6 Reasons to Consider a Career as a Dental Hygienist

The career path you choose will impact the rest of your life and you should, therefore, not make the decision lightly. If you want something rewarding, consider a career as a dental hygienist. Below are a few of the many reasons why you should pick this career path and join a dental hygienist school.

1.Job Security

According to a 2015 survey by the Canadian Dental Hygiene Association (CDHA), the dental hygienist profession has an impressive unemployment rate of 2.1%. This is against a national unemployment rate of 6.5% as of April 2017.

Job security is important because employees who settle into their careers are more likely to position themselves well financially, to be satisfied at work, to achieve long-term career goals, and to gain marketable skills that they can use when searching for employment elsewhere.

2.Fulfilling Work

Other than monetary compensation, another common reason people seek careers is to get fulfilled – to feel like they have a purpose in life. A career as a dental hygienist allows you to impact important oral health knowledge to your community and this will give you a sense of accomplishment and pride.

3.Exciting Work

There is never a dull moment as a dental hygienist. You will be interacting with people from all walks of life. As a dental hygienist, you will be required to handle a wide range of tasks ranging from assessing gum disease to applying fluoride and from checking for oral cancer to counselling patients on oral hygiene, among many others. You will also not be tied to your office.

4.Good Benefits

The primary reason people go to work is to get money for their basic and secondary needs. Dental hygienists in Canada make good money, with the median salary being $70,647 per year. This translates to about $40.18 per hour, which is very impressive.

The benefits are also good. According to data from the Canadian Dental Hygiene Association, 79% of dental hygienists get benefits from their employers.

5.Flexible Working Hours

The problems with most mainstream careers like medicine, law, and engineering is that these careers take up a lot of your time. This often leads to poor work-life balance and it can even ruin your relationships and lead to increased stress levels.

As a dental hygienist, you will have flexible working hours. Dental offices are often open during the day, in the evening, and over the weekends, meaning you can pick a shift that best suits you so you can pursue personal interests and family obligations. You can choose to work full-time or part-time.

6.Self-employment Opportunities

If being employed is not your cup of tea, becoming a dental hygienist opens doors for self-employment opportunities. As an example, you can open a mobile dental hygiene clinic and then make rounds in community health centres, residential care facilities, and elsewhere in your community.