tasks:

• Cleaning tartar and plaque off of teeth
• Flossing
• Examining the gums
• Taking digital photos and X-rays
• Screening patients for cancer and other maladies
• Teaching patients about good oral hygiene practices and techniques

Depending upon what state you live and practice in, you may also have the task of administering local anesthetics or filling cavities.

How to become a dental hygienist

The path to becoming a dental hygienist begins with a solid education. You must complete a certificate or degree program at an accredited school, and then become licensed in the state in which you wish to practice. You become licensed by passing a standardized written exam administered by the American Dental Association. (The only exception to this is people who want to become dental hygienists in Alabama, where the ADA exam is not mandated.) Once you pass this written exam, you must then pass a clinical exam that's administered by the state in which you want to work.

Job prospects in this field are good! The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that opportunities for dental hygienists will increase 36 percent by the year 2018. The mean annual salary of a dental hygienist was $68,680 as of May, 2008. Most dentists' offices hire hygienists on a part time basis, so as a hygienist you may bounce between a few different jobs, spending 2-3 days a week at one office, a few days at a different office.