It’s Time To GoTu War…

Fellow Priestesses of Plaque!

It is your favorite (or begrudgingly tolerated) —tism-anointed sophisticated goblin, long-form literature lady, titillating tinkerer of twisted text, and methodical, meticulous murderer of marauding S. mutans in need of your sage wisdom once again.

I recently read the survey results GoTu conducted this year, titled (creatively) "GoTu’s 2025 State of Work: Dental Hygiene Report," written by Amaya Johnson. While none of the statistics surprised me as a 14-year veteran (and I'd argue a 14-year POW of the dental profession), I was struck by the absence of any meaningful insights or actionable changes from the report's author. A quick appraisal of any dental hygiene Facebook group, subreddit, podcast, or my own blog would have exemplified, with brutal clarity, how the dental profession has physically and mentally broken tens of thousands of hygienists over the last 20 years. And things are only getting worse as arrogant baby dentists think we're overpriced mouth maids and office managers treat us like cheap office furniture.

What I find most irritating about the report is that the author gathered her data from hygienists on GoTo's platform but failed to ask any questions about using apps like GoTu to find work and the positive and negative ramifications these apps have on our job satisfaction, finances, and mental health. In her conclusion, she writes (with my own added emphasis):

"To ensure long-term sustainability, the industry should enhance compensation structures, expand career development opportunities, improve workplace conditions, and support flexible work arrangements. Strategic efforts such as structured pay raises, leadership training, ergonomic improvements, and phased retirement programs will create a more stable and rewarding career path, improving both professional satisfaction and patient care outcomes. The future of the profession hinges on the ability of employers and industry stakeholders to adapt to these workforce shifts."

I'm sorry... Is she really going to ignore the abscess at the apex and drop this information on the shoulders of dental offices in general? Lady, you're the Growth Marketing Manager at GoTu. GoTu IS MY EMPLOYER. As such, it's YOUR responsibility to "adapt to these workforce shifts" just as much as it is for the dental offices themselves. How exactly do you plan to address the issues when GoTu hasn't taken any responsibility for its role in our ceaseless frustration with dentistry as an industry?

The underlying insinuation the author makes throughout the report is that GoTu is the solution to every negative statistic. Low salary? We offer higher wages! Need better work/life balance? GoTu allows you to work when you want! Suffering from burnout? GoTu gives you more control over your career! And while these are true (to varying degrees, with enormous caveats), the author makes no mention of how GoTu contributes to hygienists' dissatisfaction with the dental profession or of the ways GoTu intends to address the serious concerns we have.

As the resident sassy, disgruntled Sister in Scalers, and the sole Goblin Queen armed with articulate prose and all the audacity needed to give them my (vastly superior and undoubtedly correct *eyeroll*) opinions, I'll be the first to offer GoTu my insights and recommendations to improve their platform, starting with their most problematic legal shenanigans...

As I mentioned earlier, GoTu (one of four apps I use) is my main source of employment. It is also currently my least favorite of the bunch, as they tax me as a 1099 independent contractor, a practice that is blatantly illegal under the current tax code. There are 221,600 registered dental hygienists in the US, 45,000 of whom use GoTu's platform. That's 20% of the entire population of RDHs in the entire country who have been misclassified on their yearly taxes since 2017. And GoTu uses some, let's say, "creative" logic to justify their continued misclassification of dental hygienists as "contract workers." Frankly, they outright lie in this blog post found on their website, https://gotu.com/dental-professionals/understanding-gotus-dual-model/, and use court cases that are not analogous to the business of dentistry to support their claims.

The US Department of Labor fact sheet (https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fact-sheets/13-flsa-employment-relationship) is crystal clear on who qualifies as an independent contractor or an employee and gives multiple, specific examples of employment situations that perfectly align with employment characteristics found in dentistry. How GoTu still thinks classifying dental hygienists as anything other than employees at this point shows a level of dishonesty and ineptitude, and an egregious lack of professional ethics, that makes my skin crawl.

For example, GoTu states, "Under our model, dental professionals maintain an opportunity to impact their own profit or loss by making themselves available for and accepting however many shifts they are willing to work. Dental professionals may also negotiate directly with offices for higher pay if they desire. Likewise, dental professionals may accept and reject work without penalty, and many perform work for more than one office and are limited to accepting work through the GoTu platform [I suspect this might be a typo here, as whoever—or whatever—wrote this wasn't very bright]. These factors also support independent contractor classification."

But this is a serious mischaracterization of the level of control hygienists have. Our "desire" or availability to increase our pay, or how much we work, is only a possibility that still requires approval from the dental office, which qualifies us as employees. Additionally, rejecting work (i.e., canceling a shift that the dental office initially accepted) DOES have penalties. GoTu applies "late cancels" to our account which affects our ability to book jobs, they can remove these "late cancels" from our account after completing ten shifts (indicating they are aware that they reflect negatively on our profiles), and can ban us from the platform if too many are accumulated, which is identical to being fired from any other place of employment. Lastly, many people have multiple jobs, so claiming that hygienists who use GoTu have the freedom to use other apps (assuming there is a typo and they meant to say "are NOT limited") is a nonsense argument that doesn't support their conclusion that we should be misclassified as independent contractors.

GoTu claims that because hygienists pay for their schooling, licensure, and yearly CE, this meets the Labor Board's criteria for an independent contractor under the "investments by the worker and potential employer" factor. GoTu states: "Dental professionals are already skilled professionals with the education and training to perform the work, and they also generally invest their own time and money to maintain regulatory licensure and continuing education needed to maintain their licenses. Professionals come to the platform – and to your office – with the experience and qualifications already needed to do the job and can seamlessly integrate to your needs. We simply connect you, and they take the work from there. Because neither GoTu, nor any dental offices, provide training to dental professionals nor assist them with gaining or maintaining licensure, these factors of the test are met."

But that's not what the Labor Board specifies under "investments by the worker and potential employer." According to the US Labor Board, as of 10/1/2025, "This factor primarily looks at whether the worker makes investments that are capital or entrepreneurial in nature. Investments by a worker that support the growth of a business, including by increasing the number of clients, reducing costs, extending market reach, or increasing sales, weigh in favor of independent contractor status. A lack of such capital or entrepreneurial investments weighs in favor of employee status. Costs to a worker of tools for a specific job and costs that the employer imposes on the worker are not capital or entrepreneurial investments that indicate independent contractor status."

As is clearly stated, just because we buy our own loupes, chairs, scrubs, and pay for our yearly license renewal so we can legally and competently perform the basic elements of our job, this does not qualify as "entrepreneurial investments," as these items are essential and do not affect business growth. We have no control over attracting new patients, the cost of services, advertising, office policies, quality of equipment, or types of services offered. For GoTu to claim that paying for our education and the bare minimum to perform our jobs satisfies this criterion is laughable at best and entirely delusional.

As to the "nature and degree of control" factor, GoTu outright lies when they claim "The Department of Labor has specifically indicated that the exercise of control necessary to comply with specific legal requirements – such as regulatory compliance for dental offices – does not indicate that these dental professionals are 'employees.'" What the Labor Board actually states is that “A company does not exercise the requisite control necessary to create an employer-employee relationship merely because it restricts the manner or means of their work in order to comply with statutory and regulatory requirements.” The word "merely" is doing a lot of heavy lifting, as there are many ways in which an office exerts control over dental hygienists. From the Labor Board again: "Relevant facts include whether the potential employer controls hiring, firing, scheduling, prices, or pay rates; supervises the performance of the work (including via technological means); has the right to supervise or discipline workers; and takes actions that limit the worker’s ability to work for others."

Offices are allowed under GoTu's policies to dismiss us for any reason (real or fabricated and I'll address this a little later), get to hire us before we are allowed to know who they are, they set the day and hours we are expected to work, if we are allotted breaks, or we have to ask permission for a break if it necessitates leaving the building. The office sets and has the final say on the hourly rate. Dental hygienists in many states are under direct supervision (meaning we can't even put a patient in the chair without a doctor on the premises). They have the ability to write reviews that we can neither see nor dispute, which directly affects our ability to get future work with other offices. And they control how, where, and with what equipment and products services are to be rendered.

The IRS states that if “the employer has the legal right to control the details of how the services are performed,” then we should be classified as an employee. Dentists are technically prescribing the services we are rendering, including taking necessary x-rays, the type of cleaning needed, recall interval, and any pathological conditions. In my experience, most dentists will trust our judgment and respect our expertise when we give them treatment recommendations for our patients. Some dentists outright expect us to hold their hand through the exam and won't diagnose anything unless we point it out. But I have had my recommendations ignored and told to “just do a prophy" or had baby dentists shove their credentials in my face while treating me like an incompetent noob enough times to know that, in reality, I have no control over a patient's treatment plan. This is an all-encompassing level of control a dentist has over a dental hygienist and in no way qualifies under the independent contractor classification.

GoTu cites several court cases that are incomparable to the dental industry to further bolster their claims, including two regarding whether drivers are classified as contract workers and one regarding dog walking services. Referencing these cases is honestly some of the most asinine, derpling-certified nonsense I would expect of a Reddit-tier debate bro, not from a company "ranked 42nd on the 2024 Inc. 5000 of the fastest-growing private companies in America" (according to their website). Drivers OWN their vehicles. Their vehicles are literally their places of work. They have full control over what car they choose to drive, who gets into their vehicle, and where they are willing to take the passengers they accept. A dog walker is a service with legs. There's no equipment to purchase. They have full control over who they accept as clients. NONE OF THAT APPLIES TO A DENTAL HYGIENIST. So frankly, GoTu, with all due disrespect, get better lawyers because "Littler, Mendelson P.C." is making y'all look like morons.

GoTu doesn't even address the "degree of permanence of the work relationship," the "extent to which the work performed is an integral part of the employer’s business," and the "skill and initiative" factors of the Labor Board's criteria. I'll address all three with quotes from the fact sheet (my own emphasis added for clarity):

• Degree of permanence of the work relationship

"Work that is sporadic or project-based with a fixed ending date (or regularly occurring fixed periods of work), where the worker may make a business decision to take on multiple different jobs indicates independent contractor status. Work that is continuous, does not have a fixed ending date, or may be the worker’s only work relationship indicates employee status. The lack of a long working relationship does not necessarily suggest that the worker is an independent contractor unless it is because of the worker’s business decision. Short-term jobs for multiple employers may be due to the seasonal or temporary nature of the work or industry, and not the worker’s business decision to market their services to multiple entities, and therefore may indicate employee status."

TRANSLATION: Performing IDENTICAL services at multiple locations where your only work relationships are dental offices on a temporary basis is classified as an employee under the Labor Board's criteria. We can't increase the profitability of a one-person business by working at multiple offices due to the ubiquitous constraints of the dental profession (limited working hours, range of hourly wages in the state where you are licensed, number of offices in the area, etc.). We could perform the exact same job at one location, working the same number of hours per week, and would make the same amount of money after slogging through the hellscape of doing our yearly taxes as a 1099 pleb. We should therefore be taxed as W-2 employees, regardless of whether the work is done at one or multiple locations, when hired through a single platform to do the same job.

• Extent to which the work performed is an integral part of the employer’s business

"Where the work performed by the worker is NOT critical, necessary, or central to the potential employer’s principal business, this indicates independent contractor status. This factor does not depend on whether any individual worker in particular is an integral part of the business, but rather whether the work they perform is an integral part of the business."

TRANSLATION: This is a no-brainer. There's a reason temporary hygienists are needed. Dental offices would collapse without dental hygienists. Thousands of dollars would be lost, patients would go without care, dentists wouldn't have someone to catch their mistakes and explain that "things look OK" actually means the patient needs a filling and two crowns, and office managers would lose the opportunity to micromanage, talk down to us, and overfill our schedules so our bodies hurt as much as their wounded pride that they weren't smart enough to get through dental hygiene school. This needs no further explanation.

• Skill and initiative

"The fact that a worker does not use specialized skills (for example, the worker relies on the employer to provide training for the job) indicates that the worker is an employee. Additionally, both employees and independent contractors can be skilled, so the fact that a worker is skilled does not indicate one status or the other. The focus should be on whether the worker uses their skills in connection with business initiative. If the worker does, that indicates independent contractor status; if the worker does not, that indicates employee status."

TRANSLATION: We have skills. We know skills. We have the best skills. We have skills the likes of which this country has never seen before. We have concepts of skills. We'll have skills in two weeks. Our skills alone can fix it. We have the hottest skills. We'll make skills great again. We grab our skills by the pussy. Show us someone without skills, and we'll show you a loser. Our skills are tremendously big and tremendously wet. Person, woman, man, camera, TV, skills. I love our skills. I would give our skills an A+. But our skills are not used to "make any independent decisions... beyond what it takes to do the work assigned," is "not using those skills in a manner that evidences business-like initiative," and we are "told what work to perform and where to do it," with our skills which "indicates employee status under the skill and initiative factor."

At the very bottom of their blog post, GoTu acknowledges that their decision to treat us as independent contractors is not viewed favorably by dental professionals by asking, "Is there any risk of continuing to be an independent contractor option where available?" This question is bizarre and malformed, but the answer (which doesn't actually answer the question) reveals who GoTu is actually concerned about—and it's not the dental hygienists.

"If used properly, engaging dental professionals as independent contractors MAY be compliant in most states. It is important to understand that there is always a limited risk associated with engaging independent contractors. That is because federal and state agencies generally rely on four principal tests to determine whether a worker is an employee or an independent contractor:

• common law rules or common law control test;

• economic realities test (with several variations);

• hybrid test, combining the common law and economic realities test; and

• ABC test (or variations of this test).

GoTu’s platform is intentionally designed to mitigate the risks associated with any potentially applicable test, and this is why we continue to believe that the best way to connect your office with experienced professionals is to service your clients."

Did you catch it? "Your office..." They are addressing dental offices in their answer, but their question is addressing dental hygienists asking whether there are risks associated with being classified as an independent contractor. We may be compliant? How??

They define the "economic realities test" and the "ABC test" in two footnotes as follows:

"Several federal statutes use the 'economic realities' test, which has also been adopted by a few states and varies somewhat by Circuit, but essentially involves examination of whether the putative employer: (1) has the power to hire and fire the worker; (2) controls the hours or work and/or other employment conditions; (3) controls the level and method of payment; and (4) maintains employment related records."

"The ‘ABC’ test is most widely used when determining independent contractor status under state unemployment statutes and requires that a worker meet all three elements to constitute an independent contractor: (1) the individual has been and will continue to be free from any control or direction over the performance of such services both under his contract and in fact; and (2) the service is either outside the usual course of the business for which such service is performed, or that such service is performed outside of all the places of business or the enterprise for which such service is performed; (3) the individual is customarily engaged in an independently established trade, occupation, profession, or business. Some states (California and Massachusetts) have narrowed this test even further."

As you can see, dental hygienists do not qualify as independent contractors under either test. The test fails on all four economic qualifications and on all three under the ABC test. How are they "...mitigating the risks associated with any potentially applicable test" when they don't meet the burden of either test? They don't bother trying to refute either of these tests because they obviously can't without telling more lies and making fools of themselves.

The sentence continues "...and this is why we continue to believe that the best way to connect your office with experienced professionals is to service your clients."

What in the actual fuck... These people can't be serious.

So GoTu is telling us, with their full chest, a company ranked 42nd on the 2024 Inc. 5000 of the fastest-growing private companies in America, making millions in revenue, that they're mitigating risks (somehow) without passing either test (objectively) and by avoiding these risks they have yet to explain (apparently achieved through the power of hopes, dreams, obfuscation, and word salad contrived solely by the unjustified arrogance held exclusively by wealthy, white, straight, men who think a field filled with mostly women won't notice the epic levels of fuckery they're trying to pull in this blog post), they believe that dental offices servicing their own clients (patients?) will result in dental hygienists (that they requested through GoTu's platform) to come and work?

What?? How?? You haven't explained anything!! Am I having a stroke? Did ChatGPT write this shit?? NONE OF THIS LOGICALLY FOLLOWS!! Do they think we're mush-brained boobs?? Do they think we wouldn't read this?? We're dental hygienists! OUR ENTIRE JOB DEMANDS ATTENTION TO DETAIL, PROBLEM SOLVING, CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS, AND KNOWING WHEN WE'RE BEING LIED TO!

Us: "When was the last time you flossed?"

Typical patient: "Yesterday!"

Us: Mmhmm. Bullshit. It looks like I'm killing you slowly by how heavily your gums are bleeding, and your interdental papillae look like tiny purple balloons. Pull the other one, bud.

They also claim to offer W-2 classification, but do not offer that when you initially fill out your onboarding paperwork, nor when I recently had to update my tax forms, personal details, and bank account information. GoTu actually believes that simply forcing us to sign "a written independent contractor agreement laying out the terms and conditions of their work for platform customers" magically turns us into contract workers despite all evidence to the contrary. The Labor Board addresses this specifically: "What the worker is called is not relevant—a worker may be an employee under the FLSA regardless of the title or label they are given. A worker who is paid off the books or receives a 1099 is not necessarily an independent contractor, and agreeing verbally or in writing to be classified as an independent contractor—including by signing an independent contractor agreement—does not make a worker an independent contractor under the FLSA." So they can call me an independent contractor until humans start evolving a third set of dentition; that just doesn't make it true.

I found one mention of a number I could call to receive a W-2 buried on GoTu's website, with no other information about who or what it was for. This is dishonest and shadier than my 90s goth eye makeup. GoTu needs to stop insulting our intelligence with this garbage and start classifying us correctly before someone with more money than I do pursues this in court (hint hint for anyone out there with a wad of cash burning a hole through your sympathetic britches displaying a rock-hard, raging justice bulge).

GoTu: "Classifying you guys as independent contractors is totally legal!"

Me: *writes an over 8.8k-word essay arguing how they're full of shit*

GoTu: "Because we said so, that's why!"

Me: "Go fuck yourself."

My next criticism involves GoTu's rating system. To demonstrate why reducing us to a star rating is entirely flawed, psychologically and economically damaging, and is extremely biased towards the dental offices with whom GoTu caters, shouldn't need my personal trauma to elucidate. I've tried to explain this to them multiple times, only to be met with callous indifference and outright lies that nothing can be done to correct the injustice I've been subjected to. After hearing about my experiences, perhaps this lovely audience can offer their verdict as to who is in the wrong here.

My first story is about a job I booked through another app (Cloud... I curse them with a lifetime of bad haircuts and broken underwire in their armpits), but the result was identical, highlighting the abuse we receive as temporary dental professionals.

I arrived early in an excellent mood, walked in, and said hello to the receptionists, who pointed in the general direction of the break room and told me which operatory I’d be working in. They never got up or introduced themselves, which I found a little odd. I found where I’d be working, washed my hands, and did a quick appraisal of my cubby for the day.

I assumed someone would be in shortly to give me the usual rundown of office protocols and sign me into the computer. So I waited. And waited. I walked up and down the halls, asking for help, but received nothing but blank stares. I felt invisible and profoundly uncomfy. What the hell was going on here? I know I’m skinny, but I’m not made of cellophane.

I waited a few more minutes, nervously checking my watch, when someone walked past my operatory. “Hey! Can you log me into the computer? I'm the temp hygienist.” She was overweight, her scrubs pulling dangerously against her belly rolls. This woman was one questionable fart away from an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction. She let out an annoyed sigh and introduced herself as the lead assistant. No name. Just “The Lead Assistant.” Well, good morning to you, too, Miss Shitty Attitude. Did I have lobsters coming out of my ears? Why is everyone treating me like I have a highly contagious disease?

The way she spoke to me made it crystal clear that she was entirely unimpressed and had decided from the jump that I was an imbecile. I was trying to hide my ever-increasing anger as she droned on and on about things that were a well-understood part of my normal job description.

As she condescendingly explained my job to me, to my horror, she reached down and touched the handpiece rheostat and ultrasonic foot pedal with her bare hands, then started typing in the password for the dental software on the computer. My eyes went wide, and I turned to look for gloves and cavicide wipes to disinfect everything this uneducated twit had just contaminated with dental floor cooties. I won’t even touch the bottoms of my own feet without immediately washing my hands in my own house. I refuse to touch ANYTHING on the floor of a dental office without gloves, as is the only acceptable behavior of all civilized medical professionals.

She then looked me up and down like a farmer judges an underweight, dried-up heifer bound for the slaughterhouse and informed me they had lab jackets for me to wear (I hadn’t yet put mine on). But when I politely refused, explaining my skin issues and showing her my clean, professional, stylish, knee-length black jacket, she scoffed and demanded I wear theirs instead. When I not-so-politely refused again, she raised an eyebrow, looking smug, and told me she’ll “have to tell the doctors about this.” Her tone insinuated that I was about to pay dearly for this rejection. She left my operatory, having made me ten minutes late for my first patient, leaving me to wipe down everything she may have touched before I hustled to get my first patient from the waiting room.

No one in this office told me their names, including the doctors. No one showed me around the office, so I couldn’t find anything. The entire front office staff looked at me in disgust, rolling their eyes and audibly huffing and puffing when I bumbled about trying to check out my patients without knowing their protocols.

After finishing my third patient, I saw that my whole day had been canceled, a large gray block filling the space where my full day of patients used to be. The Lead Assistant popped in, and I asked what happened to my patients. She looked disturbingly maniacal as she lied to my face, telling me “the schedule fell apart.”

I then found out they also lied about paying me the same day and seemed to think they didn’t have to pay me for the entire shift, as guaranteed by my contract. I explained this to the two hateful receptionists and The Lead Assistant, showing them my contract. They all rolled their eyes and said they would speak with the temp app staff about that, very convinced of their very wrong assertions. I got up and told them to have a nice day, purely out of politeness, but they didn’t respond in kind.

I drove home in the pouring rain, utterly discombobulated as to what I had just experienced. I immediately contacted the temp app staff to explain what had just happened. I was told to give an honest review and block them from future bookings.

The next day, I saw they had left me a horrible review, claiming I didn’t record my notes in my patients’ charts (I did), and that patients had complained about me (all three patients I saw seemed perfectly happy with my work and were pleasant to work with, so I’m calling BS on this, too). They accused me of making “inappropriate remarks about the physical features” of one of the doctors. This one confused me until I realized I had referred to a doctor as “the bald one” when asked who had performed the exam, as that was the same description my patient had used. Since the asshole didn’t introduce himself to me, I had no name to offer, and didn’t think such an obvious and defining feature was at all “inappropriate.” They claimed I was insubordinate for refusing to wear their lab jackets or use their autistic anxiety-triggering walkie-talkies, which I, quite frankly, completely forgot about, and further claimed I was unprofessional and unintelligent. I’m surprised they didn’t also accuse me of Satan worship and sacrificing newborns to drink their essence.

Everything they wrote was a lie. I can handle being called all kinds of things, but if you call me stupid, I will end you.

I can’t confirm this with 100% certainty, but I believe this was discrimination based on my appearance. I’m heavily tattooed and pierced (although my lab coat covers the most offending bits), and the vibe I was getting was that I was trash, worthy of being treated horribly by these seemingly conservative, and possibly extremely religious staff (I do live in the South). This has only happened once before by a patient, but I have never been so epically mistreated by office staff en masse in my entire career.

The second story was a job booked with GoTu that was a mess from the very beginning.

The job was with a dental office on one of the nearby college campuses, of which there are five within a 30-minute commute from my apartment. I knew from previous experience that college dental clinics are a nightmare to find and even worse to find a place to park your car. The office had added a little message to the job listing with landmark directions (not an actual address) of the parking deck, but made ZERO mention of the clusterphuck I was about to endure to find this office.

I therefore made sure to leave very early so I would have time to get lost when my GPS couldn't find any accessible roads, drive around in panicked frustration having messaged the office for help and receiving no reply, unload my chair inside the clinic building (when I finally found it) which involved elevators on multiple floors, finding the office locked so I couldn't tell them I was there and ask where the parking deck was, getting lost again finding a place to park that wouldn't tow my car, and then walking what turned out to be 20 minutes back to the clinic hauling all my stuff in the middle of summer when it was already 85° and 80% humidity at 8am since it had rained the night before.

But I was not going to let all of that ruin my day. I rolled in with my chair, my clothes already damp from the sweat I'd perspired hauling ass back to the clinic. I am a skinny thing and very prone to fainting under such extreme heat and physical exertion, so my vision was starting to tunnel as I fought to stay upright and sound coherent as I introduced myself. The receptionist and the dental assistant were nice, and I tried to laugh off the disrespect and unprofessionalism these people had already shown me by not disclosing the truth about how hard it was to get to this office and the lie they told when I found out about the unstaggered, unassisted double hygiene schedule I was meant to work. If they had been honest about that, I would never, EVER have taken the job.

The doctor was clearly annoyed, demanding, mean, rude (both to me and her staff), and was under the delusion that I could perform miracles and alter the fabric of spacetime. But I accepted my fate and did what I do best. My patients were very nice, and every single one thanked me for my thoroughness and for the information they seemed genuinely interested in, and they were appreciative that someone finally explained the reasons for the things we do in the office and the things they do at home.

A patient with severe periodontal disease needed an SRP, and so I took a few minutes to explain the process and answer his questions. He was going to be moving in a few weeks, and after checking with the front desk and finding the schedule completely booked, I told him he might need to find a periodontist in his new city, and we could send his records over. He thanked me, even asking for a hug, and I hopped to the next room to see the next patient.

After taking the next patient’s x-rays and recording his perio chart, the doctor came in for the exam and was visibly livid. The doctor asked why I hadn't completed his cleaning, but when I squeaked that he needed to be rescheduled, her face went crimson and she demanded to know who told me that. I was told at the beginning of my shift that this patient would likely need to be rescheduled to complete his cleaning, as he needed an SRP at his last visit, which was several years ago. I was so stunned by her tone that my stutter came back, and I couldn't finish my sentence. "Nevermind. I'll just do it!" she snapped and stormed out of the operatory. I whispered my apologies to the patient. He rescheduled, confessing he didn't want an angry person cleaning his teeth, which I felt was a wise decision.

Every single patient said something nice about me to the receptionist (I could hear them as they checked out), and although I couldn't keep up with the insane schedule, I finished the morning with only 15 minutes taken off my lunch hour. I considered it an epic win. The assistant came in and told me she liked my vibe, and I cracked a few jokes with her. I leaned in and asked her if the doctor was always that unpleasant and the schedule this insane. The poor woman looked miserable and started telling me what a horrible bitch this doctor was and how they couldn't keep a hygienist there for longer than a few months. Hardly shocking.

I could hear the doctor in the next room, but it wasn't the drill she was using. "Is she doing that SRP??" I asked the assistant. She confirmed that was exactly what she was doing, and I realized what kind of doctor I was dealing with. The kind that thinks the cavitron can replace any hygienist, who doesn't care about the quality of work they provide; the unethical, deranged, greedy kind. The kind I loathe with a fire that smolders deep beneath my unyielding standards of professional ethics. I fought to hide my rage and disgust.

I was finishing my notes when the office manager came and told me they didn't need me for the afternoon. I was confused, and suddenly had that sinking feeling that this was a repeat of what happened to me in my previous story. There were only three patients left in the afternoon, and the doctor's schedule was also double-booked. "But I'm here! There are patients who need to be seen. Did I do something wrong?" I was told that the doctor just wanted to do it herself. "Badly." I thought to myself, as I could feel the tears of rejection and an entire day of unjustified professional abuse burn behind my eyes.

I gathered my things and left. I cried behind my sunglasses as I walked the 20 sweltering minutes back to my car. Another horrible review on my record. Another shift where they lied about me, and the receptionist threw me under the bus when the doctor asked her about the patient she said needed to be rescheduled. Another desperate plea with GoTu for help. My wounded little ego quickly turned to dust as I began to lose every ounce of self-confidence I had achieved in my 14 years in dentistry.

This next story is somehow worse. I arrived before the very young and very green doctor, standing at the front door as he walked up to unlock it. A cockroach scurried across the floor as he swung the door open.

Great...

No one was there yet, so I made myself at home, checking out where everything was as the doctor excused himself to change into his scrubs. The staff seemed nice, but odd. They looked at me a little too long, talked in whispers, unsure looks on their faces. I'm used to being the outcast, the scary girl, the unwelcome. I do my job anyway. My talent often speaks for itself.

I could tell by her previous notes that my first patient was going to be a pain in the ass. I took her x-rays. I looked at the ones from a year ago. Calculus. Radiographic. Everywhere. "Patient doesn't like the cavitron" in all caps at the top of every clinical note. Double great. I look at her last perio chart. It was obviously forged. I grabbed the assistant and did it for real. She needed a 4346 gingivitis cleaning... two years ago. I went up to the front desk to ask what their protocol was if a patient needed more than a "regular cleaning" (there is no such thing, but I digress). They looked at me like I had just asked them what the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow was. African? Or European?

I went to find the doctor to tell him my assessment. He had no idea what I was talking about when I explained she needed a 4346. I had to explain to a licensed doctor that no, she doesn't have bone loss, but yes, she has severe gingivitis and needs to be numb. Needing an anesthetic isn't the qualifying factor for necessitating an SRP, you incompetent dipshit. I told him that, based on her notes, she won't be able to tolerate a cleaning without being numb. He came in to look at her x-rays and, to my horror and imminent feelings of self-pity that yet another doctor would force me into yet another unethical and seriously shitty situation, told me to "just do a prophy."

I got the gingicaine and tried my best to explain to the patient my findings and what I needed to do to treat the raging gum disease in her mouth. I skipped the part where I told her this was due, in part, to the inadequate, supervised neglect she had been given from a moronic, incompetent hygienist and dentist who let her dictate how they were to do their jobs, and that her awful homecare and laziness were also to blame for her diseased state.

I applied the topical anesthetic and got to work. As I predicted, she couldn't and wouldn't tolerate it, so I stopped and told her we'd get her rescheduled so she could be numb and treated properly. I walked her to the front desk, where the office manager greeted her. They walked into her office and shut the door. I walked back and cleaned my room with haste, as I was now a few minutes behind. I looked at the schedule to see what my next patient's name was, and he was gone—as were three other people on my schedule who were just there an hour ago.

Dammit, not again.

I walked up to the front desk and asked what happened to my schedule. Lies. They told me lies. Right to my face. All with a smile. "Oh, a few people called to cancel. And some just want to see their regular person. You know how fussy people are." But I saw them on the phone. They were calling people; people weren't calling them. I went to write up my note, still in denial that these people were complete psychopaths capable of lying to someone while making full eye contact, likely knowing that I knew it was a lie, unless they thought I was a simpleton incapable of complex thought. The office manager came up and lied some more. I asked if the patient was upset, and she said no. I told her what I had explained to the doctor, and she was silent for a few moments, likely working out the next lie she was going to tell me, as she smiled and assured me I did nothing wrong.

She left to (supposedly) ask the doctor if he wanted me to see the afternoon patients. She told me no. I gathered my things and left. The doctor hid in his office and never spoke to me again. I was furious. I was hurt. I was right, the doctor put me in a horrible situation, then punished me when the outcome was exactly as I warned him.

Then these monsters had the audacity to submit an adjustment to GoTu for my hours. These people told me that patients were canceling their appointments. They dismissed me through no fault of my own. I did as the dentist asked of me. I treated the patient as gently and compassionately as I knew how. I was kind and respectful to everyone in the office. I did nothing wrong, and I was dismissed through no fault of my own. According to GoTu's policies, I am guaranteed pay for the entire day. These immoral, unethical, likely prejudiced people lied to my face, then lied to GoTu, and GOTU TOOK THEIR SIDE AND REFUSED TO PAY ME WHAT I AM OWED ACCORDING TO THEIR POLICIES. Not only did I not receive my full day’s wage, but these people left me another bad review that I had no means of recourse to correct.

After this assignment, I barely worked for nearly three months. Every job I applied for was rejected. The other apps I use to supplement my schedule and ensure that I can book enough jobs to sustain myself. But those apps aren't as widely used in offices in my area, so I still rely on GoTu as my primary source of income. I had finally started saving up a fat little nest egg for myself. Gone. It got so bad that, for the first time in my adult life, I couldn't pay my rent and had to ask my parents for help. The overwhelming level of embarrassment and shame I felt at having to ask my parents to cover a month’s rent and bills as a nearly 40-year-old, I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy.

And you know what GoTu told me? “Just work more jobs and your rating will go up.” Um, no. That's not how math or the real world works, guys. If I can't book jobs due to a low rating, I can't have opportunities to receive good ratings. How can I improve when we can't see what offices say about us? Why are we not given an opportunity to dispute their characterization of us? Why does GoTu repeatedly lie to me, telling me that offices can't see what other offices say about us? I know this to be a lie because they mention it on your website as a benefit for offices that use your platform! Why do they STILL have contradictory policies regarding guaranteed full compensation for hygienists while telling offices they only need to pay us for the time we're there?? Why do they always take the side of the offices that abuse us and lie to our faces?

Just today, I was sent home after seeing three patients who were all perfectly lovely and happy with my work. But all three were the victims of supervised neglect. The first patient didn't need an exam, but I found subgingival calculus everywhere, which I removed. Before he left, he told me his "teeth felt great."

The second patient had gums so swollen and diseased that they bled if you touched them, and again, had sub-gingival calculus everywhere. Her previous notes indicated she had the same issue during her last cleaning. I did what I could and recommended an SRP to the doctor. The patient seemed receptive to this news. If she was upset at all, she didn't express it to me.

The third patient was lovely, but I cleaned the facial/buccal surfaces and realized this was way more work than I could tackle in an hour. I stopped and told her my findings, explaining that she had really heavy calculus under her gums (especially in the furcation areas), which was making her gums swollen and ulcerated. She told me she wouldn't be able to come back until spring and asked me to finish cleaning her lower anterior teeth and polish, which I was happy to do. She was also very receptive to my recommended treatment and was very happy with her cleaning and my honesty.

But when I told the doctor what I saw and my recommendations, he was so hateful and snapped at me, saying, "This is the second long-established patient you've recommended this crap, and I'm going to have to professionally disagree with you!" I had never spoken with this doctor before. He hadn't yet seen the patient to confirm what I told him. He then told the office manager to reschedule my patients and "Get rid of her," like I was trash.

The office manager was just as shocked and confused. I spoke with her and told her I had done what was asked of me and that I had only recommended the deep cleanings for future appointments. I did NOT deserve to be treated like that by a man I'd never met before, and did everything that was treatment planned on the schedule. She said she would talk with the doctor, but had never seen him act that way before. I finished my notes, gathered my things, and left. I cried all the way home. What the fuck is wrong with these people?!?!

IT IS THIS KIND OF DISRESPECT AND DISMISSAL OF US AS EXPERIENCED DENTAL HYGIENISTS AND HUMANS WITH FEELINGS THAT MAKE US HATE THIS PROFESSION, AND WHY COMPANIES LIKE GOTU CONTRIBUTE TO OUR HIGH RATES OF BURNOUT AND POOR JOB SATISFACTION.

Yes, GoTu’s app is easy to use, and payments are quick. However, not dealing with paper checks is the bare minimum any temporary placement company should have as standard operating procedure. But other apps offer free CE to their users. They offer health insurance. They tax us correctly. They don't take $6 out of every check for liability coverage I've never seen any documentation for to know what it covers. Is this just more sneaky, underhanded business practices y'all are pulling on us, thinking we haven't noticed?

How is it possible GoTu doesn’t "have the ability to remove negative reviews" especially when they are given without any justification because the dentist is an unpleasant bitch who was so rude to me, my patient had to pipe up and tell her what a fabulous job I did on her teeth, and that it was her fault I could only get one bitewing on each side—like the dentist I worked for three weeks ago? Why does GoTu allow dental offices to have this much power to affect our ability to eat, then have the audacity to classify us as independent contractors with all this supposed freedom, and claim that "GoTu does not exercise control over dental professionals in any way intended to create an employer-employee relationship. Your office should not either." (???) I'd argue that giving performance reviews GoTu keeps hidden from the people who make their company exist in the first place sounds a lot like an employer exerting behavior and financial control over its staff.

A negative review of an office won't result in any considerable consequences to any dental practice. If a hygienist is desperate and needs the money, they'll take the job, be miserable for a day, and move on with life. The office still made money and got what they needed. They seem fine with losing most of a day’s revenue when they canceled my patients and essentially fired me for no justifiable reason, like they did today. So money and lower ratings are obviously not much of a concern to them.

A negative review on my public profile directly impacts my ability to book jobs, afford food, and maintain a comfortable living arrangement. The malicious and vengeful lies have permanent and catastrophic consequences for me as a human, psychologically and financially. I honestly can’t fathom being as evil and devoid of empathy as these office managers and dentists have proven themselves to be. I doubt any of them bother to consider that those little stars have the power to make us homeless. We are there to help them and as long as their patients are taken care of, their staff is treated with respect, and we clean up after ourselves that they don't have to vibe with us on a deep personal level and shouldn't expect perfection from someone who has to figure out 100 details about their office in the first 15 minutes we walk in the door before seating our first patient. It's unfair and financially abusive when we can't feed ourselves, pay our bills, and afford to stay in our homes as a consequence of their spite, pettiness, and cruelty. They have proven themselves untrustworthy to hold the immense power of reducing us to a decimal point when they're the ones with a shitty attitude, a sub-par education, and with their bar of professional and personal ethics set so low, Satan is using it for a limbo stick.

I'm a weird little autistic person with a funny haircut, dark humor, a perforated skin suit, a face that doesn't behave and tattles on my inside thoughts, impossibly high standards for the quality of my work, and who looks more like I belong in a coven of vampires bored by eternity than in a dental office full of bubbly blonde squeaky hygienists who get by doing the bare minimum and dentists who barely graduated who think they can do my job better than I can. Both, however, have better-suited personalities for the healthcare field. My personality isn't at all compatible with the dental profession, but I'm the very best at what I do, and my patients tell me that every single day I've worked for 14 years.

GoTu's rating system discriminates against people like me who fumble with words when confronted by aggressive dentists who expect both perfection and strict adherence to their office policies (that often do not follow proper infection control mandates or basic logic) AND (paradoxically) low standards of care to satisfy their greed. I’ve had dentists tell me, “Just get it done. It doesn’t have to be perfect.” Excuse me, what? You’re fine with sub-par dental care?? I can't satisfy these people. I'm not sure anyone can. Stop allowing them to punish us for things outside of our control, like their bad behavior.

If GoTu is so concerned about our well-being that they'd conduct a statistical analysis of their platform users, then change the business model and rating system to prove to us that they care about us as humans, not as a stock option. GoTu generated AT LEAST $2 million in revenue in 2024 (the minimum to qualify for the Inc. 5000 list). That's on the backs of our labor. The least they could do is tax us under the right classification and not allow dental offices to abuse us and treat us like disposable soulless cyborgs without feelings or the need to eat.

If any of you, dear audience, have a suggestion for the 150 employees at GoTu that you would like to see implemented or changed, I will add your suggestions to this post (names redacted, of course) and send them to upper management personally. I will not be ignored. I will not allow this mistreatment of my Cavitation Cuties, Polisher Princesses, and Foxy Flossers to continue. I'm dangerous when I'm angry. I'm deadly when my feefees are bruised. I've had it with dentistry and (eventually) I want out, but I'm gonna fix some shit before I leave it behind forever. I'm a stubborn, demanding, bossy bitch. I might as well put my radiant personality to good use.

*Hums Boss by Bear Hands*