Should I pursue Dentistry?

I'm 19 and have been working as a Dental Assistant in a regional area for just over a year and it was supposed to just be a gap year position and then go to Uni for an unrelated course to Dentistry but since working in the clinic and along side the doctor I assist I have started to have an interest in pursuing dentistry. I didn't get the required ATAR for direct entry into dentistry, so my likely pathway would be doing something like a Bachelor of Biomedical Science, but I've heard that the course is really hard. So I've been wondering if Bachelor of Science or Health Science is an optional alternative pathway? and then applying to a dentistry program later, such as the Bachelor of Dental Science at Charles Sturt University.

I guess my question is if choosing dentistry would be a smart choice if I want to earn a good income if I plan working somewhere regional/rural? And if choosing the pathway of doing a Bachelor of Science and then Bachelor of Dental Science is good choice?

I started working as a dental assistant with no prior dental knowledge, but was able to pick things up really quickly mainly because I wanted to prove to myself. Within about four months I was assisting the senior clinician with procedures like implants, bone grafts, crowns, and other general treatments. The senior dentist that I work with have always told me I could study to become a dentist if I wanted to because of how smart I was. I have always taken the comments lightly and brushed it off thinking he was just being kind. He is a great dentist so after seeing him practice I wondered maybe one day I could be half as good? But maybe he's good because I'm his assistant - I'm joking haha. But I also thought I love assisting so much how could I ever leave. The downside is obviously Dental Assistants are under appreciated especially with how much we get paid compared to how much work we actually do running the clinic. So I thought maybe I was good enough to pursue dentistry?

I always struggled a bit with studying notes that's why my ATAR was not as good but when it comes to learning hands-on like dental assistant it came naturally to me, I think that's my main worry with pursuing the study of Dentistry - being unable to keep up on studies.

Edit: My other question is can I complete ANY bachelors degree and then apply to dentistry program like USYD or Uni of Adelaide if I can achieve a high GPA and GAMSAT? And also choosing subjects and electives that meet the prerequisite of the dental course? That is my understanding so far from my research. Of course studying Bachelor of Science would be a huge advantage as it covers most of the same first year topics for dentistry but I also heard that there aren’t a lot of jobs when it comes to that degree if I don’t make it into dentistry? Please correct me if I’m wrong :)

Thank you again for your time 😁