So I’m a senior in high school and after a lot of thinking and experiences, I decided that I want a career in dental medicine. However I don’t know whether I should major in Dental Hygiene (BSDH) and just become a dental hygienist or just major in Chemistry with pre dental reqs and go to dental school.
I’m just really worried about not being able to handle dental school and end up having not so good job prospects with a Chemistry degree, but if I major in dental hygiene then I know I have a better chance at getting a job. And for those wondering, I’ll most likely be going to Northern Arizona University since it is the only in state school with dental hygiene and Chemistry.
Well, that’s really up to you.
Dental hygienists make good salaries - a bit over $70,000 on average. They also have a pretty decent scope of practice, depending on the clinic/practice you work in and the dentist you work for. In addition to cleaning teeth, they also do a lot of preventative education with patients and help map out patient care plans and such. I believe that the role of dental hygienists is expanding in similar ways that nurses’ roles are expanding in hospitals. Employment of dental hygienists is expected to grow 33%, which is amazing - much faster than the average. As more people are able to afford medical care, they may start buying dental care too, and with the aging population there’s going to be demand for dental services for the older.
Dentists, obviously, make more than twice as much as dental hygienists - almost $150,000 on average. But dentists have more responsibilities, too - you have to run the clinic, direct the care, deal with medical reimbursement and insurance, etc. Employment for dentists won’t grow as fast as hygienists, as hygienists are taking over more routine tasks and more clinics are staffed by just one dentist with an army of dental assistants and hygienists. Dental insurance also isn’t as widely covered as medical insurance. Still, dentist is still a pretty good job, with lots of demand - it’s growing faster than average, too - and particularly if you don’t want to move to an oversaturated urban area, you won’t have problems finding work. Dentists can also go into other things like public health or traveling dental work, serving in the armed forces or USPHSCC, etc.
Is there a reason why you can’t major in dental hygiene and later go to dental school? You might not be able to take all the prerequisites in college while completing the BS, but that’s okay. You can get your BS in dental hygiene and work as a hygienist. If you later decide that you really want to go to dental school, you can finish your dental school prerequisites part-time while you work full-time, and then apply to dental school. These days, lots of people are waiting a few years go to to medical/dental/law school so they can work to save money and figure out what they want to do.