How To Become a Dentist

Dentist Salaries

When you decide what you want to do with your life and what career you want to follow, you must keep in mind that regardless of what you choose, it will require a great deal of work. If you have been thinking of become a dentist at an early age or while in high school, then there are a series of steps you must follow.

• Intense Study is Elementary

As dentistry is not an easy subject and because it involves knowledge from different fields, in order to become a dentist you must study not only medicine, but also subjects related to it. If you’re up to the challenge, this career will definitely fulfill you in every possible way. The first step in becoming a dentist should be studying mathematics, chemistry, health and physics while in high school. Try to maintain a high grade point average so your studies won’t be rejected later on. Also, talk to your guidance counselor and ask him the information you need concerning colleges that have a two-year pre-dental program that puts emphasis on science.

• Degrees and diplomas

As most pre-dental students obtain a bachelor’s degree, you may want to do this yourself. If you don’t want to obtain your diploma from a pre-dental college, you should know that there are dental schools that may admit students after two or three years of undergraduate schools in order to allow them to obtain their

degree from them. If you want to assure that you’ll get in, some dentist mentoring programs or the fact that you were a member of the American Student Dental Association usually helps in the admission process.

• Approved courses are required

Second of all, you must complete a dental degree program that in his turn has to be approved by the ADA Commission of Dental Accreditation. Then, you must take the Dental Admission Test which stands for your academic capacities, intuition and scientific knowledge. As the admission process is very tough, you will be evaluated according to this score and also to your grade point averages, letters of recommendation and interviews.

• Dental school cannot be avoided

If you want to become a dentist, you should also know that dental school lasts for four years. After graduating from it you’ll obtain the title of Doctor of Dental Medicine or Doctor of Dental Surgery, according to the curricula you’ve followed during the four years of studies. In what concerns them, you may be interested in the fact that the first two years are dedicated to laboratory and classroom studies in dental science and general health. Courses usually include pharmacology, oral pathology, radiology, periodontics, orthodontics and dental anesthesia. In exchange, the last two years of dental school include mostly clinical practice under professional supervision where students can diagnosis and treat different patients with various oral illnesses.

• Dentist license

In order to become a licensed dentist and to be able to practice in the profession you’ve chosen, you have to pass the National Board Dental Examination. This is a two-part written exam that covers clinical procedures,

dental sciences and ethics, all studied during the classes in the four years. Moreover, you also have to pass a practical examination that is established by the licensing board in your state.

After passing the final step, obtaining a license, you must become an employee in a private practice or open your own office. After practicing the job for five years, you are then allowed to teach in dental schools or become a researcher in federal agencies or universities.