Do I have to be a dental assistant before becoming a hygenist?

i would like to know if i have to be an assistant before going to school for a hygenist? thx

Do I have to be a dental assistant before becoming a hygenist?
Do you have to be a dental assistant to become a dental hygienist? Absolutely not. Yet it does look good on your application to dental hygiene school. The completion is tough. Your grades need to be high. Having dental experience is a plus...as many other applicants will have had this experience and they want placement in the school as much as you do.


If you work in a dental office you will learn not only dental procedures, terms, sterilization, instruments, etc. It will also help you to find out if you really want to work in people's mouths. You'll find out if you can handle the sight of blood without getting faint.Or if you can handle seeing patients who have gunk all over there teeth. Yes I said gunk and I mean it!


Seriously, if you want to be a dental hygienist you better know for sure...some people do it for the money and they last only a few years. You must want to help people heal. Can you handle all personality types? Etc. This you learn from experience, so I say work as an assistant. You'll need the money to pay for school.





Oh one last thing...I'm a hygienist who is fortunate enough to have an assistant. She had no prior experience. Now this would be the best...you sit side by side with a hygienist and really see what it's like. I wish you much luck in your endeavors..
Reply:No, they are two seperate schools. Being a dental assistant first might help you be sure you want to be a hygenist, though, and it would give you income to get you through hygenist school.
Reply:Technically, no. But, it will make you a more competitive applicant when you apply. Most schools look for applicants with experience in the dental field (ie. dental/hygiene assistant). When I got into hygiene school, I had 1 year of hygiene assisting experience and most of my classmates had been assistants at one time or another.
Reply:NO YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE AN ASSISTANT BEFORE BECOMING A HYGIENIST, HOWEVER, BEING AN ASSISTANT FIRST WILL GIVE YOU LOTS OF EXPERIENCE IN A DENTAL OFFICE BEFORE YOU BECOME A HYGIENIST.=O)
Reply:Not necessarily, however, being a DA first might help you be certain whether or not you really want to be a hygenist. Being an assistant would get you familiar with the terminology too. But it is entirely up to you.