Salaries / Dental Hygienist
Healthcare · SOC 29-1292
Dental Hygienist salary
Dental hygienists clean teeth, examine patients for oral disease, and educate them on oral health, usually in dental offices.
Median annual
$87,000
Median hourly
$41.80
Typical range
$65,000 to $109,000
Source: National estimate (to be replaced by live BLS data). Figures are gross pay and vary by location, employer, and experience.
The pay range, visually.
Low end (about the 10th percentile), median, and high end (about the 90th percentile).
By state, at a glance
These at-a-glance figures are estimates derived from the national median and a state wage index, shown to give a rough sense of local differences. Pick any state (here or in the selector above) to look up its real figures.
Your skills are a business
Ideas we have for people in healthcare.
The same experience that earns a paycheck as a dental hygienist can start a business. Here are real ideas from our marketplace that fit this field.
Start a Dental Therapy Practice
Practice as a mid-level dental provider delivering fillings, extractions of certain teeth, and preventive care in states that license dental therapists, bringing care to communities dentists do not reach.
Build a Daily Dental Photo Coaching App
A consumer app that scores smartphone photos of your teeth and gums over time, plaque buildup and gum redness heatmaps, streak-free habit support, and a visual record that makes the six months between cleanings visible instead of a mystery.
HIPAA Compliance Platform Built for Dental Practice Owners
A compliance platform shaped around how a dental office actually runs: practice management software on a back-office server, imaging workstations tied to sensors and scanners, a lab and a clearinghouse touching patient data, and nobody on staff whose job is technology.
Start an AI Answering Service for Medical and Dental Practices
Deploy and manage HIPAA-eligible AI voice agents that handle patient calls for medical, dental, and specialty practices: scheduling, refill requests, insurance questions, after-hours coverage, and reminders. This is an agency model on existing healthcare voice platforms, sold on a setup fee plus monthly retainer, where knowing HIPAA is the moat competitors avoid.
You could hire dental hygienists, not just be one.
We have a staffing calculator to price the work and a full course on how to start a staffing agency, so you can turn a field you already know into a business that puts other people to work.