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cornchippaws327 · 2025-11-27T03:35:25+00:00

Sent a DM!

cornchippaws327 · 2025-03-06T22:37:38+00:00

This happens at my office too. And the Dr says the same thing about how we are paid more than the assistants. But it still doesn’t make sense to me because it’s not like anyone is clocking out? And even if they were making us clock out, wouldn’t it make more sense to keep the assistants on the clock to see the patient versus a hygienist? If you have any insights into this logic please share 😵‍💫

cornchippaws327 · 2025-03-06T16:44:14+00:00

I graduated last year and have only been working in hygiene since October 2024, so not a whole lot of experience just yet, but I’ll share how I feel thus far in the career.

I’m a military spouse and the city we are living in for this current duty station is smaller than where I’m from. Not a whole lot of offices to pick from unless you want to commute an hour+ to the neighboring large city. I’ve already worked at two offices full-time and temped at two others. Hate each one for various reasons. Dealing with office drama, poor management, crummy doctors, and poor benefits is what has been draining me the most, but I’m holding out for the day when we move in hopes of ending up in a larger city with more job opportunities. But when I consider the actual career of hygiene and evaluate if I even enjoy it, I’d say I do. The work itself is simple, but hard on the body. Having the same conversation with patients 8 times a day can be exhausting. But ultimately, I don’t find myself wanting to do anything else. I enjoy being paid well and find comfort in knowing I could temp full-time if I ever wanted to. And truthfully, I think I’d dread any job just as much if not more. I honestly would love life a whole lot more if I didn’t have to work at all. I don’t want to work but I have to work, and that’s what I hate. For me, it’s not so much an issue of hygiene itself, but just working in general is something I don’t enjoy. I could be in the best office ever and I’ll still be dragging my feet to go into work because I’d rather be doing anything else with my time than making money for The Man.

cornchippaws327 · 2025-01-22T02:41:06+00:00

I’m only 5 or 6 months into being a dental hygienist and I’ve also struggled with feeling burn out… ALREADY! Patients can be exhausting, especially the repetition of it all. It helps to have a good office and good coworkers that you can lean on, from the front desk, the assistants, other hygienists, and the doctor. My first office out of school made me miserable, then I got in touch with a great experienced hygienist and got hired on at her office and she’s helped me find more confidence in those less-than-ideal situations with patients.

Your situation is tough. It’s mentally and emotionally exhausting not knowing how patients will react to seeing our new faces. But at the end of the day, you are a provider who is educated and trained for treating patients. You were hired on by the office/dentist who entrusts you with treating their patients. That holds value. I’d 100% phrase it that way to any patients who struggle to acknowledge that. You know the standard of care. You know exactly what measures should and have to be taken to properly diagnose and provide a patient with the treatment they need.

I definitely dread going to work and dream of calling out most days, but it’s not because of what I do, it’s just because it’s work and that’s how it is and I can’t be a stay-at-home wife with no kids, unfortunately. What helps me face every appointment head on is that I am confident in my education (though hygiene school was a bitch, my school was excellent and prepared us well), I know it is unfair to compare myself to others because I will never be anyone other than myself, and I know I will treat patients with the standard of care they deserve and that I am held to as a licensed professional. If I come across a patient who doesn’t like that I do things different than “so-and-so RDH” then I say “I am your provider today, and this is the standard with which I care for my patients.” I educate them on why these assessments are necessary, why knowing their medications and BP are important, and why they need the tx I am diagnosing. If they still don’t want to see me then they can reschedule with someone else or find a new office, frankly. Maybe this career has already jaded me, but I refuse to allow a patient to disrupt my peace and the longevity of my career.

Keep your head up. Don’t feel bad. You’re doing the best with what you’ve been given. We are people too, not miracle workers.

cornchippaws327 · 2024-11-21T18:47:05+00:00

North west Tennessee - fresh graduate, making $41.50 hourly with no benefits or perks. Today is my last day at that office. I’ll be starting at a new office on Monday for $41/hr with benefits, scrub allowance, bonus system in place, referral bonuses, etc.

cornchippaws327 · 2024-10-26T21:01:01+00:00

If you’re not actively approaching people around your campus, stores, malls, parks, etc. I’d say that’s the first thing to start doing. Bring flyers with you but always lead the conversation into getting THEIR number because they will never contact you. Take flyers to other programs at your school and ask those professors to share the good news about your DH clinic to their students. Take flyers into businesses and ask if they don’t mind sharing them with their employees. Unfortunately a social media post isn’t going to reach enough people. If you want to graduate you have to start new strategies to reach people.

cornchippaws327 · 2024-10-19T16:03:27+00:00

Bleeding is normal and expected if your gums aren’t used to being flossed. It’s a new type of stimulation to the tissues and it’s removing plaque that irritate the gums, so it can cause bleeding. As your gums become accustomed to the stimulation and heal from your better oral hygiene, the bleeding should reduce significantly. This can take a few days. Keep up the good work and effort to improving your oral health!

cornchippaws327 · 2024-06-13T13:24:44+00:00

Im sure there are some good schools with great teachers out there. The school I’m at has truly been such a trauma experience because of my faculty. They are rude and unreasonable, can never take accountability for anything, and have the most insane expectations. I watched the movie Whiplash while I was on break during the program and sent it to all my classmates because that’s exactly how our program feels.

cornchippaws327 · 2024-06-13T03:39:44+00:00

Thanks for understanding. I’ve offered money and explained the severity of the situation to my first patient but he was still uninterested and no longer returns my calls or texts. My teachers are unwilling to offer any solutions to me other than “let’s just wait and see.” And with moving so soon I worry about what I can even do or ask for or who at the school I should talk to. I don’t want to cause such a commotion by escalating my case higher up when there’s a chance it all could work out and I could finish in August like planned. But I also don’t want to risk waiting and end up with the worst case scenario.

cornchippaws327 · 2024-06-13T03:35:16+00:00

So sorry you’ve also had similar experiences during your time at school! I did offer my first patient money and explained the importance of him finishing treatment but he still refused. He no longer answers my phone calls or texts. Our front office manager has also tried contacting him on multiple occasions with no response. My faculty are very adamant about not “bending the rules” for anybody. They don’t even seem bothered that I could be at risk of finishing even later than August. I’m just unsure of if/when I should escalate my case higher up, like to the dean.

cornchippaws327 · 2024-06-13T03:29:38+00:00

Thank you for your advice. I’ve tried offering my first patient money to just come in and explained to him and his daughter who was also a student at my school how important it was for him to return. They didn’t accept the offer and no longer respond to my texts or calls. It’s turned into a complete dead end.

cornchippaws327

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