The 2024 Dental Connections RDH Salary Survey is open. Please participate, it takes under 1 minute to complete. Responses are confidential and it is important data for offices and employees. Results available in February if we have enough participants. Thank you!!
2024 Dental Assistant Salary Survey is Live!
The 2024 Dental Connections Dental Assistant Salary Survey is open. Please participate, it takes under 1 minute to complete. Responses are confidential and it is important data for offices and employees. Results available in February if we have enough participants. Thank you!!
2023 Temps of the Year
As 2023 comes to an end, Dental Connections thanks all our wonderful temps for their hard work and dedication temping at our dental offices. We also want to recognize some exceptional people who consistently demonstrate high level communication, professionalism, and accountability with our Temp of the Year Awards. Congratulations to the dental professionals below!
Tacoma Office: Jackie Bridges, Laurie Apgar (RDHs) & Madison Sullivan, Lisa Dalebout (DAs)
Seattle Office: Aimee Sokol, Janelle Reimers (RDHs) & Stephen Martin, Ally Jenkins (DAs)
Bellevue Office: Angelina Betriani, Jolene Niemela (RDHs), Liana Zhulkanich (DA), Sue Halstrom (FO)
2023 Scholarship Winner
Lana Calipes is the recipient of the Dental Connections Dental Hygiene Scholarship. She is a 2nd year student at Lake Washington and receiving her license in July. We admire all of her hard work and determination to finish hygiene school. Congratulations Lana!
2022 Temps of the Year
As 2022 ends Dental Connections thanks all our wonderful temps for their hard work and dedication temping at our dental offices. We also want to recognize some exceptional people who consistently demonstrate high level communication, professionalism, and accountability with our Temp of the Year Awards. The winners are: Stephany Peraza, Kayley Wells, Nicole Nakanishi, Tramy Nguyen, Makenzie Orr (Dental Assistants) and Anh Nguyen, Nicole Fink, Anna Onewein, Ahmed Al Rubaye, Heidi Falla, Kelly Brediger (Dental Hygienists).
2022 Dental Assistant Salary Survey Results
2022 RDH Salary Survey Results
Dental Connections surveys local dental hygienists on an annual basis to produce accurate, comprehensive, and current statistics about their wages and benefits in dental offices. The answers to this survey are completely anonymous and provide the most up to date and accurate statistics available anywhere.
This survey combines ALL types of hygienists: traditional, accelerated, restorative, part-time, full-time, experienced, new grads, etc. Accelerated and restorative hygienists typically make more than traditional hygienists. Full-time workers receive better benefits than part-time workers. Take this into account while analyzing the statistics.
WA State and all the major counties had approximately 9% average wage increases across the board. Medical and retirement benefits also saw healthy increases.
The greater Seattle area is in its 7th year of an extreme shortage of hygienists. The Covid-19 pandemic made a bad situation even worse. There are cohorts of workers that have retired or not returned to the workforce altogether. The average age of workers has decreased dramatically. Years of experience dropped from 15.85 in 2020 to 9.58 in 2022. The workforce is much younger and the logical conclusion is baby boomer age retired in large numbers as a result of the pandemic.
This is the first year we have surveyed hourly wages for temporary jobs. Temp jobs typically pay more because of the high demand and no benefits. Offices that offer a high hourly rate for 1 day temp coverage do not necessarily pay that rate to a permanent employee with valuable full-time benefits.
Before determining whether an hourly rate is fair, consider all important factors: location, hygiene role performed, experience level, type of practice, and benefits (which can add approximately $5-$20/hour to the compensation package). Lastly, being satisfied in your job or with a loyal employee on a daily basis is always worth way more than a couple dollars an hour.
2022 RDH Salary and Benefits Survey is Live
Please take the 2022 RDH Salary Survey. We offer this survey annually and will compare year over year statistics. We will post results in December. Please click the link below. Takes 1-2 minutes 
.
2022 Scholarship Award Winner
Our 2022 scholarship award winner is Geizel Dayawan. She is beginning her 2nd year at Pima’s dental hygiene program in North Seattle. Geizel is a special person that has overcome a myriad of obstacles to make it this far. She graduated from Pima with a dental assisting certificate in 2007 and started pursuing dental hygiene pre-reqs in 2018. She was admitted to the hygiene program in 2020 only to learn a week later she had to withdraw for personal reasons. This was a major setback and for many it could have ended their pursuit altogether. Geizel took more pre-reqs at several community colleges eventually earning honor society status. She was re-admitted to Pima’s program against long odds and is graduating in Spring 2023.
In Geizel’s own words, “Even though I have faced a lot of trials and tribulations and had more setbacks than I can count, and I may not be where I want to be in life, my perseverance and motivation are getting me to where I need to be. Time has never been on my side; however, I am learning to trust it.”
Congratulations Geizel. You deserved this award, and we know you will be a credit to the hygiene profession for many years to come.
New Grad Season
Congratulations to the hygiene class of 2022 at all of our schools in Washington. Some new grads from Pima have already received their licenses and are temping right now! Other programs have graduation this month and many students still have a board or two left. Expect the bulk of the licenses to arrive mid to late July.
This week Dental Connections attended the LWIT career fair for hygienists. Shanan Salado and Tammy Smith connected with many of the students and hopefully will be placing them in offices soon.
