A Day in the Life of a Temp Dental Hygienist: What to Expect

Key Takeaways

• A temp dental hygienist is someone who works at various office locations throughout the week on their schedule, rather than working full-time at a singular practice.

• Temp dental hygienists should expect to maintain adaptability as they work across offices, adapt to varying office cultures, and adjust to varying work environments and setups.

• Temp dental hygienist work allows hygienists to expand their skillset, embrace greater flexibility in their workflow, and experience a variety of potential work opportunities.

• A platform like Toothio gives hygienists the opportunity to pick up temporary dental hygienist shifts as they arise

What to Expect as a Temp Dental Hygienist

A temp dental hygienist is a professional who works across multiple offices and locations, often picking up shifts on their own schedule, rather than working full-time in a single practice. Although some professionals enjoy the stability of working in one environment throughout the week, working as a temp hygienist offers greater chances for flexibility, mobility, and career variety, especially with a strong career outlook. A temp hygienist has the luxury of working in different offices and on their schedule, with the opportunity to gain new skills and make new connections.

Still, even with the advantages, working as a temp dental hygienist requires the right type of person who is attracted to a unique lifestyle that requires flexibility and adaptability. That said, it's key to understand what a typical day looks like so you are prepared for the expectations. This guide highlights everything you should know about a day in the life of a dental hygienist and what you should consider if you are thinking about becoming one.

Morning Routine & Start of Shift

In a temp role, you should begin your shift by checking in with the office staff, introducing yourself in a friendly manner, and gaining an understanding of what will be expected of you throughout the day. Then, get familiar with the workstation you are provided, any procedures or standards unique to the office, and what your schedule for the day will look like.

Use the time at the very start of your shift to get on the same page as the rest of the team and get a feel for the office environment so you can comfortably work within it. Some temp hygienists even consider calling ahead so they can talk to staff at the practice, better understand their daily procedures, and ensure alignment with the staff on-site.

Consider having a checklist of questions to go through for each new office you work in, such as:

• “What tools will I have access to?”
• “Will I have access to my own chair?”
• “What is a typical daily patient load?”
• “What is my schedule for the day?”
• “What is your preferred communication style?”

Core Clinical Responsibilities

The clinical responsibilities of the day are the least likely to change for a temporary hygienist, as this is the key part of the role. The schooling and program requirements for a permanent or temporary hygienist role are the same. You will have to adapt to different office workflows, patient scheduling procedures, and equipment, but at least a cleaning is a cleaning—for the most part.

Clinical responsibilities are what a hygienist does best, so you can expect that any daily schedule will involve a fair amount of clinical work, including cleanings, assessments, X-rays, and patient education. Of course, any role will require having to adapt to unique patient cases depending on the scheduled appointments for the day. As always, be sure to maintain a consistent, high-standard quality of care regardless of the varying environments you will work in.

Continuing education is valuable for ensuring that you are able to seamlessly adjust to varying offices and their procedures. Some offices may have more outdated procedures and technologies, while others will have newer, more advanced tools. Continuing education will keep you up-to-date with the latest technologies and best practices so that you can easily move between various offices and the clinical tools and procedures they follow.

Patient Interaction & Communication

Patient connections are a crucial element of the work, but as a temp hygienist, you lose the luxury of being in the same office and seeing the same faces on a regular basis. This limited experience makes it all the more important to go the extra mile to connect with patients across offices on a daily basis.

With a positive demeanor and an empathetic approach to working with new patients , you can more quickly build a relationship and rapport with those you are serving. As you work with a range of new people, it will be important to adapt your language, tone, and patient education style. Being able to convey information in a way that accounts for varying patients’ ages and communication styles is what sets the best hygienists apart.

Team Collaboration & Office Culture

As a temporary hygienist, you should make an active effort to maintain communication and collaboration with the team to ensure a smooth transition into the role and promote continuity of patient care. In a permanent office setting, the transfer of information is often a given, with staff sharing information about patient care and building a general awareness of the rules and norms in the office.

When working in an office temporarily, you are less likely to be aware of key pieces of information, like patient treatment history, office-specific rules, and the overall culture, all of which foster effective collaboration. Consider asking a resident hygienist or dentist before your shift starts whether there are any unique or important practices they follow that you should be aware of.

In a temp role, you may work at the same office more than once, which will allow you to gain a better understanding of the techniques of each practice. However, it will be important to remain humble and be a good listener as you get a feel for the culture at each practice.

Problem-Solving & Adaptability

Any hygienist must be comfortable with problem-solving and adaptability, but this is especially important for temporary hygienists. As professionals move between offices and interact with different teams and patients in new environments, they must be able to solve problems and respond to unforeseen challenges.

Common challenges include:

• Handling unfamiliar equipment or patient management software
• Managing unexpected patient conditions
• Navigating the difficulties of an unfamiliar workflow
• Communicating with new patients
• Learning the communication styles of a team you haven’t worked with

A skilled hygienist should be able to handle the standard clinical responsibilities of the job on top of learning how to work within the procedures and demands of a new office with an unfamiliar team. It’s essential that a hygienist can stay calm, resourceful, and professional in fast-paced settings.

Infection Control & Compliance

Infection control remains an essential part of your role as you move from office to office. Temp hygienists must be more proactive in complying with safety standards, as some dental practices may have their own approaches to infection control, sanitation, and compliance. Regardless of the office you are in, patient protection is your responsibility.

Individual responsibility becomes even more critical across diverse environments and practices, which may vary in their compliance standards. A temp hygienist should be familiar with all Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Occupational Safety and Health Association (OSHA), and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations so they can implement them no matter where they are.

Asking about a practice’s sanitation protocols should be one of your first steps when you arrive for your shift. Take note of where to find PPE, who is responsible for sanitizing exam areas, and where to dispose of used materials.

End-of-Day Wrap-Up

At the end of the day, you’ll need to be sure to clean up your workstation, put tools back where they belong, and prepare the workstation for the next day. Not only is it polite to clean up after yourself, but it’s also important to leave a positive impression on the office to maintain a relationship for future opportunities.

Relationship building is key to establishing lasting connections that could yield more work in the future. As you leave the office, be sure to thank them for the opportunity, and gather their contact information if you’d like to return in the future.

Reflect on the day, both regarding your personal preferences and your own professional development. Consider whether you enjoyed working in this office and whether you would like to return in the future. Also, consider your own personal growth by reflecting on whether there were areas where you could improve.

You may also directly ask for feedback on your performance if you feel comfortable. One of the advantages of temporary work is that it provides a constant learning environment, so there’s always the opportunity to reflect on a day’s experience and embrace chances to improve.

Career Perspective & Takeaways

You can expect each day in the life of a dental hygienist to be a learning experience. Pushing yourself into new situations and responding to them inspires growth. Temp hygienists who move between different offices are encouraged to enter and adapt to new situations every day, fostering a whole new pace of professional development.

Temp work also builds the gateway for more potential opportunities in the future. Working across different dental practices empowers you to expand your network and build relationships that can propel you forward or even lead to a permanent role if that’s something you aspire toward.

Consider joining a platform like Toothio, which empowers professionals to quickly discover and connect with both temporary and permanent work opportunities in respected dental practices. A platform like Toothio helps to minimize the stress of finding fulfilling work by placing a wide spectrum of open shifts all in one place. Toothio serves 11 areas and is growing, empowering professionals to find shifts that work for them in their preferred location.

Explore Temp Dental Hygienist Opportunities

A day in the life of a dental hygienist requires flexibility, adaptability, and proactive communication, all while offering a unique sense of freedom. While working as a temporary dental hygienist has its pros and cons, there are several advantages to the flexibility of working in new offices on your own preferred schedule.

Toothio provides skilled dental hygienists with the ability to discover high-quality work opportunities in reputable dental practices. Our platform notifies professionals of available shifts as they open up in real-time, empowering them to choose where they want to work, when they want to work, and at what rate.

Sign up with Toothio today and start exploring open dental hygienist opportunities in your area once approved.