Career change for a dental hygienist
You guys, I hated being a dental hygienist.
Hated. With. An. H.
I know that’s a strong sentiment, but in comparison, I would rather eat liver and onions without ketchup than to report to work as a dental hygienist.
When I did my inner work as I was looking to pivot, I realized that I had some amazing strengths from my career as a dental hygienist. I loved helping people. I hated the bullshit that went along with the job. Produce more. Sell, sell, sell. Bend over backwards and create miracles. Complete 2 quads of deep scaling when you were only given time for a prophy. Sell fluoride to everyone because your naggy boss overspent on a CAD/CAM machine.
Blah. Blah. Freakin’ blah.
Non clinical jobs for dental hygienists
When I was dreaming about a way out of dental hygiene I started researching “career change for dental hygienists” every stinkin’ day!
Here’s some of the non clinical jobs for dental hygienists that I found.
- Education
- Curriculum design
- Sales management
- Orofacial myofunctional therapist
- Leadership
- Technology
- Dental influencer
- Consultant
- Researcher
- Dental practice management
- Remote insurance verification and claims support
- Working for an insurance carrier
- OSHA
None of them sounded exciting to me. And in all of them I would have been working for someone else. That ship had sailed. I knew that I was done breaking my back to build someone else’s dream! I kept coming back to orofacial myofunctional therapy because I saw the possibility. I felt excited as I dreamt of starting my own business. It was building on top of the skills that I already had!
How to make a career change from a dental hygienist to something else
A career change for dental hygienists is going to vary in effort, expense and duration!
Specifically, I’m going to discuss my career change from a full time dental hygienist to an orofacial myofunctional therapist.
The career change was pretty easy. I made an investment in a training program that was going to last 12 weeks. During the time I was in my training, I was already actively working on building my business. I had to figure everything out myself since my training overwhelmingly under-delivered on quality and content, but it was just enough to get started.
(This is also why you can rest assured that the Ditch Hygiene Academy massively over-delivers. It was so frustrating to take a course that left you wondering “WTF happens now” when you were done.)
I started my training in January and by May I was making money!
Myofunctional therapy is a natural transition for a dental hygienist
The skills that you learn as a myofunctional therapist are an extension of the work that you do as a dental hygienist.
Also, the American Dental Hygienist Association lists myofunctional therapy in the scope of practice for a dental hygienist.
You are already helping your patients have improved oral health and sleep, so your career as a myofunctional therapist just takes that a step further!
You can get started educating your patients as you go through your training program. We teach about this and practice extensively inside the Ditch Hygiene Academy. It’s a very easy transition because you’re talking with patients daily, updating their medical histories and helping them improve their oral health, screening for grinding, snoring and sleep apnea concerns.
Benefits of transitioning to a career as a myofunctional therapist
The benefits of transitioning to a career as a myofunctional therapist are many! I’m going to share some of the benefits that I’ve experienced, but I’m sure there are others. It really just depends upon what your grievances are with dental hygiene or what your goals are for the future!
Benefits of becoming a myofunctional therapist are:
- Increase in earnings
- Geographic freedom with an online practice
- Building my own future
- Choosing my own hours
- No commuting to work
- Increase in job satisfaction
Those are just the ones that I find from my POV, but you might simply be aching to be a more present, less stressed out mom. Or have time to volunteer in your child’s classroom! My children are raised and gone, but I do focus on being a great partner by making sure I’m not working evenings and weekends. The super exciting thing is…that YOU get to decide what your ideal day looks like!
I hope this helps you if you have been searching for “career change for dental hygienists” too! If you would like to visit about my journey, I would love that! Plus we can see if the Ditch Hygiene Academy aligns with your goals and dreams! You can make that appointment here.
😘
P.S. Have you read my article on Why I Left Dental Hygiene? It’s a surefire way to get you exciting for your upcoming journey into myofunctional therapy.
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About the Author, Carmen M. Woodland
Carmen is a powerhouse myofunctional educator, whose “secret sauce” is teaching women how to build their own, incredibly satisfying career in myofunctional therapy. She is obsessed with all things myo, myofunctional therapy business, marketing, social media, content, data, revenue, goals, and helping you navigate the messy and magical journey to becoming an authority in the myofunctional therapy niche.
She teaches you the tried and true secrets to building a career you’re in charge of, and one that’s life-changing for both you and your clients.
Shy away from the hard stuff? No way, Carmen gets down in the trenches with you, just like your favorite gal-pal there to cheer you on. Her no-nonsense-tough-love-common-sense-solutions-oriented approach is the real reason that she gives you the kick in the pants you need. Carmen is your one-stop shop to learn everything you need to know about delivering effective orofacial myofunctional therapy, and building a thriving, profitable myofunctional therapy business.
A dental hygienist who got tired of watching unhealthy people slip through the cracks. She took her 15 years of dental hygiene experience, completed advanced post-graduate training in orofacial myofunctional therapy, earned a prestigious M.B.A. (Masters in Business Administration), grew a successful orofacial myofunctional therapy business, and now she works from home with clients around the world and runs an extremely popular mentoring and business training program.
If you find your passion intersection at the corner of Myofunctional Therapy Avenue, Dental Hygiene Highway, Female Entrepreneur Boulevard, and Work From Anywhere Way…then get cozy here, because you’ve found your unicorn! Carmen is here to educate, encourage, and empower you while she teaches you all the things!
