Registered Dental Hygienist

Laing Family Dentistry has proudly served the Van Wert community for four generations since 1939. Our practice is built around treating patients like family and practicing the Golden Rule in everything we do. While our history goes back more than 90 years, our approach to dentistry is anything but old-fashioned. We continually invest in modern technology, advanced procedures, continuing education, and new ways to make dentistry more comfortable and convenient for our patients. Over the past five years, our team has experienced practically zero turnover while continuing to grow to meet patient demand. Our team is warm, collaborative, hardworking, and passionate about caring for our community.

About the Role

Our Dental Hygienists are an important part of our patients’ overall healthcare experience and play a significant role in building the long-term relationships our practice is known for. This is more than “cleaning teeth.” We want our hygienists to evaluate the whole patient, educate them about their oral health, identify potential concerns, communicate findings with our doctors, and help patients understand the importance of recommended treatment. We want someone who takes ownership of their schedule and patient care, enjoys building relationships, and takes pride in providing a 5-star experience. Our hygienists work closely with our doctors and clinical team while having the independence and trust to use their education and clinical judgment within their scope of practice. We also believe that great teams help one another. We do not believe in the phrase “that’s not my job.” While your primary responsibility is providing exceptional hygiene care, we expect every team member to be willing to step in and help elsewhere when needed.

Responsibilities

• Comprehensive Patient Care
  • Provide thorough prophylaxis and periodontal maintenance appointments
  • Perform periodontal charting and comprehensive periodontal assessments
  • Identify signs of periodontal disease and communicate findings clearly to patients and doctors
  • Perform scaling and root planing when indicated
  • Take appropriate diagnostic radiographs
  • Review medical histories and identify relevant changes or concerns
  • Perform intraoral examinations and communicate potential areas of concern to the doctor
  • Take intraoral photographs and utilize available diagnostic technology
  • Apply fluoride and other preventive treatments as appropriate
  • Educate patients regarding oral hygiene, periodontal health, preventive care, and home-care techniques
  • Maintain accurate, detailed, and timely clinical documentation
• Patient Experience
  • Build genuine, long-term relationships with patients
  • Make patients feel comfortable, welcomed, and respected throughout their appointments
  • Communicate in a way that is educational without being judgmental
  • Help anxious patients feel comfortable receiving dental care
  • Explain periodontal conditions and recommended treatment in a language the patients can understand
  • Help patients understand the connection between oral health and overall health
  • Provide the level of hospitality and attention to detail expected from a 5-star practice
• Treatment & Doctor Collaboration
  • Communicate clinical findings effectively with our doctors
  • Help identify restorative, periodontal, and other potential treatment needs
  • Provide the doctor with an organized summary of findings before or during the hygiene examination
  • Reinforce treatment recommendations and answer patient questions within the hygienist’s scope
  • Help patients understand why the recommended treatment is important rather than simply telling them what needs to be scheduled
  • Work with the clinical and administrative teams to help patients successfully move forward with necessary care
• Technology & Continued Learning
  • Be comfortable learning and utilizing the technology available within our practice, which may include:
    • Digital radiography
    • Intraoral photography
    • Intraoral scanning
    • CBCT imaging when appropriate
    • Electronic clinical documentation
    • Patient education technology
    • Other new technologies and systems as they are introduced
  • Participate in continuing education and remain open to learning new techniques, materials, technology, and approaches to patient care
• Supporting the Team
  • Turn over treatment rooms
  • Sterilize instruments
  • Stock clinical supplies
  • Assist another clinical team member
  • Help with patient flow
  • Answer a phone or help a patient when necessary
  • Complete projects, training, or other practice responsibilities

Requirements

• Graduate of an accredited dental hygiene program
• Current and active Ohio Dental Hygienist License
• Current CPR/BLS certification
• Ability to perform dental radiography in accordance with Ohio requirements
• Ability to meet all applicable Ohio State Dental Board requirements for the duties performed
• Willingness to maintain all required licenses, certifications, and continuing education

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous clinical dental hygiene experience
• Experience diagnosing and treating periodontal disease within the hygienist’s scope of practice
• Experience with periodontal charting, scaling and root planing, and periodontal maintenance
• Experience with digital radiography and intraoral photography
• Experience with intraoral scanning and other digital dental technology
• Familiarity with dental practice-management software and electronic charting
• Local anesthesia certification/qualification in Ohio is strongly preferred
• Additional certifications and advanced training are a plus

New graduates are welcome to apply. We understand that clinical confidence develops with experience. For the right person, we are willing to invest time in training, mentorship, and helping you become an exceptional clinician. We care about your clinical skills, but we care just as much about your attitude, communication, dependability, professionalism, and willingness to continue growing.

Skills

The right hygienist for our practice is someone who:

• Takes pride in providing excellent clinical care
• Genuinely enjoys getting to know patients
• Is friendly, positive, and professional
• Is dependable and accountable
• Has excellent communication skills
• Is organized and attentive to detail
• Is comfortable educating patients and discussing periodontal disease
• Wants to continue improving clinically
• Accepts coaching and feedback well
• Enjoys working as part of a team
• Is willing to help wherever needed
• Wants to find a practice where they can grow and stay for years

Pay

• Hourly Pay: $30-32/hr, competitive starting rate based on experience, qualifications, skill set, and interview performance
• Bonuses: Correlated with practice and performance metrics. The bonuses split amongst our staff in 2025 totaled over $40,000

Schedule

• Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: 7:45 AM–5:00 PM, with the choice of an unpaid lunch from 12:00–1:00 PM
• Wednesdays: Typically off unless additional hours are needed for training, meetings, or project completion

Benefits

• 401(k) with 4% match after 1 year on the team
• Unlimited unpaid PTO as long as the job description is being fulfilled
• 1 week paid vacation after the first 6 months
• 2 weeks paid vacation after 1 year, with the ability to accumulate up to 4 weeks depending on years on the team
• 4 paid personal days after 1 year
• 7 paid holidays when they fall on regularly scheduled workdays: New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day
• $75 annual uniform budget
• Employee dental care provided free of charge
• Immediate family receives a 50% discount on dental care
• Predeclared and approved extended family receives a 25% discount on dental care (all dental benefit cases must be approved by the owner doctor before proceeding with the discount)