I want to be a dental hygienist but all I hear is horror stories about how horrible dentists are to work for.?

Are all dentists jerks? Also, do dental hygienists receive health benefits?

I want to be a dental hygienist but all I hear is horror stories about how horrible dentists are to work for.?
Not all dentists are "jerks" although I've heard much worse. You should realize that the patients that are seen at the dental office are "his or her" patients, not yours. They come to the office for treatment based on the dentist knowledge of dentistry, his compassion, and their trust in him. So he/she may or may not deserve to be a "jerk" at times. Most of these employees who have referred to their boss negatively, would never dare to admit that they did something wrong or over stepped their boundaries causing their dentist boss to reprimand them. I think it’s the same with any job that has a boss. Although, everyone has their good and their bad days, so who is to really say?





One huge factor you might want to consider is that as a hygienist you will work without constant supervision through the most part of your time with each patient. Although this may have draw backs, you must be a “good” hygienist; otherwise you will be under the gun all day long and won't last too long with a good dentist. Doctors do not like to have to do your work for you because you missed a piece of calculus or tartar which makes them "need" to check your work more thoroughly with every patient. Unlike an assistant who must work hand in hand with the dentist and must have the personality to work well with him and his patients, along with keeping an eye on placing the patients concerns, fears, questions “first above all else.”





Insurance will usually depend on how many employees there are at a given office and if they are full time or part time employee‘s. Full time is considered to be a “four” day work week for most practices. The employees are a deciding factor for most dentists since more and more of them are demanding health insurance for themselves and their families. It is also good to have as an incentive when hiring new employees. Most all do "offer" it, but you pay for it usually at a reduced price based on the insurance that is offered and the plan needed. It is something to be concerned with at any age; everybody gets sick at some time in their life.





Most all dental work is usually taken care of by the doctor with charges only for lab fees. If an employee has dental insurance it is usually accepted as payment for services by most dentist.





I hope that I've been of some help and not scared you away from dental work! It's a wonderful position that you can be proud of, which offers you the opportunity to make a difference with so many patients’ lives. Good luck with your future plans in dentistry.





Additional information: Asking a question such as this one, will get a lot of negative responses as any job would. Not everyone "likes or loves" their boss no matter what type of work they do. It's up to you to have a positive attitude, find a doctor that you think you can work well with, negotiate your package or benefits prior to accepting a position, try several days of work just as a "fill in" person to see what the office and dentist are like, you may not like the other employees either. You will get a lot of different remarks about the dentist and other employees from prospective co-workers; don't base your entire opinion on just one person’s comments though. As in any job, you have to find your nitch, even if it takes you several years to do it. Your main concern should be in learning your chosen career and be satisfied with that. A lot of negative remarks are from people who were dissatisfied with their job, not just their employer. Find out for your self and make your own decisions.
Reply:yes they are all jerks. And usually they are offered benefits.
Reply:Yes they are complete jerks.





Benefits depends on the office setup. Sometimes the hygienists are considered sub-contractors and not employees, so there would be no benefits offered.
Reply:I have worked for 3 dentists and only one was a jerk. You just have to find the right office. As far as benefits go...most offices (not all) only have you 2-3 days a week and have multiple hygienists to rotate during the full work week. I think this is partially due to paying benefits out. So even though they always have one in the office for 4-5 days/week....usually you only get 2-3 days of work because of job share.
Reply:It is very hard to find a good dentist to work for. At the office that I worked for we did not receive health benefits but at the second office that I worked at the dentist was great to work for and she paid a percent of our health insurance. You could always ask if you could come in and observe the office and see what you think of the dentist. We had a girl do that. Good luck with what you decide to do.
Reply:I've worked for several dentists in my time in dental offices. Really it's all a matter of weather or not your personalities clash. And being a hygienist, you don't actually work with the dentist all day as the assistants do. That's where most of the stress can come from. Usually the hygienist will stay in her room all day seeing patient after patient as the doctor comes in to do the exams, and that's about it.





Depending on what the office policy is you could in fact receive benifits, especially if you are the full time hygienist. And not all offices have more than one, but busier offices might. Usually your doctor will do any dental work you need and may cut a deal where he/she will pay a certain amount of your health insurance. These are things you want to look for and ask during your interview to be sure this is the office you really want to be in. I've even heard of hygienists finding new jobs by going through a temp agency and they were covering for someone who, say, is on leave for pregnancy, but decided they didn't want to return...and that office offered the temp hygienist a job. So long as she really liked the place...





I do have to say that all dentists have their quirks....





First dentist I ever worked for was INSANE!!! Not to mention he was japanese...and talked like a total fruitcake.... he would go through our personal belongings, pull out a tampon and start walking around the office trirling it around and later dipped it into a glass of water to "see how obsorbant it was". hmm... what else, oh yes, and he had the nerve to actually as me if my blood (on my period) was a pretty color red, because his mom's is... Later he explains that he can get away with saying certain things around women because he's "just like one of the girls"... yet he specifically claims that he's "not a fa*got"...I could go on all day with stories..So first dentist, a bit of an identity issue...but I dealt with it...he also got sued by 2 employees..





Second dentist: My first day there he brings a people magazine over and has a page with Jennifer Aniston on it and talks about how hot she is... He's kind of like one of those guys that's entering his 40's and still wants to think he's cool. Yes, he's a buff good looking guy, but man he has lady issues. Not to mention going through his second divorce with a 2 year old. So this one was kind of an egomaniac..





Another dentist: Kind of getting to be old. Can't hear out of his left ear and mumbles when he talks, yet he yells at YOU when you mumble. So these combinations of things create problems. When he asks you for something and he talks so low that you can't hear him and you ask him to repeat himself, but he doesn't hear you say that...there's an awkward silence of you looking at him, him looking at you like "aren't you gonna get it???".... That's stressfull, but lucky for hygienists... you wouldn't have to deal with him all day long...





Current Dentist: So awesome. Finally someone I can actually relate to. My boss is a woman dentist and the whole vibe of the office is completely different that anywhere I've ever been. She's very aware of what's going on, calm, easy to talk to, and is like a completely normal person. We all have a lot of fun, joke around, and talk about normal things. It just took time to find a place I can feel comfortable in and not have to feel like I'm being fake and acting like I'm someone else just to fit in.





So no, not all dentists are jerks! It just takes the right combination of personalities to make the office run smoothly. It might take some time to find that, but hey it took me 4 years to find my home. It'll take lots of patience but eventually you'll survive it. ;)
Reply:I have been a hygienist for 19 years and was a dental assistant for 10 years prior to that....I have work in 3 different states and my experience is that dentist are wierd people. Most of them have no "people skills", much less any ability to manage a staff. Dental schools don't seam to teach students how to manage people....how to motivate their staff.. I have worked for men who think that the paycheck is all the thanks anyone needs. I have worked for men who had sexually explicit pictures hanging in the lab. I have worked for a women pediatric dentist who regularly worked us through our lunch hour (without pay) and then the one time we might finish at 5 minutes til 12:00 and she says "Does everyone have something to do?" I have worked for dentist who's office was next door to another dental office. The girls from both offices were friends but the dentists did not like each other. One of the dentist told his staff they were NOT allowed to go to lunch with the other girls!! I have never had ANY benefits or paid days off at any of the offices I have worked in. I have worked for dentist who expected their hygienist and/or assistants to miss or be late to any events their children might be in..like a soccer match. We were suppose to get off at 5:00 but he thought nothing of keeping us there until 6:00pm! He said we just shouldn't plan on attending any "after school" events!! But then he would cancel an entire day of work to travel out of town to attend his children's events AND not pay us. Don't tell me that it is the staff's fault or personality differences. Dentist are the most egotistical and cheap people I have ever meet!! If you go into the hygiene career, ALSO ask for a working interview. I have been interviewed by dentist who seemed nice until you go to work for them. Also, be wary of dentist with lots of turnover.

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