"The Drama Behind the Dental Field: A Coordinator's Perspective"

Over the past two years, I have worked at a temp staffing agency in the heart of Center City Philadelphia, PA. This role was initially part of co-op program with my university; it was never meant to extend this long. But the hours fit my schedule, and I'd grown to love my team. The main portion of this job is for Dental staffing, which ranges from occupations such as Dentists, Hygienist, Dental Assistants, and even Office Managers. In addition to working with the staff, I also coordinate with offices. When they need to place an order or pay a bill, a quick phone call will do the trick.

Sounds simple enough, right? Wrong. During my time in this role I have learned that the Dental field is not as simple as clean teeth, getting a few pulled and braces. As we've seen in many occupations, supply and demand has had a significant impact on the field. When I first began, Hygienists rates ranged from $43-$45/hr, if you were in a specialty, MAYBE $47/hr. But in just two years, this has jumped to $50-$55/hr, or $60 if the office is desperate.

From a staffing perspective this is a difficult concept to grasp. Yes, the wages have changed, but the work itself has not. With that being said, it makes your license all the more valuable. This does not just apply to Hygienists, either. In 2021, the best Dentists were making $80/hr, temping a couple times a week. Now the baseline is about $100/hr. How do offices respond to this? Not always well. There are so many layers to this - for offices, insurance rates have not changed either. But patients still require the same procedures. It means either dipping into your pocket and supplementing whatever insurance does not cover, or risk not having coverage and losing patients altogether.