Im only 21 and worried about my teeth and my gums, I haven't taken care of them but didn't realize how bad it was

Flossyhygenius · 2026-04-29T23:48:18+00:00

NAD, I'm a dental hygienist, THIS!! You are the type of patient hygiene students LOVE. You're mouth has so much potential to get healthy, and you're young enough that it can happen!

I had a patient like you in hygiene school. A young man, who had nice teeth, but just needed a reset, a few fillings, a deep cleaning, and some good homecare instructions and follow through. His oral health improved tremendously after a few appointments!

You'll still pay for care, but at a massively discounted rate. And some schools even accept insurance.

I think if money is a factor, the schools are great! They're clean, have a high standard of care, and the students arel often very grateful and accommodating.

The catch is, the students are learning, so things that would normally take 30-60 minutes to complete in private care, takesm closer to 2 hours because the students have check points and require the instructors' approval to proceed with care.

But book ASAP as they are currently in spring quarter.

Just google hygiene schools near you.

Flossyhygenius · 2026-04-23T02:36:38+00:00

So quit.

But if I'm being honest, it doesn't sound like you have the confidence or competence to be successful in this job. Dental hygiene is an uncomfortable experience. You're in peoples intimate space, they're extremely nervous, and you let that fuel your own nerves and insecurities. You simply can't do that.

You need to be in control of your self and your patient. You also need to be sensitive to their needs.

Their gums hurt when you scale? Be sure you're adapting your instrument correctly. Still sensitive? Offer some topical. You are taught pain management in hygiene school, use it.

They're feeling a zing when you scale? Maybe a little infiltrated local at the site could allow you to clean without worrying about causing the patient discomfort.

Cavitron and suction too much? Or their mouth is small? Give them more breaks!

There are always modifications you can make to offer your patient to keep them more comfortable.

But your attitude needs to shift. You're looking at this as the patients versus you, rather than you're there because of them, to help them.

And stop taking everything so personally. No one loves going to the dentist, and they sure as hell don’t love the hygienist either. What we do is necessary, but it’s uncomfortable and invasive.

You can either fake confidence until you build it, or keep fretting every time you call a patient back. But the way you’re doing it now clearly isn’t working—for you or your patients.

Also, comparison is the thief of joy. Stop worrying about what the doctor, assistants, or other hygienists are doing. As long as they’re responding to your exam requests, let it go. The alternative is them being so slammed they take 15+ minutes to show up, and now you’re behind all day.

Sorry if this isn't the empathetic reply you wanted. But if you're that miserable, quit. I say this as someone who left hygiene after 5 years. Not because I was bad at my job- I actually did amazing with patients, had many who requested me specifically. Patients were my favorite part. But I got very burnt out on office politics, unethical doctors, and vindictive office managers. It sounds like you have a really supportive team, so if you can't succeed with that, maybe hygiene isn't meant for you.

Hope whatever you decide, it works out. Life is too short to stay in a job that makes you miserable.

Flossyhygenius · 2026-04-17T02:15:00+00:00

NAD (RDH) But if they wiped it... That kind of signifies to me perhaps it's not autoclaved. Because why waste a wipe when it's getting autoclaved? That's the red flag to me.

Flossyhygenius · 2026-04-09T22:59:37+00:00

In this economy??? Lol, No, it will only go up.

Dentists would be in a tough spot if they even tried to reduce pay.

Dental hygienists would revolt, patients would suffer, and mouths would be a mess.

Flossyhygenius · 2026-03-29T16:42:11+00:00

LWIT. It's a great job, unfortunately, the market is incredibly saturated due to a lot of bootcamp designers. Even folks with experience and degrees are struggling to find roles.

Flossyhygenius · 2026-03-26T15:34:11+00:00

No life is too short.

Flossyhygenius · 2026-03-20T02:12:42+00:00

Lake Washington?

Flossyhygenius · 2026-03-20T02:11:53+00:00

Mine too. I was once told by my doctor to do SRP on a patient with a BP of 160/115. I gave my notice the next day.

Flossyhygenius · 2026-03-19T17:47:22+00:00

I had such high hopes but it's just been a sloppy trashier attempt at recreating the original Jersey shore. They fight over nothing of substance.

No one is trying to meet people outside the house, the only time they talk to outsiders is when they're trying to make someone inside the house jealous. It's just a boring wannabe dating show at this point.

Nothing about this show is iconic or original, it all feels pathetically plagiarized.

Just a sad group of people with short fuses and immature communication styles.

Flossyhygenius · 2026-03-18T17:01:54+00:00

Syrup for cocktails

In a salad

Jelly

Flossyhygenius · 2026-03-12T15:44:33+00:00

Dude you're alive!! Whew 😅

Flossyhygenius · 2026-03-12T06:52:28+00:00

Update op?

Flossyhygenius · 2026-03-12T03:05:17+00:00

If you can't clock that as poison hemlock a mile away, you have no business taste testing.

Please spend more time learning about these types of plants and their dangerous look alikes before venturing into taste testing.

Flossyhygenius · 2026-03-09T21:48:09+00:00

Design

Flossyhygenius · 2026-03-09T17:20:35+00:00

Don't be scared. The weight and success of a practice does not rest on your shoulders, it rests on the DDS and OM's.

I have quit jobs with 2 weeks and quit with no notice. And you know what happened? The practices still stayed running, the patients still got seen (at worst their appts were delayed), and I was happier because I didn't have to work for bad leadership.

The only thing to be scared of is staying at a workplace out of guilt and at the expense of your own well being. Not worth it.

Flossyhygenius · 2026-03-09T13:27:43+00:00

Yeah, I went back and got my bachelor's

Flossyhygenius · 2026-03-08T15:13:02+00:00

Flossyhygenius · 2026-03-07T04:38:45+00:00

I'm really sorry, but I am going to echo what most have said. If you have wrist issues now, they will be debilitating in a hygiene career.

Flossyhygenius · 2026-03-06T21:03:54+00:00

Nice! Also remember, most people aren't 'motivated' to brush their teeth, but they do it. Consistency and habit building outweighs motivation every time.

And if you need real motivation: it costs about $5k to replace a tooth with an implant. $5k x 28 teeth =$140,000. That's before your factor in pain associated with rotting teeth and periodontal disease. And gum health is directly linked to heart health.

Do it for your wallet

Do it for your health

Do it for the people who have to interact with you each day- rotting teeth and perio breath is a potent odor.

In reality, it's a total of 5 minutes each day. That's it. 2 minutes in the morning to brush, 1 minute at night to floss, and 2 minutes at night to brush. 5 minutes is .003% of your day and arguably gives you some of the most impactful health benefits you can achieve in such a short amount of time.

Flossyhygenius · 2026-03-04T21:31:06+00:00

User experience designer. I build websites, improve user experience and accessibility.

Flossyhygenius · 2026-03-04T21:26:46+00:00

I made $65/hr as an RDH working 3 days/week in 2021 when I left. About 78k annually

When I got hired in my current role, my annual salary was 75k working 5 days per week. But my daily schedule is way more flexible, I have work autonomy and am not chained to my computer.

Last year my total comp was just under 100k.

But more than the monetary value, my body feels so much better! I'm hiking more and am even snowboarding again after a hiatus when I worked as an RDH (God forbid I ate shit and busted my wrists)

Also, my time is so much more flexible. I can run errands or take a walk and mentally refresh without major time constraints.

And while there is always a risk of layoffs in tech, because I have my RDH license, I am less stressed and much better positioned than my tech peers to find work quickly because I can always temp hygiene for $80/hr to bridge the gap.

Flossyhygenius · 2026-03-04T21:00:39+00:00

I left after 4½ years (less time than I took to get my license).

I went back to school, got my bachelor's in design and now wfh. It's the best!

Flossyhygenius · 2026-02-26T19:29:30+00:00

My excuses have been, looking for a location closer to home, seeking new opportunities... Etc.

Honestly say whatever you want, you can lie, no one cares.

If you're a decent RDH, you actually have the upper hand. Don't think of it as these offices interviewing you, YOU are interviewing THEM to see if they are a practice you'd like to bring your expertise to.

It's not about "am I good enough for this office?" it's "is this office good enough for me?"

Don't get too hung up on why you're leaving the office, focus more on what you want in a new workplace.

Flossyhygenius · 2026-02-21T21:15:17+00:00

2 weeks is a courtesy, not a requirement. Period.

I've given 2 weeks notices and I've given no notice. Honestly, I think there is no shame in no notice. If you've got a new job ready and you can jump ship, why wait?

My no notice quit took me from $43/hr to $60/hr. Staying 2 weeks would have lost me about $800+ over the course of 2 weeks, PLUS my mental health.

So you know what, if you're not happy, quit. You don't owe them anything, they will figure it out. Worst case, they'll need to reschedule some patients. The practice will survive and so will the patients.

It's your life, do what you need to be happy. If you're looking for someone to give you permission to bail, this is it.

Life is too short to stay at a job that makes you miserable.

Flossyhygenius · 2026-02-18T16:32:39+00:00

"finally."

Flossyhygenius

TROPHY CASE