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?
In the US, I'd forget about being a dental hygienist first. You'll need to finish that undergrad degree, so you'd just be wasting time. It'll also be harder to stop working and go back to school.





If you're interested in saving time, try and get into the joint bachelor/DDS programs that some dental schools offer. Don't worry about the school debt. Educational loans have great terms and as a dentist, you'll be able to afford it.
Reply:Hi i'm currently studying Bachelor of Dental Hygiene in Australia. Not sure if this will be of help, but i'll let you know how it works in australia. There are undergraduate and postgraduate Dental (dentist) degrees, so in Australia you don't even have to have completed a previous degree to study Dentistry. Although, if you apply for Postgraduate Dentisty, and you have completed an undergraduate degree in dental hygiene, that that is perfectly fine to gain entry into postgrad dentistry. In australia, you have to have studied Bachelor of dental hygiene to work as a hygienist. Is that that same as where you're from?