What the heck is a dental hygiene dream job?  Isn’t it supposed to be dental hygiene? 

For 5 years now, I’ve been pinching myself daily because I found out what a dental hygiene dream job is, and I found a way to pivot from dental hygiene into my dream job. Excitedly, now I’m living my dream life. 

Everyone has a different version of what is considered the dream life, but I’m going to share with you exactly how I pivoted from a bored dental hygienist into my 6-figure dream job…

(In one year, might I add, but that’s not my focus here, because the journey will be different for everyone.)

Perhaps you’ve been where I’ve been before.  Miserable at your job.  Grumpy about your boss. Dissatisfied with your paycheck. Or maybe just wondering “Really? Is this what I’m going to do for the rest of my life?” 🤷 🤷 🤷

That was me, for nearly every year of my dental hygiene career.  I was bored out of my mind scaling teeth, polishing, teaching flossing instruction, and bowing down to dentists who just wanted more, more, more.

(Blessed are those of you who had incredible bosses.  I’m jealous because I kept getting matched with the kooks at the bottom of the barrel.)

I had my initial exposure to myofunctional therapy years before, but it hadn’t really popped up on my radar again until I was googling “alternative careers for dental hygienists”.  No joke.  I googled it every which way I could.  I left no stone unturned.

Let me step back for a hot minute though and remind you that I had already tried to make a career pivot when I spent tens of thousands of dollars going to graduate school to earn my MBA (Masters in Business)…only to discover that I would take a huge leap backward as far as pay, and quite frankly I wasn’t a fan of beanie weenies, so that wasn’t gonna happen.

Back to googling ways that a dental hygienist could pivot into her dream job.  But, I needed to pay the bills and not be bored.

So myofunctional therapy kept popping up, and I kept circling back. At that point, I had about $100k invested in education and I really didn’t want to completely start over so I needed to be careful with my decision.

…..And then the stars and angels aligned one day, and for whatever reason, I heard a podcast that introduced me to Jenny Blake, author of Pivot.  Jenny was working a successful job for Google but just wasn’t feeling it, so she took her savings and created a “pivot runway” which she used to launch her dream job.  The pivot runway was the amount of money that she had saved and would be used to walk away from one job to build another.

I got her book, devoured it, and naturally found my way back to the opportunity of myofunctional therapy.  I finally understood what I loved and hated about dental hygiene and where my strengths and passions were.

So I cannonballed into the pool and eagerly worked to become the best therapist I could. 

I took more training to bring myself up to speed, launched my business (while it was still imperfect), and celebrated every little milestone.

What did I do to make such big leaps?  Well, just as I promised  I’m going to share exactly how I pivoted from a bored dental hygienist into my 6-figure dream job.

Shall we dive in?

Dental Hygiene Dream Job Pivot Step #1: Learn

First, figure out where you’re going to get your myofunctional education. This will be where you start.  There are lots of programs out there.  You just have to decide how you learn best and who you’d like to learn from. 

Who has accomplished what you desire to duplicate?

For example, when it comes to starting a myofunctional therapy business, do you truly want to build a business, or do you really just want to “dabble” with a side hustle?  The answer to these very different questions could yield you a very different answer.  Also, it is important to consider whether the person has done what you think they’ve done.

Let me unpack that for you..  

Is the person who is offering to “teach you the ropes” actually crushing it?  And is her version of “crushing it” the same as yours?  We all have a different currency on what matters, and for me as a business owner the brass tacks boil down to cold, hard cash and the bottom line.  (Now, I know it’s not all about money, but the bottom line and keeping the doors open IS all about money and what the profit and loss says….just before you get all spicy with me….)

With that said, maybe your currency is something different.  Either way, I think it’s important to discern if you want to learn from someone who has a hobby or from someone who has the numbers to support the “street cred”.

Numbers such as:

In the last year, my company has experienced a 126.09% increase in client exams and enjoyed a 76% conversion rate to a paying customer.  Also,  my company earned multiple 6-figures, enjoyed a growth rate of 146.18%, and came in $100,000+ over budget. 

How’s that for the facts?

I’m getting off track here, but the point is… YOU get to decide who you learn from!  Make it count!  Learn from someone who has already accomplished something that you want to accomplish!!

Dental Hygiene Dream Job Pivot Step

#2: Start

This is exactly what I did.  I asked myself every day,

Carmen, if someone called you today, what would you need to have in place to start working with that person?

I call this your minimum viable program.  When you’re launching your own MVP you will be getting all the basics in line and then starting…before you’re ready! 

Starting before you’re ready. 

Starting before you feel like you know everything.  And most definitely starting before you’ve got things perfect.

Yes, it’ll be scary!  Yes, it’ll make your pits sweaty.  Yes, it’ll be the bravest thing you’ve done!  Why?  Because those who successfully implement what they’ve learned, succeed.  

This is exactly why I created the Ignition Implementation Lab…to teach the MVP process…Because you’ve got to implement to ignite!! 🚀  (And it’s included in every one of my training programs up to this point!!)

Dental Hygiene Dream Job Pivot Step

#3: Circle Back

Once you’ve launched your MVP.  Once you’ve started before you’re ready.  Once you’ve said a cuss word or 10, you will circle back.

Circle back to see what new tasks you need to prioritize in the next week, two weeks or month to move the needle forward.

Circle back to see where you need to make connections or who else you can network with.

Circle back to make sure you’re setting up your systems and processes to make things easy long term.

Circle back to make sure you’re educating your audience so you can build your brand.

Circle back to see what skills you need to uplevel on.

Circle back.

Circle back.

Circle back.

Fun stuff, huh?

Those 3 steps are exactly how I’ve gotten to where I am today and how I pivoted into my dental hygiene dream job.

It’s possible for you too!

All it takes is some grit, grace, gumption and the belief in yourself that you can fly!!

I hope my story inspires you to stop wobbling on that “should I, or should I not” fence.  

Dream it.  Believe it. Manifest it.

🐝 Amazing,

P.S.  Want more…

Read: Bored Dental Hygienist: Find Your True Calling

Read: 5 Easy Steps To Start a Myofunctional Therapy Business & Say “Peace Out” To Your 9-5!

Read: 6 Steps To Starting a Myofunctional Therapy Business

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 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 myofunctional therapy business, and now she works from home with clients around the world and runs an extremely popular myo coaching 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!