Dental Assistant to Dental Hygienist: How to Make the Move

Key Takeaways

• Dental assistants can advance to a dental hygienist career by completing an accredited dental hygiene program, passing the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination, and passing their state’s clinical licensing exam.

• The transition from dental assisting to dental hygiene usually takes an additional 2-4 years of schooling and preparation, making it important to financially and mentally prepare for the journey.

• Dental assisting experience can make the transition into dental hygiene less daunting, but it’s important not to underestimate the challenging nature of the switch.

• While making the move, dental professionals can continue searching for assisting work to build their experience, expand their network, and financially support the transition.

Why More Dental Assistants Are Exploring Hygiene

More and more dental assistants are considering the dental hygienist route due to the increased earning potential, the opportunity for professional growth, and the similar nature of the work. For dental assistants interested in expanding their skill set and advancing their careers, dental hygiene is a viable and realistic next step with the experience they already have in patient care, office workflows, and clinical environments.

Becoming a dental hygienist comes with a higher earning potential, expanded responsibilities, increased schedule flexibility, and long-term career growth. Dental hygienists are also in high demand, with a strong career outlook, making now a great time to pursue a career in the field.

Whether it’s a dental assistant to dental hygienist bridge program or your own preferred route, there are many options available for making the switch to a potentially more fulfilling long-term career.

What the Transition Actually Requires

The transition from dental assisting to dental hygiene is rigorous, requiring further education, two to four years of additional training, and further licensing requirements. Although the general roadmap is similar, requirements vary from state to state, so early research is important for understanding the necessary steps.

Typically, the transition to dental hygiene from assisting requires the following steps:

• Accredited hygiene program – A dental hygiene route requires that you complete a program accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA).
• Clinical training – Clinical training is crucial to your path to a dental hygienist career and to ensuring you have the skills necessary to meet the day-to-day requirements of the role.
• Passing the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination (NBDHE) – The NBDHE is a 350-question exam that tests knowledge of core aspects of dental hygiene, required for anyone seeking to become a practicing dental hygienist.
• State Licensing – You will need to complete your state licensing exam, meet your state dental board’s additional requirements, and any continuing education requirements.

Overall, navigating the steps in this transition requires hard work and dedication. Programs can be competitive, timelines can be lengthy, and balancing school with work or personal responsibilities can be difficult. It’s important that you set your expectations appropriately so you are adequately prepared for the challenge.

How Assisting Experience Can Strengthen Applications

Dental assisting experience can be incredibly valuable for transitioning into a dental hygienist position. The experience gained in this role can strengthen dental school applications and help assistants stand out to dental practices seeking reliable candidates after graduation.

Transferable skills include:

• Patient communication
• Chairside efficiency
• Practice teamwork
• Familiarity with dental procedures and terminology

These skills give assistants a window into what a career path as a hygienist is like, positioning them for success. This prior experience and foundational knowledge can make schooling, the clinical experience, and studying for the NBDHE feel far less daunting compared to applicants entering the field for the first time. While it’s important not to underestimate the difficulty of the transition and additional schooling, experienced dental assistants can feel more comfortable in their transition into dental hygiene programs.

What Makes Hygiene School More Challenging Than Expected

Hygiene school is particularly challenging for aspiring hygienists, as dental hygiene programs are rigorous and time-intensive. While dental assisting experience can be beneficial for your confidence and give you a leg up on foundational knowledge, the transition from dental assistant to dental hygiene is still not an easy one.

It’s important to be aware of the potential challenges that come with dental hygiene school so you can prepare and set yourself up for success.

Some of the biggest challenges include:

• Coursework: Dental hygiene coursework focuses on more comprehensive scientific concepts, requiring active participation during classes and rigorous study skills.
• Clinical work: Clinical commitments are often difficult for aspiring hygienists as they test skills and add to the difficult course load.
• Scheduling demands: Between schoolwork and clinical commitments, an aspiring hygienist's schedule is quite substantial, making it difficult to manage time and keep up with responsibilities.
• A lengthy timeline: Dental hygiene programs usually take two to four years of additional schooling, making for a long commitment.

The demands of dental hygiene school require steady discipline and mental fortitude. Recognizing these commitments upfront and learning from current hygienists can go a long way toward helping you mentally prepare for the challenge.

Important Preparation Tips

Considering the challenges involved in the long path to becoming a dental hygienist, it’s important to build an all-around infrastructure that gives you the foundation you need to keep up with the demands of schooling. Professionals must be able to manage not only their academic and professional responsibilities but also their personal, financial, mental, and emotional well-being.

Consider these steps to prepare:

• Build a strict schedule to manage your time and balance your studying, class load, and clinical work alongside your regular responsibilities.
• Budget your finances and consider picking up additional work to maintain financial stability while in school.
• Create a work-life balance by finding time for activities you enjoy to prevent burnout from school and clinical work.
• Lean on support systems like family, friends, and other social groups to offer emotional support while navigating your ongoing responsibilities.

Given the challenging journey to dental hygiene, it’s important to build a strong foundation. Having a strong financial and time management plan, as well as reliable support systems around you, is important to best equip you for that journey.

Building Experience While Preparing for Hygiene School

Both while preparing for school and while in school, gaining additional experience is incredibly valuable for supplementing your education and building a foundation to carry off of. Continuing to work in dental offices can also supplement your journey by helping you maintain an income to support your schooling and materials.

As you get closer to becoming a hygienist, picking up shifts in a variety of dental practices can help expand your skill set, improve your confidence, and build your network. The experience you have to build on only improves your resume and interview skills.

When preparing for the demands of a dental hygiene program, flexibility is everything. A dental staffing platform like Toothio helps you get a leg up, connecting you with opportunities in reputable dental practices and allowing you to pick up shifts on your terms. Dental assistants can simply browse available jobs and find shifts that align with their school schedules and pay preferences to keep building their experience.

Keeping Your Dental Career Moving Forward

Dental assistants have a slight leg up in advancing into a dental hygiene career thanks to their foundational experience working in dental practices, but moving from a dental assistant to dental hygienist role is still a challenge. By pursuing additional education and gaining experience in other practices, assistants can prepare for a successful transition.

Toothio empowers dental assistants to advance their careers by connecting dental professionals with both temporary and permanent work opportunities in reputable dental practices. Whether it’s picking up shifts as a dental assistant to support your career jump or to build your resume for future opportunities, the ability to work in a variety of practices positions dental professionals to gain a wide array of skills and feel especially prepared for their journey to becoming a dental hygienist.

Sign up with Toothio today to discover open dental assisting roles near you.