How to Become a Dentist
January 27, 2009 by Open Article Submission
Filed under Jobs
Remember those painful sessions at the dentist? You want to be the very same person, you dreaded as a child? Well, not so dreadful anymore as it is one of the many respected professions. Let’s see how to become a dentist.
Some of the skills you’ll need as a dentist are:
- Long hours of dedicated work. Unexpected hours of working in case of emergencies.
- Large bills for liability insurance and equipment if you are setting up your own practice
- Lifelong study of new techniques and developments in dentistry.
- Good communication and interpersonal skills.
But treating teeth and gums requires a lot of study and work. A dentist needs a degree of Doctor of Dental Surgery (D.D.S.) or Doctor of Dental Medicine (D.M.D.) for which one has to complete eight years of college and dental school studies. Once armed with an degree, a license is required from the state, which is acquired by clearing another state test.
To start with you’ll need a high grade point average. Take up high school biology, chemistry, physics, health and mathematics courses. Apply to various dental colleges for a pre-dental program. This will be a two-year bachelor’s degree. Once you have a Bachelor’s degree in Dental Sciences, you can start applying dental schools for a four-year master’s degree in any of the colleges accredited by Commission on Dental Accreditation.
You test scores in the Dental Admissions Test (DAT); overall grade point average, science average and recommendations will take you to the right college. This four-year course is divided into two years of classroom and the final two years of lab work.
Once you are a qualified dentist, you will have to take your license. Take the additional written and practical state examinations for you license. If your state requires any specialty licenses in the dental field, an additional two to five years of study may be required.
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