Dental assistant or Hygienist?? Why do you think what you think. People with experience please help!?

As a dental hygienist and former dental assistant I can say I really enjoyed both! With assisting I got to use a wide variety of skills during my day. Whether it was surgical assisting, taking impressions, working with the Dr on bridges or extractions it made the day fly by. You may consider the fact that when the Dr works you usually work as well, perhaps even down to you taking your vacation because he/she is taking theirs. Also, you may only get to know the patients on a brief basis. With hygiene you may get to know your patient's really well. I have one patient that has followed me from my 1st job to my current job, spanning 15 years. Hygiene can be monotonous at times, but you can count on seeing patients every 45 minute (+ or -) and you might consider that better than every 15 minutes, though some Dr's appointments can last for hours. Hygiene definately pays much better and I find the hours flexible based on my needs. I have a phenomenal boss and work with 7 other hygienists who are great! Hygiene school can be very competitive to get into, while dental assistants may have schooling or train on the job. So, if you have any other questions feel free to email and good luck!


JAMRDH - a dental hygienist

Dental assistant or Hygienist?? Why do you think what you think. People with experience please help!?
If you are trying to decide to make a career out of one or the other definetly Dental Hygienist...they make better money and can sometimes even choose their own hours, the only downside I see is that the hygienist does the same thing all day long but an Assistant gets to do different things all day such as a root canal, extraction, fillings. I am currently an Assistant but plan to go back to school to become a Hygienist within the next two years.