Should I go into dental hygiene or dentistry?

Is dentistry easy? Is it easy to get into a program? I dont know. Help please.

Should I go into dental hygiene or dentistry?
Getting into a program is getting harder and harder. There is a swelling applicant pool for most healthcare professions. Last year the mean acceptance into dental school was a 3.6 GPA. That's pretty competitive in my opinion. If you want to put the time into the schooling, dentistry is the way to go. If you dont want to spend the time and money, hygienists do quite well. Good luck.
Reply:you can make more money and call your own hours of working if you do the dentistry=depending on the education you have to get into the program
Reply:Dental Hygiene Programs in my state require a 3.5 GPA and 21 ACT score. The interview and essay is not a picnic either. I doubt I'd have made it if I had to do it now. I've been a hygienist for 21 years and I do love helping people learn how to be healthier and smarter. My main complaint about the field is the lack of respect some dentists give us. If you do become a dentist instead of a hygienist I hope you will appreciate your hard working, money producing staff and let them know it. And.....don't make them ask you for a raise.


With either profession, you need to have strong math and science backgrounds. It is not hard if you stay focused and determined...it can be very brain numbing at times though...Good luck deciding.
Reply:Dental hygiene and dentist programs are both NOT easy. They are BOTH very hard to get into. It may take you years to get into a program. To be a dentist you need to most likely go to a 4 yr college first (major in a science) and then apply to a dental college. Dental college is also very expensive. To find out the local colleges for both programs check out the ADA.org website and search on there. They list all the colleges that have the programs.