Employment

Dental hygiene jobs numbered about 158,000 in 2004. As multiple dental hygienist job-holding is common in the practice, the number of dental hygienist jobs surpasses the number of hygienists. In this light, the dental hygienist career is quite promising and, moreover, dental hygienist employment is on the rise. More than half of all dental hygienists worked part time in 2004--this is less than 35 hours a week. Pursuing dental hygiene as a career, then, seems an opportunity for future flexibility and free time.

Most dental hygienist jobs were in dentists' offices (a small number of hygienists worked for employment services or in physicians' offices). Dental hygienist employment requires a dental hygienist resume (including previous work experience and any dental hygienist training) and a cover letter for dental hygienists (including dental hygienist employment motivation, goals and any explanation on previous dental hygienist education, experience or special skills). There are a number of dental hygienist resume samples on the net or at a library to give prospective hygienists an idea of how to apply and achieve dental hygienist employment.

Most of the licensed dental hygienists in the United States today are employed by general dentists who were impressed by advanced dental hygienist training and enthusiastically fulfilled dental hygienist requirements. Dental specialists such as periodontists, pediatric dentists and endodontists employ dental hygienists; however, an endodontics dental hygienist, for example, must have significantly more impressive dental hygienist resume, including extensive dental hygienist programs such as higher dental hygienist education on the bachelor's or master's level.