Is a dentist the same thing a a dental hygienist?

Question

Is a dentist the same thing a a dental hygienist?

Answer 1

Nope, Dentists go through a rigorous training of four years of dental school after college. Dental hygienists take a shorter time to train and they have to work under the supervision of the dentist (DDS). They have different scopes of practice.

Answer 2

no way

The dentist is a bona fide doctor with 12 years of college/dental school

Dental Hygienist got a diploma from a Vo-Tech

Answer 3

No.  The hygienist is the person you initially see, who cleans your teeth, polishes them, applies fluoride, maybe applies a sealant or do an injection.  If you've been brushing, the dentist will walk in, take a look at your teeth and say something like "Great teeth, keep brushing and flossing" and walk out again.  If you haven't been brushing, you're going to spend a lot more time with the dentist, as she fills cavities, performs oral surgery and generally does more of the painful things.

As you've been asking a lot of questions about how much people make, I can tell you that being a Dental Hygienist is actually a great career.  Most work 3-4 days a week (as do most Dentists) make between $50k and $80k a year (with some hygienists making upwards of six-figures, although this is rare).

After you do your pre-requisites, it's a 2-year program, usually associate level.  So, the salary is good, the hours are good, and the education commitment is ~3 years, post-secondary.

It's a MUCH better option than Dental Assisting, which pays much much less.

If you'd like to be a Dentist, go for it, but the education requirement is much greater, plus, if you want to make the good money, you'd want to open your own practice, and that's a lot of extra headache on its own.  Generally, you're looking at at least 8 years post-secondary.

Anyway, it's a seriously good field to look into.

Answer 4

The dentist is a doctor of the mouth....he has 4 years of undergrad and normally 4 years of postgraduate training...

The dental hygienist depending on the state can be a vocational training, a Associate degree (A.S.) program or a 4 year Bachelor degree program (B.S.)

The hygienist always works under the supervision of a dentist. (The supervision levels vary also depending on the training)  

Answer 5

SARA,

A SIMPLE WAY TO ANSWER THIS IS THAT A DENTIST CAN DO EVERYTHING A HYGIENIST CAN DO, BUT ONLY THE DENTIST CAN DO ACTUAL DENTISTRY.