Dental hygienist to dentist?

I know that being a dentist requires at least 3 years of undergraduate study and then the DDS/DMD program.





Say I pursue dental hygienist after high school and work for a couple of years then decide to become a dentist.





Will I have to go back do the undergraduate study or can I get right into the DDS/DMD program?

Dental hygienist to dentist?
Its funny you ask this question, because this is exactly what im doing at the moment! In fact, you DO have to go back for the undergraduate study because every dental program requires that you complete certain pre-requisites before entering the program. Each school may be different, but they all usually require pre-med like requirements. This may include (and not be limited to) chemistry 1, chemistry 2, organic chemistry 1 and 2, immunology, physics 1 and 2, calculus, etc. Look at each schools graduate programs and what they ask for. Becoming a dental hygienist will get some of the requirements out of the way, but going to an accredited UNIVERSITY (not community college) is required for most of the credits to be completed. Hope this helped ya!
Reply:Most programs have requirements that must be met. Some of those might be able to be met while studying to be a hygienist.





Some schools will give preference to applicants with dental experience -- such as hygienists.





Your best bet is to contact the dental schools you are interested in and ask them.





Links to the dental schools in the US can be found on www.ada.org.

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