Dental Hygienists Are Paid about $36 an Hour: Survey Results

July 4, 2007 By Julie Frey 19 Comments

Dental Hygienists Are Paid Well (Some Dentists Think Too Well…)

Average dental hygienist makes $38/hour In our most recent survey, we asked dentists the average hourly wage of their dental hygienists; the average answer was $36 an hour, whether paid on commission, by the hour, or salaried. However, the range is wide, with some making $20 or less and others pulling in $50 or more. Dentists’ feelings on the subject are mixed; some feel hygienists are grossly overpaid, while others insist they’re worth every penny.

Here are just a few of the comments from our dentists:

“She’s worth every penny, makes me a fortune.” (Illinois dentist paying $55/hr)
“I think dental hygienists are overpaid in our region. There are so few of them that they can dictate their rate.” (North Carolina dentist paying $32.50/hr)
“PLUS: health insurance, vacation, paid holidays, retirement, FICA, Holiday Bonus, Birthday lunches and gifts.” (North Carolina dentist paying $31/hr)
“My hygienist works for 32% of production.” (Florida dentist)
“They get paid too much for what little they do.” (New York orthodontist paying $27/hr)
“In DC the average is $350 per 8-hour day. Now I live in Utah and it’s $250.”
Have an opinion? Post your own comments below!

Read the complete dental hygienist pay survey results.

Filed Under: Dental Hygiene, Dental Surveys Tagged With: dental hygienist, Dental Practices, dentists, hygienists

About Julie Frey

Julie Frey is the Editor of TheWealthyDentist.com blog. She has dedicated her career to Internet marketing and communications, working side-by-side with dental marketing guru Jim Du Molin since 2006. She has a degree in Linguistics from Stanford University, has a passion for language and writing, and lives in San Francisco. Julie Frey+

Kay RDH

I am a dental hygienist. You are all correct. Some hygienists are worth $20/hour and some $50/hour. Can she give anesthetic, can she sell needed dentistry, can she laser and root plane well? Doe she back you up when pts are doubtful? Do patients want to see her more than you? What would her services be worth if you had to perform her work? Does she put herself on a pedestal or does she jump in there as a team member? If you think she is overpaid your are probably correct…Go find one who is worth her keep. They are out there!
dawn rdh

I believe you get what you ask for. Good communication is key. Discuss before you hire what is expected with every aspect: team work, expectations, duties, attitude, etc. I am sure there are hygienists worth 20/hr but many are worth much more in comparison to what they bring in, depending on time allowed for each appointment and services rendered. It also has to do with how you percieve things, positive attitude equals positive return.
Linda RDH

I am a Hygienist. I have been with the same Dentist 15yrs.I am paid a salary.I RARELY ask for any time off ,my vacations are when the Dr. is off.I provide excellant care to our patients.Recently I have 3-4 cancellations or no-shows per day (avg pts per day is 12)..the fee’s in our office are very low in comparison to other offices ( $24-$65 for prophy..w$85 being top w/ X-rays).Front desk rarely cares if the openings are filled.Instead she is talking on phone (personal phone calls,shopping,reading paper).The Dr. schedule is filled w/ rework (lost fillings, crowns off,failed RC’s).I reducing my hours in this office.I do NOT believe that MOST Hygienist are overpaid.I believe it is POOR MANAGEMENT of OFFICE!Because hygienist are generally highest paid staff it is easier for Dentist to look there for reasons to increase office income..HUGE MISTAKE!!
colleen RDH

I think everyone has to look at each situation differntly.
If you are paying your hygienist 36.00 per hour with benefits, vacation, and she/he is not A TEAM PLAYER etc and not getting a good return, then yes you are overpaying. However most hygienists here in Pennsylvania get about 34 to 35 per hour and most dentists only want to hire part-time for as long as I’ve been in the profession. So 35/hr is not a lot in todays economy. Considering that it is hard to find work 40 hours per week since most dental offices only are open 4 days per week, also most dental offices do not pay benefits, 401K and vacation time. Bringing the average salary to about 25/hour. Now you can work in Walmart and get full benefits as a manger (with no college )and make about 45,000 to 50,000 per year, or with the potal office as a carrier and get 60,000 per year with overtime with full state benefits and pension. Hygienists on average bring in 1,000 to 1500 per day productivity, plus dental hygiene vists are the backbone to keeping the dentists chair time filled. Check up vists bring return visits from patients for future work needed. The real problem is not that hygienists are overpaid, but that most people in society are underpaid unless they are senators, docotors, surgeons or CEOs. I make about 50,000 per uear doing hygiene 4 days. I have no benfits or 401K or paid time off. I can only work 4 days since my back and neck are shot after 25 years. I really don’t think 50,000 per year with a college degree and license is a whole lot of money these days. Plus I have to pay my own health insurance, 401K etc etc. Can’t hardly ever find work on a Friday or a Saturday to get 40 hours in even if I wanted to. I make 35/hour, sound like a lot when I tell epople, but when I say I pay all my own benefits, their opinions change.
colleen RDH

Also, your hygienist should be seeing 10 patients day (average 8 hour day), trying to help fill her own schedule, find work for the dentist, and be a team player. IF patients cancel, yes she/he should be paid since they committed their working day to the office and cannot just go out and find an hour’s pay somewhere else. The committment has to be honored. The problem I think is that a lot of dentists have lazy employees, and ones who don’t want to work for their money, then it jades their opinion of all hygienists. Its not fair
colleen RDH

I agree with Linda (above),
I started in this sprofession 25 years ago as a receptionist and part time dental assistant. I was never bored! Back then, there was harmony and hard workers in all the dental postions. Everyone worked hard. As a front desk person, I HAD TO MAKE SURE scehdule was filled for hygienist. Nowadays, I notice front desk people doing crossword puzzles, talking on phone, and hardly ever working. What’s up with that? When schedule is filled as it should be, I never stop, and I’m exhausted at end of day, while the others seem to be more concerned about their plans with their boyfriends for the evening. The immaturity and laziness level of many other staff members is maddening.
AmberRDH

I have been a hygienist for 3 years. I started out at my first FT job making $45 per hour and am now up to $48 in the Washington DC area. I get 1 week paid vacation, 2 sick days, and half my health insurance paid, working 5 days a week and one Saturday per month.

When I was subbing I saw alot of laziness and the other hygienists I work with are also lazy. I do alot of work besides seeing my normal patient load. I usually see patients for 7 hrs a day. I do a lot of srp, sometimes 2 or 3 a day and I do all my own local anesthesia. I am going to start doing my own nitrous as well as soon as I find a class. I do all the ordering, the inventory, community and school events to promote the office and dental health, I meticulously maintain my room and equipment unlike many hygienists to my suprise, I run all my own instruments, and I help the assistants with their duties as well as the front desk.

The other hygienists rely on me for everything, god forbid I am on vacation and we run out of something or something breaks. It’s very difficult you see to pick up a phone and place an order. I have never seen anyone else sharpen an instrument EVER! Two of the other hygienists do not do their own local and make the same amount I do.

For my patients, I make all their treatment plans and go over everything with them, even basic insurance coverage and costs and I get everything together for their referrals and pre-auths. I also schedule their restorative and next cleaning appointments so it’s a lot for me to do in only 45 minutes. If my schedule falls apart, it’s my job to fill it and I also have to help fill the doctors schedules if they are empy. I hate running behind so I have to work quickly.

It’s exhausting and I literally sweat sometimes. I am totally beat at the end of everyday. Some days are easy but for the most part, I work really hard and I deserve to be paid well. It bothers me that I do so much extra work and make the same as the others.

We are expected to produce a certain amount of money and I usually get about 80% of that, but our goal is $2000/day which I think is high. Our fee is $185 for the cleaning, xrays, and exam but whatever insurance pays goes for my production, not our fee so it’s hard to do that well. Plus I always see the doctor’s friends who don’t pay and they do not give me the credit for those patients either.

We do sell products but I think we charge too much and alot of my patients are noncompliant and probably won’t use it anyway. So I would rather get them to schedule for their $1200 crown than try to get them to buy the $20 fluoride rinse if they won’t even brush everyday. I do stress prevention but I didn’t go to hygiene school to be a product pusher and the patients don’t like products to be pushed on them either. We didn’t even have a soft tissue management program implemented until I took the initiative to do so as a new grad.

A lot of hygienists are lazy divas but I most certainly am not.
DQ–RDH

I couldn’t agree more w/ what the other hygienists are saying, a dentist should definitely get what he/she pays for. A hard working dedicated hygienist is the back bone of every successful practice. I, for one, work in an office that is pro-active in restorative and periodontal care, through effective communication of a skilled dental hygienist, patients understand and value the importance of their dental health! By gaining their trust and confidence, we, the dental hygienists, reinforce the dentists’ diagnosis and directly affect their treatment case acceptance. We all know that treatment case acceptance is what keeps the practice in business!
So now, you tell me what a competent, hard working registered dental hygienist, is really worth?
http://n/a educated

I am amazed at how ignorant some dentist are these days. Dentist do the math if you are producing $100,000 a year off your hygienist even with over head and their salary that is a nice profit for you to do nothing. If you aren’t making that much in your office it is your fault learn how to run a business. Dentists also need to realize all the production the hygienist is bringing into your chair. Who do you think is explaining and selling your treatment? It is not the dentist!!! Patients usually see the hygienist more than they see the dentist furthermore a lot of patients would leave if they knew what office their hygienist moved to. Dentist grossly over pay their dental assistants and office managers and they produce nothing. WAKE UP DDS or at least learn how to do math and realize a good profit!
Ronnie

I am offended at the lack of respect some dentists seem to have for their hygienists. I have been reading posts on different websites, and some dentists have nothing but negative things to say about hygienists in general. I do not think hygienists are overpaid. Hygiene school is very demanding and very expensive! It takes at least 3-4 years to get a degree in DH, and I live in WA state and there are 4 board exams you must take to be licensed. You jump through lots of hoops, and invest alot of money, to become a dental hygienist. I make 33-36 per hour. I have to work at several offices to have 4 days a week, I get no benefits, vacation, sick pay, holiday pay… NOTHING, because I am a part-time employee at all of my offices. The offices where I work all the hygienists seem to work hard, and I feel that I work my tail off! I see my patients, and do everything I can to help in other parts of the office when I have time. I clean up operatories, sterilize instruments, I seat the doctor’s patients, anwser phones and etc. In a few offices, and one in particular the “slackers” are the assistants and front office. This is pretty outrageous, but in one of the offices the front office girls play on Facebook, text friends, and watch You Tube videos ALL DAY! I am not kidding! If the schedule falls apart, they don’t care to try to fill it! I even had several times where I was double booked because someone forget to put the patients name in the computer when they called for an appt. (Too busy on Facebook??) The assistants walk around, texting like they have no where to be. Here I am sweating, and rushing around trying to get things done, and I can hear the front office girls laughing and carrying on, I see the dental assistants shuffling slowly by the hygiene room, texting. I really makes me mad. I have worked at this particular office for 2 years now without a raise, however I heard a rumor that the front office girls got raises last year! WHAT! One of the assistants who only has 2 years of experience, told me she makes $17.00 per hour. I would say that she is overpaid for what little she does!!
felicia foster

Dentist who complain that hygienist are paid too much is because they don’t understand what we do and how to utilize their hygienist. If they are milking the clock, that is a scheduling issue and not a hygiene issue. Could it be that the hygienist appears lazy because dentist don’t want their hygienist on the clock if they don’t have a patient? Would you (dentist) clock out from a company you work for and still work for free? Hygienist are health care professionals. You also pay for what we know. The same Anatomy, radiology, pharmacology, nutrition, pathology, etc that you guys took we had to take also. Same pre-reqs as nurses. I don’t hear MD say about nurses what dentist say about hygienist. There are very few dentist that can scale like a good hygienist. I have watched you all check our work. Most of you just check superficially to see if it is clean. I guess the same way you feel about the amount of money your staff makes is the same way patients feel about what dentist make. If your staff is goofing off and you feel they are overpaid, it might be a reflection of your treat of your staff. you get what you dish out
RDH

How can dentist think hygienist are overpaid. We are doing all of the work as far as scaling, x-rays and prophys yet they get most of the money. The girl that does my hair gets to keep the money she earns and pays 125.00 a week to use the chair which she easily makes back in an hour. Hygienist do the work and only makes 30 bucks in an hour and they are bringing in way more not to mention all the work coming out of their room that the dentist gets. They are greedy and the more they make the more they want. All I can afford on my hygienist salary is rent, food and gas in my 10 year old car so I really don’t think hygienist are over paid. I’d like to see a dentist try and make it on our salary.
ricky

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Rjcookdds

I doubt you went to school for 8 years to become a hygienist. I also doubt you do 3 to 4 times more work than an assistant who also helps the dentist with production. Every RDH I know is a prima donna – even the ones who pretend to not be. I just had one tell me she wants a raise instead of having to work harder to produce more or “sell” anything.
Brad

Unfortunately, the instructors at most dental schools instill the idea that all dental hygienists are over-paid prima donas. The truth is, there are bad apples everywhere. I’ve worked with dentists who would have an assistant drive all the way to the office to take an x-ray for them. I have worked with assistants who sat on the counter reading magazines with 5 patients in the waiting room. I have worked with front desk personnel who were more interested in reading email than checking out a patient. I have also worked with hygieniststhat felt it was not there job to sterilize instruments.
All I know is I am required to produce $2000/day and my pay is $320/day. You do the math! Any dentist who claims hygienists don’t produce should talk to the independent hygiene practitioners in Colorado.
Brad

Sounds to me like you are a really poor judge of character and maybe you need help with basic business and marketing. If this prima dona works for you, shame on you, you hired her.
jlpw

I don’t know about Alabama now, but they used to “train” their own hygienists! How many of you dentists have time to give the proper education, instruction on instrumentation and inspection afterward? I can tell you. NONE!! You barely check what we “over qualified” hygienists have done and unless we tell you where the decay is, it is overlooked! I have tested many a dentist to see if they find what I have found. They depend on us to find the decay, sell the crowns, treat the disease, and make sure the patient is happy! I have been in practice for over 30 years, if I tell the pt they need a crown, they do it! They know I have their best interest at heart. I educate them about the disease process and every day I hear ” nobody ever told me that before”. I love what I do and feel like I am performing a social service. If we don’t do our job well, the dentist will have no teeth to restore! I have cleaned behind dentists that do their own prophies and what a disappointment they were. Calculus everywhere. My dentist pays me $100.00 an hour. And yes, he thinks I am worth every penny. He said he just wanted someone to take care of his patients and didn’t want to worry about them. I do a lot of RP&C so I guess I pay for myself but so many patients need it and are not getting the proper diagnosis. There are a lot of lazy hygienists. They burn me up. I have had to clean up many a practice because of them but again, it goes back to the dentist not checking behind them. When you see radiographic calculus year after year on the same patient it is time to let her go! There are plenty of good and conscientious hygienist out there. You are going to pay for them though!
Fosterfelicia

By the way doc, the hygienist also helps the dentist. Does she not clean your patients teeth, take xrays, sell your treatment plan and other procedures (i.e. antimicrobials), break down, and set up her own op, help with sterilization, do your anesthetic, set up her own trays, greet your patients, do intra and extra oral exams and alert you of her findings, read xrays and inform you of her findings. If you can find an assistant to do all of that, you are a magician. I think a good hygienist does as much and sometimes more than the assistant. If every RDH you know is a prima donna it probably because you are difficult to work for. Let me guess, you have that dentist complex right? The energy you are giving off is what is coming back to you. Look in the mirror.
anonymous

If Hygienists are such a problem, why don’t they QUIT whining and get rid of US ALL. I am sick of these egotistical employers saying we are not worth what we are paid. My boss makes about $120,000 plus PROFIT off each of his three hygienists. Dentists treat us TERRIBLY. This job is very stressful. I would bet a year’s salary an assistant couldn’t do a week of hygiene. They’ve never done a quad scale and don’t have a clue what we are about. I am sorry I EVER went into this and can promise you if you go into it, you will regret it, too. Go ahead and prove me wrong. You will regret it. I work hard and my patients love me. That is the only salvation in my job. I have never felt more subhuman than my years as a hygienist. I am glad for these forums so the truth can come out! Dentists are MONSTERS. GET RID OF us if we are not worth it. They love the money we make for them & they resent us because they want to keep it all for themselves. And another thing; most of THEIR work is substandard!!!!! I am constantly seeing new fillings that still have decay under them where the doctor did not take the time to do it right. THEY ARE NOT worth what they are paid. DENTAL HYGIENE profession SUCKS…………