Your Hygienist Just Got a $5K Raise Offer. From Where?

Your Hygienist Just Got a $5K Raise Offer. From Where?

Staffing shortages in dental got worse in January 2025, not better. Hygienist turnover hit 18 percent across markets with over 100,000 people. That's not a stat. That's your next hire walking out the door.

Here's the trap: DSOs and established practices are now offering hygienists $65-75 per hour plus benefits. Your 10-chair practice can't match that structurally. You're not going to win on salary.

So what changed? Labor got tight. Four hygienists graduated for every five who left in 2024. Dental schools tightened admissions because applicants dropped. You're competing against consolidators with HR budgets and benefits packages your practice can't clone.

What actually works: Flexibility on scheduling. Hygiene-only days. Profit sharing tied to production, not hours. And here's the one thing they can't offer easily: you. The owner doing hygiene on Tuesday or taking cases your hygienists don't want.

If you're losing team members to salary alone, you've already lost the game.