More on dental hygienist salaries: Are you willing to grow yourself to grow your paycheck?

Our industry is currently buzzing about a deflate debate … and I’m not referring to the Super Bowl! Our post last week on the numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics initiated more controversy than the Go Daddy commercial pulled from its potential showing for the Super Bowl!

If you missed that salary post, allow me to bring you up to date. The annual income and hourly wage for dentists, dental hygienists, and dental assistants in our 50 states was wrapped neatly in an average number bow and placed oh so quietly here online for us to view.

I’m thankful this has created engagement and constructive conversation! This average has given us a baseline to work with and, after all, isn’t that exactly what we do every day with our patients? We have baselines for their current state of oral health, which flow into services we either provide or treatment that we recommend out of our scope of practice to improve or maintain health. To me, it is no different.

More from Anastasia: 3 things that have made me a better hygienist

Are the numbers deflated? I say heck yes! So let’s stop complaining and as the leaders in our profession, discuss some solutions. Sit down with an open mind and really reflect on what you bring to your profession for your practice and patients every hour of every workday. Here are some questions to get you started. How can I add value to the practice? For example, get local anesthesia certification, laser certified and integrate a comprehensive periodontal program, etc. View the video below for additional solutions to consider.

Once you discover what areas of professional development you can improve, write a plan of integration showing leadership and investment in the practice and be consistent with your message … the time for salary discussion will promptly arrive.

Yes, some of us may awaken by the realization that you may out grow your current state of average. DentalPost just launched a matchmaking service for dental professionals. Office culture, values, and skill sets are matched to nurture stronger dental teams and better service.

"I'm intimidated by the fear of being average." -- Taylor Swift

Ask yourself this question: What am I willing and able to do to impress how the average isn’t good enough for your current practice skill sets?