Dental hygienists are essential in helping clients maintain oral health and prevent dental diseases. Typically, dental hygienists work in a dental centre providing preventive dental care, such as teeth cleaning, plaque, and tartar removal, and applying fluoride treatments, among other things.
Although most students go into a dental hygiene program thinking they will end up working alongside a dentist, there are many different career paths that dental hygiene graduates can take. The skills learned throughout the program are highly valued and useful in many industries. Here, we will walk you through some career paths available after graduation.
Start Your Career in a Dental Clinic or Private Practice
As mentioned, this might be the most straightforward path after dental hygienist training. Becoming part of a dental team can be very rewarding. Whether you work on your own performing dental cleanings and other preventive care procedures or assisting a dentist in conducting screenings and taking x-rays, working at a dental clinic will offer you an easy way to help your clients maintain their oral health.
You can build solid relationships with your clients and gain their trust. In addition, working alongside a dental team will allow you to gain the confidence and skills needed to move on to other paths or start your independent practice.
Use Your Skills to Help Others Working in Public Health
A dental hygienist career in public health might be similar to a job in a dental office. The main difference is that you will work with government agencies, non-profit organizations, community health centres, schools, prisons, or other public health agencies.
If you decide to follow this career path, not only will you be providing dental care to underserved populations, but you will also help develop dental health educational programs. If you want to give back directly to your community, this might be a good path for you!
Share Your Experience and Become a Dental Hygiene Educator
Once you have acquired enough industry experience, a dental hygiene educator career might attract you. If you fondly remember your dental hygiene education days and think that teaching and sharing your knowledge are for you, chances are that you end up following this path.
You can find employment opportunities at vocational schools or universities. If you plan to pursue this career path, you must keep upgrading your skills, as you will need to be familiar with the latest technology.
No matter what path you choose after graduation, you should know you will become a valued member of society. In addition, you will be launching a career that offers stability, competitive wages, work-life balance, and plenty of opportunities for career growth.
Are you ready to become a dental hygienist?
Contact CADH to learn how to get started!
