Dental Hygenist?

I had an appointment today with a career counsellor and I will be enrolling in school to become a Dental Assistant.





After I am done with school and I am a working Dental Assistant, I will begin schooling to become a Dental Hygenist.





I was wondering if anyone here has any info that could possibly benefit me, such as what type of college is the least expensive, how long it will take me after I am an Assistant, how difficult it is, your experience, etc. ANYTHING you tell me would be appreciated.





Thanks!

Dental Hygenist?
Although I think being an assistant is great (I did assist and still would if it paid me hygiene rate) and potentially quite beneficial while in hygiene school since you will be much more familiar with dental terminology, etc, it doesn't give you any major benefits in regards to hygiene school. What I mean is that you will still need to take all of the classes to become a hygienist, which is approximately 2 years if you get into the Associate's of Science in Dental Hygiene program immediately, but more likely 3 years (or more) if you need to take prerequisites like Chemistry, etc. If you want a Bachelor's Degree in Dental Hygiene then it is 4 years. A community college would be the least expensive choice, but for that reason there tends to be many applicants for few spaces (my school last year had 180+ applicants for 22 spots) so it can be difficult to get in. A major problem I see with being an assistant is that working during the day will be a problem since most hygiene programs are 5 full days a week (Monday-Friday) and there is an awful lot to do and study when you are not at school. I hope this gives you some answers!





This is a response I gave to another person who asked recently, Dental Hygienists: Do you like your job? Would you recommend this career? ---








As a dental hygienist of 15 years I can say I definately wouldn't choose to change my career. The pay is great, but that isn't really the best part of what I do. What I really enjoy the most is being respected medical professional that has the opportunity to make a genuine impact in my patient's lives. You can educate a person so that they can take better care of themself, or save them from a problem that is already present (like oral cancer). You might get to see a family grow (or grow up) if you are in a practice for a long enough time and may become the reason why the come to the office even though they are fearful. You might be part of a team that you look forward to working with. The opportunities to go out and help in the community (like talking with a group of girl scouts or at a school fair) are endless.





I graduated 15 years ago and the schooling is intense, but I also managed to work and have a boyfriend (who became my husband between the 1st and 2nd year). I just graduated this May with my Bachelor's degree, though many hygienists just get their Associate's so they can begin working to pay off their bills. You can furthur your education (from an associate's degree to a bachelor's) and teach at the college level, work as a sales rep or be involved in research. My flexibility with my schedule at work has allowed me to raise a family and go back to school for my bachelor's degree. My employer helps pay for uniforms and continuing education along with retirement and vacation benefits. It is best to be physically fit for this job. I could go on and on, but if you think this may be the career for you it might be a good time to ask your dentist if you could spend some time at the office and see what it is like. I currently have a high school junior shadowing me on Fridays...





Hope that helps!


JAMRDH - a dental hygienist
Reply:Go to the American Dental Hygienists' Asociation website %26amp; there you will find all kinds of good information ... click on "education %26amp; careers" and then "education" ... then "entry-level programs" ... select your state from the drop-down box ...





Generally, it's a 2-year program, available at many community colleges. Once you are a Dental Hygienist, you can pretty much call your own shots as far as were/when/how often you work. The pay is very good (better than what I am doing!). I have considered going back to school to do this myself. Good luck to you!