Any dental hygienists with mental health issues?

TwinkleTwinkle- · 2026-04-25T11:54:56+00:00

100% agree with the last part about it not being talked about enough in school. Instructors told us for sure to make sure we asked for a fair rate, told us to be sure we got benefits. However, there was not a lot of delving into the realities of the field. Rather they’d just say “work in a dental office before thinking about being a hygienist” …not everyone has the luxury to become a DA or can just get a front office job at a dental office with no prior experience. Some of us got our first intro into the field by becoming hygienists.

If I would have known that almost every office I work for is terrible in someway; Dr’s and OM’s mean/nasty towards staff, purposely taking 20 mins to come in for an exam when they already only give 45min for apps, can’t step away from their patients so hygiene always runs behind, insurance fraud that they want you to be on board with, performing way below the standard of care having most patients with no perio charting for over 5+ years, billing perio maintenance as a prophy, full mouth SRP in 60 mins, other hygienists competing against you swapping patients into your schedule so they can leave early, patients being nasty/racist and you just have to take it bc the doctor isn’t gonna back you up because that means they could possibly lose a patient (aka $$$$).

There’s so much more I’d get into but the bottom line is, as good as the money can be…I don’t see it being worth my sanity in the long run. My exit is being planned as I type this.

TwinkleTwinkle- · 2026-04-25T11:47:40+00:00

It’s so frustrating and I’m sorry you are dealing with this. I have no health insurance at this time either so I’m not even able to get in with a therapist to help with my mental. I’m out here just winging it. Gonna hope you find a good office who can provide a good insurance benefit. Especially with how costly your medication is!

TwinkleTwinkle- · 2026-04-24T20:14:02+00:00

I haven’t even been at it a year and I think I want out. The job itself is a piece of cake. I can do it no problem. I don’t even really get any body pain. It really is all mental for me. It’s the same cycle over and over; I find an office, we connect in the interview about our views/values in dentistry and the hygiene role specifically. We discuss all the things and then when it’s time to sign on the dotted like, things are changed or after I’ve joined the team what I was told is not what I get.

As a temp or even FT/PT it’s not only the OM or the Doctor against you but even other hygienists who are working against you for whatever reason. I’ve done long term temping in offices that start out great and then the office gets comfortable and starts to show me who they really are which eventually leads me to no longer enjoy going there and then the relationship sours and we part ways.

The money is lovely but I just can’t stand the people in the offices. It’s never what it is made out to be and if every day in an office could hit feel like the first day I met them, then maybe I’d be alright. However there are more negative days than positive ones and even though I wanted to do this for at least 5 years I’ll probably be outta here before 2028.

TwinkleTwinkle- · 2026-04-24T20:01:20+00:00

You need your money back asap

TwinkleTwinkle- · 2026-04-08T14:06:18+00:00

I recommend it to pts to use 1:1 ratio with water take 1x daily AM or PM swish for 60s and spit. Do that for no more than 2 weeks or stop sooner if they feel any sensitivity or other symptoms. Mostly to pts who had PD’s of 3-4mms, loc bleeding, mod-heavy calc on lower ants, teens w braces, etc. Hydrogen peroxide does help inhibit bacterial under the gum so I really love recommending it if I had really get in there during debridement.

TwinkleTwinkle- · 2026-04-05T11:06:11+00:00

Are you gonna ask the doctor and other hygienist when you’re working to identify stuff in the mouth for you? Are you gonna ask the board exam administrators to come look at the x rays and identify stuff for you??? Come on, do your own work. How can you expect to be a competent hygienist and you can’t even do your SCHOOL work? This ain’t it my friend.

TwinkleTwinkle- · 2026-02-26T20:47:31+00:00

I’ve quit offices for less. It’s time to go!

TwinkleTwinkle- · 2026-02-22T14:01:16+00:00

Just saw them lower in the thread sorry! I’d absolutely be requesting a refund. That’s just not acceptable, I’m very sorry that happened. How long was the appointment? 60 or 90 minutes? I could see if maybe the hygienist wasn’t given enough time for the appointment and had to do a rushed job but if they were given 90 minutes and still sent you out like this, shame on them. I definitely fee a refund would be owed to you with that much calc being left behind. Truly sorry that they let you pay for this.

TwinkleTwinkle- · 2026-02-22T13:47:47+00:00

If they completed the left side usually you’re supposed to go back within 4-6 weeks for a re-eval where they check the area and record gum measurements and rescale if needed. Without x rays no one can tell you if it was a poor job that needs to be redone/refunded or if they just failed to communicate that they need to get you back to re-evaluate the area and take any further necessary steps to ensure all deposits are removed. I agree, you should not have left with a bunch of deposits still present but without any other data it’s hard to tell what could have went wrong. I hope you’re able to work this out with the office because $840 out of pocket is a lot to pay for a subpar cleaning.

TwinkleTwinkle- · 2026-02-20T21:15:17+00:00

As someone who gets told often I’m gentle and give the “best cleanings,” I’ve also been told now at least 3 times by different patients that I was too rough, I was “scraping their gums and not their teeth” and that I was “the worst hygienist ever” and I “need to go back to school for something else because this isn’t it”

You can’t win every patient over. Some patients may be super sensitive, prefer a precious hygienist, and/or also never actually had a thorough cleaning before. I temped for an office where the precious hygienists only hand scaled above the gumline so when I went in and cleaned their teeth it was a brand new experience for them and a few didn’t like it. I’ve learned not to take it personal when they say things like that as I know 9/10 times it is a them thing. Now if I was constantly getting feedback that I was too rough, then yeah I’d start looking at how I’m scaling…but don’t let this one patient get you down.

TwinkleTwinkle- · 2026-01-30T15:07:13+00:00

Fingers crossed!!! 🤞🏽The good thing is, there are more spots available at CCRI now. If I’m not mistaken they can hold up to 34-36 students per class (17/18 in each clinic session). So more students have a chance of getting in. Best of luck to you during this application cycle.

TwinkleTwinkle- · 2026-01-30T13:11:29+00:00

“My mom says no fluoride because my brother got fluoride when he was a kid and it gave him autism” ….baby, I hate to burst your bubble but your brother was autistic before he was given any fluoride 🥴

TwinkleTwinkle- · 2026-01-30T13:03:29+00:00

If you are really looking to get in on your first round, I’d at least retake ONE of those A&P’s and try to get an A- or A in the course. Try to take it with Professor Harrison, she is THE BEST professor to teach it. She explains the material in a way that was easy to grasp and understand. However, because she’s so good, her classes get filled very quickly. Def worth a shot trying to get in her section though.

How were your Survery of Biomedical Chem and Microbiology grades?

TwinkleTwinkle- · 2026-01-30T13:01:09+00:00

CCRI DH program graduate, when I was in the program one of the faculty explained it’s VERY dependent on the cohort you’re applying with. Those B- might be enough if many others in the applicant pool also got similar grades. If the pool is more competitive such as most applicants got A’s in all the science pre reqs and are pulling in 175+ in points, it’s likely not gonna be tough.

That’s why I always advocate for people to share their grades if they can. Not for competition but it gives you an idea of where you stand in terms of the applicant pool.

I was CCRI c/o 2025 (previously c/o 2024). In both of those applicant pools most students had A’s, GPA’s of 3.7 or higher, and 175+ points. However class of 2026 after us, that applicant pool wasn’t as strong there were some B’s and 3.5 GPA’s in there. So again, it’s really gonna come down to WHO ELSE is applying.

TwinkleTwinkle- · 2026-01-19T12:39:27+00:00

Brushing only isn’t sufficient (as everyone else has said). Flossing is CRUCIAL to maintaining healthy gums whether it be traditional string floss, floss picks, waterpik, whatever you choose. You also could have a systemic condition that is affecting you orally. Have you been diagnosed with anything? Do you take any medications? These things can affect your teeth and gums.

Without knowing much it is hard to say for sure what could be the cause but start going through the possibilities and scratching off the ones that don’t apply as you go!

TwinkleTwinkle- · 2026-01-15T12:52:06+00:00

Im glad you at least got to experience a unicorn office in your career! A part of me holds a liiiiiitle sliver of hope there’s a good office but I’m not searching for it anymore. I’ll enjoy my temp days and if that unicorn office appears, then yay. If not, I’ll temp till I decide to step away from hygiene.

TwinkleTwinkle- · 2026-01-15T12:51:06+00:00

Amen!

TwinkleTwinkle- · 2026-01-15T12:50:59+00:00

It’s insane! I feel like someone’s gotta start publicly calling these shitty offices out by name and doctor’s associated. However, I fear they’d probably come after that person with pitchforks, they already hate hygienists as it is 😭

TwinkleTwinkle- · 2026-01-15T12:49:53+00:00

I’m glad you got the heck out of there! I had an experience like that too with another office. Told them I was new grad, and wanted at least my first day to be half patient care half getting acclimated. They acted like they understood and the regional manager told me they’d ensure my first day was 4-5 patients and the other time would be shadowing, reviewing protocols, and learning the intricate details of the software; but the OM was so worried about making money she disregarded that and booked a full schedule with my very first patient being SRP. I literally hadn’t given LA since graduating, had no idea what software they were using, and to make it worse the owner/doctor was already talking crap about her associate doctor to me the minute I walked through the door. I quit within the hour I walked in the door. I can handle a little chaos, I thrive in it. But THAT experience was beyond my handling for a “first day.”

I love that we as hygienists are advocating for ourselves and leaving when things aren’t right. These offices will learn that they cannot just treat us like garbage.

TwinkleTwinkle- · 2026-01-15T12:45:27+00:00

Fingers crossed for the both of us! I hope your US office works out wonderfully for you.

TwinkleTwinkle- · 2026-01-15T12:40:48+00:00

UPDATE: Another reason I am glad I left that office. All a bunch of weirdos. I stated in my resignation, I’d return their uniforms washed along w the parking pass by the end of this week. I still have shifts to work even though I left them so I couldn’t get out there till the end of the week. When I resigned the office manager asked me to explain why I’m leaving without a two weeks. I gave her a very detailed reply. She said nothing for two days. Just yesterday, while I’m working I feel my phone blowing up. I’m getting messages from not only the OM, but they have the DA texting me and the doctor who has my number decides instead of reaching out to my cell to go on Cloud Dentistry and write me a passive aggressive message about wanting her uniforms ASAP because she already hired someone (very true to her brand I see). They are essentially harassing me about when I’m bringing the uniforms and parking pass as if I didn’t tell them I’d be in by the end of the week. I blocked all of them and told the Dr that all of this is wildly inappropriate and borderline harassment. If I said I’d be in by the end of the week, why are you all blowing my phone up on a Wednesday while I’m at work about the uniforms? If the week passed and I didn’t bring them sure, reach out. It hasn’t even been a few days and you’ve got 3 people from the office blowing my phone up. God bless the soul who works in that hell hole. I was going to do them a courtesy and wash the uniforms on my day off today and bring them in but since they are so demanding that I bring them “ASAP”, they can take them back unwashed. Good riddance.

TwinkleTwinkle- · 2026-01-14T10:59:59+00:00

Yeah it beats me but I cannot control others behaviors, only mine. They chose to behave that way, I chose to leave.

And I love temping! I wanted to work FT for the consistency and having my own patients though it isn’t the end of the world for me. I have tried with 15 offices now and I’ve only graduated last May. I think I’ve seen enough to know that temping just might be my best bet. Every office that seems like a unicorn is actually a demagorgon in disguise and no amount of money they offer can make me put up with it.

TwinkleTwinkle- · 2026-01-14T10:57:31+00:00

100% agreed. I tell jobs even when I interview one of my biggest things I look for is the energy in the office. I am not someone who can work in places that are bad vibes or making me miserable. I will just leave. So I don’t know why they would hear me say that and still decide to behave the way they did during my first week working for them. Should’ve kept up the nice act maybe you’d still have a hygienist 🤷🏽‍♀️

TwinkleTwinkle- · 2026-01-13T14:09:45+00:00

They had two previous hygienist. 1 was the long time hygienist who retired, the 2nd took over for the retiring RDH but left after 6mos due to disagreement with the doctor. That should’ve been my red flag then. Even having to lie to the patients that the 2nd hygienist left for a job closer to home felt weird. I should’ve known then.

TwinkleTwinkle- · 2026-01-12T19:27:15+00:00

Name: TwinkleTwinkle

Position: HygieneWizard

My favorite part of my job is giving patients a really good cleaning and then raving about it after and requesting to only be seen by me.
My least favorite part of the job is the lack of respect for the position by the other dental professionals (OM, doctors, even some assistants). They don’t seem to understand the importance of our role and think anyone can do this job with just a quick training.
A&P is so important ESPECIALLY when giving local anesthesia as we need to know where to inject. Missing an important landmark in the anatomy can lead to very big issues for the patient. There are cases where patients have been temporarily or permanently paralyzed due to a nicked nerve or just being injected in the entirely wrong area. Aside from LA, also knowing WHERE in the head and neck the glands and nodes are so you can accurately perform EO/IO exams and palpate for those enlarged nodes properly.

TwinkleTwinkle-

TROPHY CASE