Hygienists at Aspen Dental can enjoy a rewarding career with tremendous growth potential through development programs, robust benefits and compensation packages, and state-of-the-art technology
Autumn Reid, RDH, BSDH, was working for another large dental organization when one of her colleagues left to join Aspen Dental. The news piqued her curiosity, so Reid reached out and asked about her motivation for the switch. Her answer? The opportunity for growth. Aspen Dental offers hygienists support no matter where they want to take their careers, so Reid decided to follow suit.
Reid started with Aspen as an associate hygienist in 2018, and within 6 months became a lead hygienist and trainer. Today, she’s territory manager of hygiene support in Georgia, where she works with hygienists in different offices every day, ensuring they have what they need to be productive and happy in their roles.
“My first stage goal was the territory manager position, so it was a big deal to me when I achieved it,” she said. “But I don’t see myself stopping. I still have a development plan with my mentor, and I definitely want to continue growing my career with Aspen.”
While she will certainly have the support and resources to continue on that journey, that isn’t the only benefit. Beyond stellar training and development programs, Aspen offers cutting-edge technology that empowers hygienists, and opportunities to participate in community outreach.
Aspen Values Hygienists
With over 1,000 offices across 44 states, Aspen provides benefits that smaller private practices cannot, such as strong, sustainable compensation packages with robust benefits and paid vacation and sick time, Reid noted. Everyone has an hourly salary, she said, but because Aspen Dental doctors “understand the specialized skill set hygienists bring to patient care, as well as their crucial impact on the business,” they are eligible for a profit share of the hygiene business at the end of each month.
“We’re all hearing about the recent spike in hygiene wages, but Aspen Dental hygienists have had the opportunity to earn higher wages for years based on monthly new patient satisfaction scores and doing what’s best for their patients,” Reid added.
State-of-the-Art Technology
Aspen hygienists have access to technology that makes their jobs easier and allows them to better serve their patients, Reid said. Examples are visible throughout the operatory, including digital intraoral scanners, large monitors where digital radiographs and scans can be projected for patient education, interactive patient communication tools, and voice-activated perio charting.
Support from Day One
Aspen offers support to hygienists at every level, and it starts as soon as they arrive. Every hygienist has 2 weeks of training that includes time with a mentor as well as virtual classes that connect them with other new hygienists. That kind of support continues throughout each person’s career with Aspen, whether they want to be stronger chairside or are interested in taking on leadership roles.
“When you work with a big company like Aspen, you get the brand benefit,” Reid said. “You get to grow your skills every day and have strong peer-to-peer relationships. And if you decide you want to go a step further and take on leadership roles beyond the chair, you have the support to do it.”
