Dental Hygiene or DDS path?

[kcc182]

So currently i am a super senior at the 4 year college that i am attending. I went from doing 2 years of business and then switching to Biology to pursue dental. So now that i only have a year left, i have to make a decision, should i try and keep pursuing to become a dentist or become a dental hygienist. I has been my dream to become a dentist, but i have been facing the facts, i don't think i'll get in with my GPA. Right now i have a 2.0 science and a 2.7 overall. Horrible i know, i dunno if i should try and stay and school longer and just take more science classes and try and boost my GPA? try and go into a master program (i dont even know my chances of getting into that with my GPA)? Or should i just pursue being a dental hygienist?

other fact about me:
-i have been VP and historian for my dental club.
-been on the science student council for 2 years.
-Have done 2 years of research.
-Have done 200+ hours of shadowing.
-Lead numerous community service events.
-Haven't taken the DAT.

with any advice or input would be great. (please be nice)

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[PaulieGualtieri]

Ok, what we need from you are some more detailed stats. GPA's for each year during college. GPA improvement trends help out a lot cause dental schools don't only look at your overall GPA. What are your grades in all of the science courses you have taken? When do you plan on taking the DAT? Most likely you will end up having to enroll in a post-bac program and do very well if you do want to pursue a DDS/DMD. Is that something you would be willing to do?

 

[SeattleRDH]

You wouldn't have gotten in to my dental hygiene program with that GPA. DH schools vary across the country so look into how competitive they are in your area before you apply. If you need to take more prereqs for DH school take them at a community college and get 4.0s.

If you want to be a dentist, you will likely not be happy as a dental hygienist, though. I would stick with pursuing a post-bac or masters.

 

[WiscoRDH]

I am currently a dental hygienist and back in school to pursue my dreams of Dentistry. What I think you need to do is stop looking at your stats and ask yourself what you really want and are you willing to work for it!?!?!

Here's a little on dental hygiene:

Dental hygiene is very repetitious. You pretty much do the same thing everyday. However, when you go home after work, it doesn't come with you, you can't get called in, you have less responsibility than the doctor and you get paid pretty well to do it...not a bad gig.

All that said, there are some things you need to know. The market right now in dental hygiene is terrible. Its difficult to find a job, especially one that has benefits. When I was still working for one doctor, he put out an ad for a part-time position. Overnight, he had over 50 apps for that position. Things could change by the time you get out off school, but just be aware and make great contacts!

It is getting really hard to get into dental school and you will probably have to work your butt off to get there, but you need to realize that if it is what you want you need to go for it! How bad do you want dental school? Would you be settling for dental hygiene? Are you willing to sacrifice to get what you want? Go for what you want!

 

[robpardee]

You should go for hygiene, if you get into hygiene make sure you work your butt off to get ALL A's and raise your overall GPA then apply to Dental school after you get your DH degree. I have 5 DH classmates in my Dental class.

Just one option.

 

[NJDental]

I was in the SAME boat as you as recent as a few months ago. I've always wanted dental school, it's always been my dream, but other options were starting to look tempting to me. Not that Dental Hygiene school is easy by any means, in fact our school is very very competitive and a tough program. However, you make great money and it's a quicker program and it's in the dental field which we love.

HOWEVER, I've learned you should not settle. Like WiscoRDH said, you need to really ignore your stats and really focus in on which career do you really want for yourself, to do for the rest of your professional life? Do you want to have the repetition of being a hygienist and stop your skills at the preventive level, or do you think being a hygienist you are going to feel like you want more out of the job? That's what drew the line for me. I knew I'd be happy being a hygienist because I love the field of dentistry and I'd be making decent money, but I also KNEWthat I would not feel completely satisfied and if the patient starting asking me questions about their toothache or their crooked smile or anything like that, I wanted to be able to educate them and fix their problem.

So when you decide which path you'd rather take, do whatever it takes to get there and don't let anything stop you, not even a low GPA.

In my case, I had a very low cGPA and sGPA so I am moving away from home to pursue my Masters at a dental school and will reapply with a very strong application.

Weigh your options, make a decision, and go headstrong. You'll be alright 😀

If you want to PM me feel free!

 

[SeattleRDH]

I am currently a dental hygienist and back in school to pursue my dreams of Dentistry. What I think you need to do is stop looking at your stats and ask yourself what you really want and are you willing to work for it!?!?!

Here's a little on dental hygiene:

Dental hygiene is very repetitious. You pretty much do the same thing everyday. However, when you go home after work, it doesn't come with you, you can't get called in, you have less responsibility than the doctor and you get paid pretty well to do it...not a bad gig.

All that said, there are some things you need to know. The market right now in dental hygiene is terrible. Its difficult to find a job, especially one that has benefits. When I was still working for one doctor, he put out an ad for a part-time position. Overnight, he had over 50 apps for that position. Things could change by the time you get out off school, but just be aware and make great contacts!

It is getting really hard to get into dental school and you will probably have to work your butt off to get there, but you need to realize that if it is what you want you need to go for it! How bad do you want dental school? Would you be settling for dental hygiene? Are you willing to sacrifice to get what you want? Go for what you want!

The market for hygienists is not that bad here in Washington. It really depends on the region. Also, different states have different scopes of practice for hygienists - the states where RDHs are licensed in restorative tend to have higher wages.