Should I go into Dental Hygiene or Dentistry?

I have been thinking about going into the field of Dental Medicine, and I'm trying to weigh the options of Hygienist or Dentist. Is the job of a hygienist boring? It seems as though the dentists do all the good things while the hygienists just clean teeth all day. After a while it might get a little old, or do the different patients keep it interesting. I would like to go into Dentistry, but the amount of time and money it takes are some major deterrents for me. Once I got into the field though I think I would enjoy it. Maybe someone who is a hygienist could shed some light on this subject :) Also do you feel as though you are lower than the dentists, since you have to ask them to check the patient?

Should I go into Dental Hygiene or Dentistry?
I'm a hygienist and I found the work boring. Dentists have much more interesting work. I did it full time for 14 years. Then I went back to school to become a teacher. Now I teach Health Occupations at a high school and will be starting a dental assisting class next year. I still do some hygiene on weekends. I like working in the dental office now that I only do it part time.





The dentist I work for never makes me feel that I am "lower" than him. We are a team that delivers high quality dental care to our patients. Every person in our office is an integral part of that team. I would not work for a DDS who thought otherwise.





To become a dentist, you need four years of undergrad work to get a bachelors degree. The curriculum is the same as pre-med. Getting into dental school then is very competitive. Dental school is another four years. You're right that it is a long tough road to get there. However, if you start college at age 18, you can be a dentist eight years later, by the time you are 26. If you don't go to dental school, eight years later,you will still be 26 but you won't be doing what you really want to do for a living. Eight years is a very short time compared to the rest of your life, and you will work for the rest of your life. Be sure you are doing something you like for the rest of your life.