Brecca Yates (left) helps guide dental student Kaylee Andrews through a crown prep exercise at Northshore Dental Assisting Academy on April 9 in Everett. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

Brecca Yates (left) helps guide dental student Kaylee Andrews through a crown prep exercise at Northshore Dental Assisting Academy on April 9 in Everett. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

Dental staffing shortages are more than a pain in the mouth

With hundreds of open hygienist and assistant positions statewide, local dentists are short-handed.

EVERETT — Inside mouths, dentists say, it’s an ugly scene these days as wary patients return. Cracked teeth, cavities and gum disease after months of pandemic stress, shoddy hygiene and poor diets. The bad brushing isn’t the only problem.

At the same time, staffing shortages are leaving dentists overwhelmed and undermanned.

At All Smiles Northwest on Colby Avenue, owner and dentist Michelle Steinhubel said she lost two employees from causes related to the pandemic. Since then, she’s juggled staffing, but it often means long days, short lunches and patients waiting for open appointments.

The jobs aren’t easy to fill. Hygienists and assistants are highly skilled positions. A hygienist needs a bachelor’s degree and years of training in a clinical setting. Dental assisting has fewer academic qualifications but still requires licenses and education that takes months.

Candidates can’t be hired off the street, Steinhubel said.

“It seems like an ever-decreasing pool of applicants that actually apply for the job,” she said.

Dentist Amy Norman said trying to fill an assistant opening at her Everett office has felt like six months of fishing in a lake with no fish.

Last June, Norman detailed the meticulous safety measures implemented at the clinic to continue seeing patients. Ten months later, she said, staffing shortages are the new crisis.

Students and instructors work on a crown prep exercise at Northshore Dental Assisting Academy on April 9 in Everett. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

Students and instructors work on a crown prep exercise at Northshore Dental Assisting Academy on April 9 in Everett. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

“We are getting spread really thin, there is a lot of fatigue,” Norman said.

Already down one position, Norman said she schedules selectively and pays the travel costs of an assistant who commutes from Spokane to work three days at a time.

“A lot of the things we do in a dental office require four hands, so if I don’t have those extra two hands, I’m not able to do it by myself,” she said.

A survey released in February by the state’s dental hygienist and dental association outlined the significant demand. More than 900 open hygienist positions were reported statewide with only about 220 hygienists actively seeking employment. Dental assisting had more than 1,100 openings and fewer than 200 qualified folks in search of a job.

Bracken Killpack, executive director of the Washington State Dental Association, said local clinics are at the epicenter of the shortage.

“It is an issue we are seeing across the board, but it is particularly pronounced in Snohomish and King counties,” Killpack said.

On average, hygienist jobs are open for more than four months before being filled, and assistant positions are open for about three and a half months.

Shannon Cole knows the need well. As the co-founder and staffing director of Dental Temps Staffing Solutions in Arlington, Cole assists more than 450 dental offices in the Puget Sound area and beyond to find stand-in professionals.

Despite having more than 300 qualified temporary employees to deploy, Cole said, there are over 150 open positions she still can’t cover.

“We can’t fulfill more than half of our orders,” she said. “If we filled all our orders it would bring in $5 million a year.”

Cole said 1,600 temps have not returned to work following pandemic closures citing safety concerns, kids to educate at home, taking another job or reaping unemployment benefits.

Northshore Dental Assisting Academy students take x-rays during class April 9 in Everett. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

Northshore Dental Assisting Academy students take x-rays during class April 9 in Everett. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

Dental Temps Staffing Solutions began a marketing campaign and offered incentives, signing bonuses and hazard pay to attract hygienists and assistants — to no avail. Cole said the staffing agency has about 90 open hygienist positions and 40 or so assistant jobs.

In downtown Everett, Cynthia Curtis owns and instructs at the Northshore Dental Assisting Academy. For almost two decades, the school has instructed fledgling aides in a four-month program preparing them for work.

Curtis said she is in constant communication with dentists trying to find jobs for students. Of late, she’s hearing of low wages or poor benefits keeping assistants away from the field.

“We saw a lot of people bail and they used COVID as their out,” Curtis said. “I think they forgot that they had been working in someone’s mouth for 18 or 20 years.”

In a rigorous line of work, Curtis said, assistants want to be paid what they are worth, or they opt for a less challenging profession. More than half the former students Curtis hears from after interviews report an issue with the compensation they are offered, she said.

Earlier this month, about a dozen students rehearsed molds, impressions, X-rays and more at the academy.

Brecca Yates, an instructor with the school, maneuvered between manikin heads reclined in dentist chairs, offering advice and support. When class isn’t in session, Yates is a dental assistant in a Mukilteo office where, she said, short-staffing means missed breaks and running around a lot more.

“We are definitely getting put a little bit behind,” she said. “We are having to know how to be quicker on our feet and think faster and be more on top of things.”

Patient care remains the priority, Yates said, including fitting patients in on days when appointments are all booked up. Even on the longest days, Yates said, she feels taken care of at the office.

Fellow instructor Kaitlyn Doohan said she switched dental assisting jobs at the beginning of the pandemic to find a more accommodating office. As a newer assistant, she desired training and proper attention that can be difficult to find.

Flash cards and dental tools sit on a table at Northshore Dental Assisting Academy on April 9 in Everett. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

Flash cards and dental tools sit on a table at Northshore Dental Assisting Academy on April 9 in Everett. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

“I think it has been challenging for students to find that home,” Doohan said. “There is a bigger expectation out of assistants and more responsibility that comes with that.”

Dental assisting student Perla Galvan, 22, said she’s heard of staffing shortages and poor pay impacting the profession, but she wasn’t swayed away from the field. COVID-19 was a concern, but her will to learn was greater.

“The pandemic will get in control, but my career’s not going to stop,” she said.

In May, Galvan will complete her coursework and enter the field. She wants an employer who values the work she does and is willing to pay accordingly.

At the practice Steinhubel has owned since 2005, she said, some young applicants are expecting pay typical of a 15- or 20-year veteran of the field. It creates a challenge for dentists who are still recovering from last year’s closure.

“You sometimes have to let really qualified applicants go, because you literally can’t afford them,” she said.

Norman also said she is paying some positions much more than she was five years ago or offering signing bonuses.

Rising wages are an issue across the industry, Killpack said.

“With a very scarce supply (of job candidates), one of the only options employers have to get someone is to increase salary,” he said. “It becomes unsustainable to pay the salaries that the market is commanding right now.”

The extra cost could be passed on to patients.

Dentists also warn of longer wait times for routine check-ups and challenges freeing time for emergency work as staffing shortages continue to limit the patients that can be seen.

“We don’t want to compromise the care we give patients,” Steinhubel said.

Ian Davis-Leonard: 425-339-3448; idavisleonard@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @IanDavisLeonard.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Olivia Vanni / The Herald 
The Mukilteo Lighthouse. Built in 1906, it’s one of the most iconic landmarks in Snohomish County.
The Mukilteo Lighthouse. Built in 1906, it’s one of the most iconic landmarks in Snohomish County. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Mukilteo mayor vetoes council-approved sales tax

The tax would have helped pay for transportation infrastructure, but was also set to give Mukilteo the highest sales tax rate in the state.

Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring gives the state of the city address at the Marysville Civic Center on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024, in Marysville, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Marysville council approves interim middle housing law

The council passed the regulations to prevent a state model code from taking effect by default. It expects to approve final rules by October.

x
State audit takes issue with Edmonds COVID grant monitoring

The audit report covered 2023 and is the third since 2020 that found similar issues with COVID-19 recovery grant documentation.

Bothell
Bothell man pleads guilty to sexual abuse of Marysville middle schoolers

The man allegedly sexually assaulted three students in exchange for vapes and edibles in 2022. His sentencing is set for Aug. 29.

Larsen talks proposed Medicaid cuts during Compass Health stop in Everett

Compass Health plans to open its new behavioral health center in August. Nearly all of the nonprofit’s patients rely on Medicaid.

Everett
Judge sentences man, 73, for intending to have sex with ‘teen’ in Everett

The Arizona man sent explicit images to an agent posing as a 13-year-old. Investigators found images of child sexual abuse on his phone.

State’s draft of climate action plan open for public comment

Residents can submit public comments or climate-related stories online through Aug. 22.

Community members gather for the dedication of the Oso Landslide Memorial following the ten-year remembrance of the slide on Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Oso Landslide Memorial in Oso, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
The Daily Herald garners 6 awards from regional journalism competition

The awards recognize the best in journalism from media outlets across Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.

The Edmonds School Board discusses budget cuts during a school board meeting on Tuesday, April 15, 2025 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Edmonds school board approves 2025-26 budget

After facing an estimated $8.5 million shortfall earlier in the year, the board passed a balanced budget Tuesday.

A wall diagram shows the “journey of the ballot” at the new Elections Center on Tuesday, July 9, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
County Auditor: No need for feds to meddle with state or local elections

Garth Fell’s comments were in response to a report of Justice Department mulling criminal charges against election officials.

Edmonds Police Chief Loi Dawkins speaks after the city council approved her appointment on Tuesday, July 8, 2025 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Edmonds City Council confirms new police chief

Assistant Chief Loi Dawkins will begin in the role Aug. 1. She has more than 23 years of law enforcement experience, including three years in Edmonds.

The Edmonds City Council discuss the levy during a city council meeting on Tuesday, July 8, 2025 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Edmonds votes to place levy lid lift on the ballot

By a vote of 5-2, the council decided to put the $14.5 million property tax levy lid lift to voters in November.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.