If you are contemplating becoming a medical assistant or dental assistant, you will realize that the two professions are quite similar. Both medical assistants and dental assistants work under the supervision of certified doctors: dentists and physicians. They both play supportive roles in the office, like patient record management and paperwork filing.

When you qualify as a dentist, two paths open up in front of you. You can take one path that leads you down the road to opening up your own dental practice and working for yourself. Or you can take the other path and work as a dentist in someone else’s practice. 

Are leaders born or made? Some people are born with a strong personality that compels them to lead. But that doesn’t mean everyone is doomed to a lifetime of following the leader.

 “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so,” — William Shakespeare.

Dental hygienists play an indispensable role in every dental practice up and down the country. These integral people are in charge of everything from cleaning patients’ teeth and making nervous people feel more relaxed to taking mouth x-rays and educating patients on at-home dental hygiene. 

COVID-19 devastated many industries and cost thousands of workers across the US their jobs. But one small piece of positivity to come out of the destructive virus is many employers recognizing the importance of the sharing economy and leveraging the skills of independent contractors.

Work is changing. It’s true for professionals in every sector. Businesses are hiring freelancers and consultants instead of full-time workers. People are leaving corporate jobs and starting their own small businesses. The Journal of Family & Consumer Sciences reports that 60 million Americans will be self-employed by 2020. In every sector, people are offering their talents and skills directly to businesses and individuals.

People outside of dentistry are often surprised to learn that many dental professionals don’t have full time, permanent jobs. But registered dental hygienists (RDHs) and dental assistants know the truth. Permanent positions in dental hygiene and dental assisting aren’t always available, and many dental professionals aren’t interested in staying in one place. Whether by necessity or by choice, RDHs have pieced together work schedules through dental temp agencies for decades.

A career in dental hygiene puts you in a position to help others while working in a growing, lucrative field. Working as an oral healthcare professional is a great choice for many reasons, but it’s not for everyone. If you are struggling to decide and before spending the money, time and effort to become a registered dental hygienist (RDH), it’s important to know as much as possible about the job, including all the advantages and disadvantages of a career in dental hygiene

The number of people visiting dental clinics is rising as more and more families begin to understand the importance of proper dental hygiene. According to ADA, 58% of people surveyed in 2017 visit the dentist at least once every year. This is a sizable increase compared to the 33% of adults who visited the dentist annually in the mid-1950s.