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Unless things have changed a hygienist license doesn't allow them to make a diagnosis. Of course they can but is not covered under license. Any clinic that allows that is trying to cut corners. I was a dental assistant for a number of years. A lot of little things that were not covered under my license were done by assistants and hygienists.
The Dental Society is trying to get more things covered under licenses. They are also trying to have another level of hygienists that can do fillings. I think Alaska now has that because of the difficulty it has in the low amount of dentists in the state.
I don't think it's odd. We've been going to the same dental practice for many years now. The dentist always comes in after the hygienist is finished with the cleaning to poke at my teeth and make small talk. There have been a couple of times where they were out of the office/vacation, so I didn't get to see them after my cleaning. When this has happened, the hygienist let me know. In the event that an issue is found by the hygienist, the dentist requires you to make a separate appointment to see them.
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