‘Do You Like Being a Dental Hygienist?’

 Tips to Foster Professional Fulfillment

By Suzanne L. Vila, RDH, PHDHP, B.A.

"Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do." -Steve Jobs

“Do you like being a dental hygienist?”  Have you ever been asked that question?

I’ve been asked that question countless times by patients sitting in my chair. My answer has always been light and humorous, saying things like, “Well, I’ve been doing this since 1991 and never leave saying I’m sick of seeing molars yet, so, yeah, I would say I like my job!”  

But honestly, that’s really just a fluff answer.  The real answer is much more complex.  Feeling happy and fulfilled about practicing dental hygiene is not just about ‘cleaning teeth’.  Having full career satisfaction in dental hygiene involves fostering well-rounded professional fulfillment.

Your Dental Hygiene Relationship

Your career is a professional relationship between you, your daily job tasks, your colleagues, your patients, and your “why” you became a hygienist in the first place.  Just like any relationship, feeling happy and fulfilled doesn’t just happen but takes effort and care to keep it fresh and engaging.  If you just coast through a relationship, it risks becoming unhappy, boring, or even toxic. 

Boredom is one of the first negatives to affect your relationship. You might find yourself in days of dental monotony, which can lead to a loss of that spark that made you want to be an RDH in the first place.  

Don’t let yourself fall into that trap!

The Monotony Trap

If your days of dental hygiene are days of only scale, polish, x-rays, scale, polish, fluoride, scale, polish, etc., while you look forward to the end of the workday, you might be falling into the monotony trap.  If you find yourself gazing toward Friday before lunch on Monday, you might be in that trap already!

Because our clinical work often involves many of the same tasks, it is easy to fall into doing the same thing all the time, leading to boredom.  If you feel like you might be in danger of getting caught in that trap, it’s not too late to get out of it!. You should take steps toward what you love and love what you do!  (And I don’t mean just loving clean molars!)   

Tips for FulFillment

1. Pick Your Passion - Take time to ask yourself what you want out of your dental hygiene career from time to time. Finding your purpose is one of the best ways to feel fulfilled. Starting today, think about a part of being a hygienist that you really like and put your efforts into designing goals around it. For example, if you like working with kids, consider visiting a school or daycare to talk about healthy teeth.  Maybe public health is your passion and you can find fulfillment volunteering your time at free dental clinics. 

2. Escape the Comfort Zone - Never forget your potential!  The best way to feel fulfilled is by continually challenging yourself instead of doing what feels safe & comfortable.. When we challenge ourselves, we learn to adapt more easily, expand our network, and discover new reasons to love what we do.  

3. Lean into Learning - Whether you read journals, attend dental conferences, make plans to advance your degree, or just spend time watching interesting YouTube videos, leaning into learning can benefit your health and lead to a greater sense of fulfillment.1

4. Learn to Say ‘NO’ - Remember that challenging yourself doesn’t mean saying ‘Yes’ all the time.  Sometimes when we always say yes, we deny ourselves time to pursue what truly inspires us. Writer Greg McKeown, author of the book Essentialism says, “ yet as hard as it can be to say no to someone, failing to do so can cause us to miss out on something far more important.”2

Put it into Practice

You worked really hard to earn the title of ‘RDH’ and deserve to have a fulfilling career!  

You might feel overwhelmed at the thought of making drastic changes or dramatic shifts in your dental hygiene career to feel more fulfilled. Rest assured because you don’t have to do that to feel more fulfilled. Put some of these tips into practice one step at a time.  See what works for you and what doesn’t.  Getting more connected to your strengths and passions will help you escape the traps of dissatisfaction and journey toward many years of loving your dental hygiene career!

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About the Author: Suzanne L. Vila, RDH, PHDHP, B.A.

Suzanne is a Registered Dental Hygienist in Central PA who works in private periodontal practice and at a local college as an adjunct dental hygiene faculty. After a thirty-year career in dental hygiene, Suzanne is now creating non-clinical projects involving professional enhancement, public health initiatives, and patient education. In addition to being a passionate dental practitioner, Suzanne enjoys teaching fitness classes such as Pilates and yoga, volunteering with the local dog rescue Pitties.Love.Peace, and spending time with her family and their two rescued pit bulls, Rudy & Freya.

Resources:

1. Laal, M., “Benefits of Lifelong Learning,” Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, on the internet at www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042812019751.

2. McKeown, Greg. Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less. Virgin Books, 2021.