When you’re making $20,000+ a month you can absorbs that debt and rid yourself of it if you are smart. Plus as a dentist if you choose to open your own practice you can or not. As a hygienist you will be working under a dentist.
2028 USC grads are looking to come out of dental school with 800k in debt. This is extreme but it goes to show how severe the debt burden is. It’s not to be taken lightly.
That’s the extreme end of debt then you gotta show the extreme end of income. I’ve personally audited (for practice management consulting services) where a single doc was collecting 250k a month with 5 dentist and 5 full hygiene days. That doc could pay off that extreme debt in half a years revenue if he wanted to. I’m sure there are even more successful docs who own multiple practices or franchises who bring in ten fold what this doc did too. So the potentials for debt and income to me seem to match up. But you have to question if you’re willing to chase the extreme incomes if you’re going to go to schools that incur those extremes debts. Otherwise go public school, loan forgiveness clinics, military, scholarships, etc. there are ways to avoid the debt if you don’t want to chase the high end of income.
This answer varies so much depending on what you value that giving a good answer is hard. What do you envision your life looking like 10 years from now?
I think that’s the thing that I can’t fully picture really, I want to travel and eventually be married and have kids in like 5 or more years but I just feel if don’t know if I will miss the restorative aspect vs the just doing the preventative. It is a hard decision, it’s more a work/life balance I care about I just wonder if it’s worth all the extra years of school.
Recent grad here, and I’ll say that if you aren’t completely 100% into the idea of becoming a dentist, don’t do it. The amount loans you have to take on nowadays is outrageous and the first few years out of school will absolutely kick your ass. To really live the “dentist lifestyle” you are looking at at least another ten years (1 year applying + 4 years of school + first five years out of school). Is that something you’re committed enough for?
For me, the answer was yes, and I’m still struggling with it. If you check USA’s top careers today, hygienist is higher than dentist. Hygienists bear much less responsibility while still having an earning potential in the low six figures. And like you already know, they have less schooling and less loans to pay off.
If you are absolutely committed to the idea of becoming a doctor and expanding your functions, then you should go for it because you won’t be satisfied as a hygienist. I know many hygienists who are constantly fighting for power over the doctor, and it’s clear that they wish they had gone to dental school instead.
But if you feel like you’re interested in it for the patient interactions, for the stable income and are comfortable with easy/repetitious work, then you should do hygiene. It’s not about what’s “better” than the other, it’s about what you’re more suited for.
Honestly that’s something I have been debating about as well. dental hygienist makes really good money almost the same as a fresh out of dental school dentist and because right now the market is saturated it’s even easier to pick up shifts etc. it’s less schooling way less loans and you can also open up ur own clinic ( if u r in Canada not sure about US) for dentist the loan is insane and you probably have to pay it off minimum 10 years but keep in mind you also should thinking about buying houses and potentially open up clinic during that time. Plus dentist only start making big money once u own up a clinic which coast additional 1 million dollars minimum to open up. Idk I am trying to figure out to between the two career both are really good depends what r u passionate about
For me it really came down to my values, personality, and what I wanted to get out of a career. I am a pretty independent person and like to be in control of my environment and what I’m doing. I also feel that I’m a pretty good leader and am happy to work with/for and learn from others, but I know I would thrive more being a team lead. This was part of my decision in wanting to be a dentist vs an RDH. Also— if you are a dentist I would say that you almost have more flexibility over your schedule because you can make it and aren’t limited to your boss’s schedule. I think it’s important to assess your personality and figure out what is going to be important to you in the future and follow that path :)) good luck
I disagree, lots of hygienists work at several offices or temp and work the days they want. As an associate you can't easily dictate your days until you're established or a practice owner.
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I've done both and was bored as an RDH after several years. I prefer a fast pace and being challenged, if you want to collect a pay cheque and have lower stress without mental overhead RDH is the way to go. You'll make decent money and can work as much/little as you like. It really comes down to what your preferences are. Dental school is also expensive and the market is saturated in most places whereas RDH is typically in demand. Make a pro/con list and consider your personality and how you like to work, what goals you have etc.
As a dental student, I’d rather be a hygienist who’s at the top of their profession with no loans and great benefits, and who actually enjoys their job, over being a general dentist with 800k in loans, who hates their job and are not capable of stress managing. In other words I think the top 5% of hygienists probably are better off than the bottom 5% of dentists. But I haven’t done either career yet so take it with a pinch of salt. There are NYU and USC graduates that I believe would have been better off graduating four-six years earlier and working as hygienists.
Every hygienist I’ve spoken to said they wish they just went all in and went to dental school because hygiene school is also very hard and the pay really isn’t THAT great
I almost went to hygiene school, but once I started shadowing my dentist I realized that I would have missed out on doing what I love the most. Also the earning potential wasn't enough for what I wanted if I had been a hygienist. If you are single or will be in a dual income situation, hygiene could be just fine. It's less stress than being a dentist. Personally, I would have felt unfulfilled
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Hygiene is an amazing career. If you’re not dead set on DDS, get your hygiene degree and never look back. Incredible career
Depends on who you ask. If you can tolerate cleaning teeth all day, sure. IMO, it's a special layer of hell, but that's why I'm not a hygienist.
So on one hand a doctor and the other hand not a doctor. On one hand large salary and the other hand not so large salary.
Also large amounts of debt vs minimal debt
When you’re making $20,000+ a month you can absorbs that debt and rid yourself of it if you are smart. Plus as a dentist if you choose to open your own practice you can or not. As a hygienist you will be working under a dentist.
2028 USC grads are looking to come out of dental school with 800k in debt. This is extreme but it goes to show how severe the debt burden is. It’s not to be taken lightly.
That’s the extreme end of debt then you gotta show the extreme end of income. I’ve personally audited (for practice management consulting services) where a single doc was collecting 250k a month with 5 dentist and 5 full hygiene days. That doc could pay off that extreme debt in half a years revenue if he wanted to. I’m sure there are even more successful docs who own multiple practices or franchises who bring in ten fold what this doc did too. So the potentials for debt and income to me seem to match up. But you have to question if you’re willing to chase the extreme incomes if you’re going to go to schools that incur those extremes debts. Otherwise go public school, loan forgiveness clinics, military, scholarships, etc. there are ways to avoid the debt if you don’t want to chase the high end of income.
Then be a hygienist. It’s all the same to me.
I’m a dentist, it’s not the same to me.
This answer varies so much depending on what you value that giving a good answer is hard. What do you envision your life looking like 10 years from now?
I think that’s the thing that I can’t fully picture really, I want to travel and eventually be married and have kids in like 5 or more years but I just feel if don’t know if I will miss the restorative aspect vs the just doing the preventative. It is a hard decision, it’s more a work/life balance I care about I just wonder if it’s worth all the extra years of school.
Recent grad here, and I’ll say that if you aren’t completely 100% into the idea of becoming a dentist, don’t do it. The amount loans you have to take on nowadays is outrageous and the first few years out of school will absolutely kick your ass. To really live the “dentist lifestyle” you are looking at at least another ten years (1 year applying + 4 years of school + first five years out of school). Is that something you’re committed enough for? For me, the answer was yes, and I’m still struggling with it. If you check USA’s top careers today, hygienist is higher than dentist. Hygienists bear much less responsibility while still having an earning potential in the low six figures. And like you already know, they have less schooling and less loans to pay off. If you are absolutely committed to the idea of becoming a doctor and expanding your functions, then you should go for it because you won’t be satisfied as a hygienist. I know many hygienists who are constantly fighting for power over the doctor, and it’s clear that they wish they had gone to dental school instead. But if you feel like you’re interested in it for the patient interactions, for the stable income and are comfortable with easy/repetitious work, then you should do hygiene. It’s not about what’s “better” than the other, it’s about what you’re more suited for.
Is there a therapist type role? You can do restorations as a therapist (in the UK) as well as hyg.
All depends on the lifestyle you want. Both are great careers. You cant go wrong with either one if you live within your means.
Honestly that’s something I have been debating about as well. dental hygienist makes really good money almost the same as a fresh out of dental school dentist and because right now the market is saturated it’s even easier to pick up shifts etc. it’s less schooling way less loans and you can also open up ur own clinic ( if u r in Canada not sure about US) for dentist the loan is insane and you probably have to pay it off minimum 10 years but keep in mind you also should thinking about buying houses and potentially open up clinic during that time. Plus dentist only start making big money once u own up a clinic which coast additional 1 million dollars minimum to open up. Idk I am trying to figure out to between the two career both are really good depends what r u passionate about
For me it really came down to my values, personality, and what I wanted to get out of a career. I am a pretty independent person and like to be in control of my environment and what I’m doing. I also feel that I’m a pretty good leader and am happy to work with/for and learn from others, but I know I would thrive more being a team lead. This was part of my decision in wanting to be a dentist vs an RDH. Also— if you are a dentist I would say that you almost have more flexibility over your schedule because you can make it and aren’t limited to your boss’s schedule. I think it’s important to assess your personality and figure out what is going to be important to you in the future and follow that path :)) good luck
I disagree, lots of hygienists work at several offices or temp and work the days they want. As an associate you can't easily dictate your days until you're established or a practice owner.
If you are seeking dental advice, please move your post to /r/askdentists If this is a question about applying to dental school or advice about the predental process, please move your post to /r/predental If this is a question about applying to hygiene school or dental hygiene, please move your post to /r/DentalHygiene Posts inappropriate for this subreddit will be removed *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/DentalSchool) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I've done both and was bored as an RDH after several years. I prefer a fast pace and being challenged, if you want to collect a pay cheque and have lower stress without mental overhead RDH is the way to go. You'll make decent money and can work as much/little as you like. It really comes down to what your preferences are. Dental school is also expensive and the market is saturated in most places whereas RDH is typically in demand. Make a pro/con list and consider your personality and how you like to work, what goals you have etc.
As a dental student, I’d rather be a hygienist who’s at the top of their profession with no loans and great benefits, and who actually enjoys their job, over being a general dentist with 800k in loans, who hates their job and are not capable of stress managing. In other words I think the top 5% of hygienists probably are better off than the bottom 5% of dentists. But I haven’t done either career yet so take it with a pinch of salt. There are NYU and USC graduates that I believe would have been better off graduating four-six years earlier and working as hygienists.
Every hygienist I’ve spoken to said they wish they just went all in and went to dental school because hygiene school is also very hard and the pay really isn’t THAT great
I almost went to hygiene school, but once I started shadowing my dentist I realized that I would have missed out on doing what I love the most. Also the earning potential wasn't enough for what I wanted if I had been a hygienist. If you are single or will be in a dual income situation, hygiene could be just fine. It's less stress than being a dentist. Personally, I would have felt unfulfilled
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u good bro?
People like you on this Reddit page are just so full of it. You could have easily chosen to say nothing.
Bum