Need Help Please!

[gingersnap4jc]

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Hi,
I was wondering if there is anyone who could possibly help me out. I am 21 and about to start college. I have decided that I want to be a Dental Hygienist, but have had some problems figuring out what courses I should take. From what I have gathered from online information on becoming a Dental Hygienist, I have to get my associates before I can get into Dental School. I have tried to find out what the courses are that I should take to be prepared for Dental School. I have come up with alot of diferent answers being the fact I have no idea where I am going to be located 2 years from now or what College I am most likely to go to. Is there anyone one who could tell me what courses most of the Dental Colleges require for you to get in? Also how do the Dental Schools look at someone who has gotten there degree online, is it exceptable or is it frowned upon? Is there any other way that may take less time for me to become a Dental Hygienist, like maybe a 2 year program? Please if anyone can help I need as much information on this that I can get! Thank You For Taking Your Time To Help Me!

 

[littlemissy]

if u are looking to get into d school you will need a bachelors of some sort. dental hygiene may not be a good route to go try to get a job as a dental assistant and enroll in the core sci ciricullum to start preparing for the dat. if u are that concerned about the dental experience start shadowing early and maybe try to find a job at a dental lab.(u can learn a bunch of you r first year lab technique

i think the most important thing for u to do is do well in school and prepare for the dat. also start accumulatting dental experience hours either by shadowing or by work.

 

[djeffreyt]

I'm unclear if you have mistaken dental school for dental hygiene school. Dental school trains you to become a dentist. Dental Hygiene School trains you to be a dental hygienist. If you want to be a dental hygienist, you really don't need to have an AA for many of the programs except some of the ones associated with 4-year universities. There are dental hygiene schools associated with community colleges in almost every major city, so you should find those specific programs and contact them to find out how to apply. Generally speaking you don't need prerequisite courses to apply to dental Hygiene school. However, all schools have different requirements so unless you figure out WHERE you can apply, you'll never know exactly WHAT you need to do in order to apply

If you are talking about being a dental hygienist as a stepping stone to then apply to dental school, then that is different. If you want to take this route, you still have to look into different hygiene schools and then apply and go through these generally 2 year programs. You would then take your board examinations and be a hygienist. If you then wanted to become a dentist, you'd have to go BACK to school and take a bunch of dental school prerequistie courses like basic biology, chemistry, organic chemistry, physics, etc. that you probably didn't take in dental hygiene school. Most school recommend you also get your bachelors degree (which isn't something you'd necessarily have if you went to dental hygiene school). Finally you'd need some letters of recommendation and you'd need to take the Dental Admissions Test. You could then apply to dental school. (more or less).

So, if you just want to be a hygienist, look into specific schools to find out how to apply and what you need to do to apply.

If you want to be a dentist, taking the 2-year education for dental hygiene won't really be a big benefit if you're looking to get into dental school before you are 30 years old. Just skip dental hygiene school, go to a 4 year university and get a degree and take the prereqs and apply directly.

 

[gingersnap4jc]

Thankyou for ya'lls help! My goal is to be a Denatal Hygienist, my boyfriend who is in the Army currently stationed in Iraq is wanting to be a Dentist. I have seen a few online sites where it says you can get a certificate which is pretty much equal to an associates as a Dental Hygienist. Is it really possible to do all the work to become a Dental Hygienist through an online college? Or are these sites just rip offs? I am looking at trying to become a Dental Hygienist in the least amount of time as possible.

 

[red88m]

I'm a hygienist. Here's what you need to do:
Get at least an associates degree in dental hygiene. Take the National Board Exam and the regional clinical exam so you can get your license. Unless you practice in Alabama or work for the military, you HAVE TO HAVE at least an associates degree and a license to practice dental hygiene.
The prerequisites at each college may differ, but mine included anatomy and physiology, microbiology, algebra, general chemistry I, psychology and sociology. The competition is stiff and there may be waiting lists to actually get into the program. You should have As and Bs in your prerequisites and dental office experience as an assistant or receptionist. Even for an associates degree, the process may take you 3 or 4 years to complete. I would not advise that you spend the time and money to get a bachelor's degree in dental hygiene, since you will be doing the exact same job with a 2 or 4 year degree. A bachelor's in dental hygiene is also pretty useless outside of the dental field if you should change your mind about dentistry later.
It would take you less time to become an assistant and often you don't need a license to assist. It depends on the state.
Check with your local community colleges to see if they have a dental hygiene program. They'll give you all the particulars.
Here's a website with more hygiene information:
http://www.amyrdh.com/