Dental Hygiene OR Nursing then apply to Dental School?

[pearlywhites0815]

I just graduated from undergrad with a bachelors of science in public health...

Heres my background:

After working as a dental assistant since my junior year in high school, I planned to take the classes needed to get into dental school.

Freshman year-
----Fall Semester-
Gen Bio I with Lab: C
Gen Chem I with Lab: D
----Spring Semester
Gen Bio 2 with Lab: C
----Summer 2015
retook Gen Chem I with Lab: C+

Sophomore Year
---Fall Sem
Gen Chem 2 with Lab: C
---Spring Sem
Organic Chem 1: F
---Summer 2016
Organic Chem 1: F ...again

So after a brutal, 2 years, I decided to stop taking sciences, continue on with my Public Health degree and reevalaute my career options. However, after a summer of interning at a community health center, my mind kept on going back to dentistry. Therefore, I decided that I will deal with my remaining pre-reqs after graduation.

So here I am, a fresh college graduate and I wholeheartedly and passionately still want to continue my dreams in becoming a dentist. Clearly, I still need to take Orgo 1 & 2 with labs and Physics 1 & 2 with labs. There has been a back and forth deciding if I should just close the door on dentistry, but I cannot stop thinking about it and many tears were shed. I have the extracurriculars, experience, shadowing, but unfortunately, not the grades

I decided I should establish a career for myself then finish up my remaining pre-reqs.

Fortunately, $$ is not an issue for me on why I'm deciding to delay taking my remaining pre-reqs, but I want to establish a career first just in case I don't get into dental school.

With all of that being said, would matriculating into a dental hygiene program OR a nursing program for the next 2 years be a good route? Then once I finish these programs, I can finish up my pre-reqs and try my chances at dental school?

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[CDT13]

Maybe others can chime in here, but I don’t see the benefit in establishing another career first. So you would do hygiene or nursing, get a full time job, then go back and retake the prereq’s? I currently am in that situation ( 28 yrs old and work 60 hrs a week) and it is extremely difficult. I usually put in around 100 hours a week to get everything done. This path takes extreme determination and focus in my opinion, and you need to honestly evaluate if you can handle the load and also get A’s. Only you know whether your prior performance was bc of a lack of trying or not.

 

[crumps]

I agree with the above poster, it doesn't make sense to me to try and establish another career first if you are absolutely certain you want to pursue dentistry. I know you say your first two years weren't so hot but what is your GPA now that u have graduated? Why not try for a master's/post bac and kill it? By trying out another career path you are only delaying it by that much more. Also you probably need those same pre requisites ANYWAY to get into a hygiene or nursing program!

 

[ChemKitten3]

I agree with the others, but I would also add that starting a career in nursing in my opinion wouldn’t be the best option. I would go with dental hygiene. I come from a long line of nurses and I can tell you dentistry and nursing are polar opposites. If dental school is what you really want, going into hygiene would be the best option. It will keep you around the environment, give you motivation to complete your pre-reqs and you can use that knowledge when you’re in dental school.

 

[doc toothache]

Take a 2 year sabbatical and then re asses your position.
Dental Hygiene to DS

 

[redhotchiligochu]

Neither.

Do a postbac and catch up on the science prereq's you missed. If you can get close to all A's, then you can do a Master's program to back it up. I know a good friend and classmate who got something like a 2.6 during his undergrad and he's near the top of the class right now. And he did a postbac and Master's program with a 20+ DAT to match.

Dental school is tough. I have a lot of classmates that are miserable right now and dreading labwork (which is ironic, since if they're a "dental student" shouldn't they be passionate about "dentistry" and "working with your hands?")

However, I know several hygiene students and they're very happy with where they're at right now. Don't think of it as a "knock" from dentistry, but many of them who work hard and produce a lot can make 6 figure salary, sometimes even more than the associate dentists that they cowork with.

 

[pearlywhites0815]

Neither.

Do a postbac and catch up on the science prereq's you missed. If you can get close to all A's, then you can do a Master's program to back it up. I know a good friend and classmate who got something like a 2.6 during his undergrad and he's near the top of the class right now. And he did a postbac and Master's program with a 20+ DAT to match.

Dental school is tough. I have a lot of classmates that are miserable right now and dreading labwork (which is ironic, since if they're a "dental student" shouldn't they be passionate about "dentistry" and "working with your hands?")

However, I know several hygiene students and they're very happy with where they're at right now. Don't think of it as a "knock" from dentistry, but many of them who work hard and produce a lot can make 6 figure salary, sometimes even more than the associate dentists that they cowork with.

How is your friend doing now? Did he get accepted to any dental schools?