subject: Getting Through Dental School [print this page] The job of a dentist may seem like a fluffy one that is full of ease and a good paycheck. At least, this is case as long as you are willing to take on the nasty things that can be found in people's mouths.
Unfortunately, being a dentist is not all ease and comfort. There are many obstacles that a budding dentist has to overcome in order to reach his or her desired career.
Treating teeth is by no means easy, nor simple. Dentists must go through extensive training in order to be considered as qualified to examine a patient.
If you are considering becoming a dentist there are several things that you will want to know and keep in mind. First of all, during your undergraduate years you will want to take as many science courses as possible.
It is important to earn good grades in these classes as well. As most schools do not offer a specific undergraduate degree in dentistry, you will probably have to settle for a bachelor's in biology or in chemistry.
You should still choose the area that you are most interested in to graduate in as it will probably take you about four years to complete your undergraduate degree. Many schools also require you to take specific classes that are not related to your major called general education classes.
These classes are usually in history, art, English and a variety of other subjects. They are designed to help you become well rounded and more marketable to potential employers.
Within the requirements, there is usually quite a bit of flexibility so you should still be able to take classes that you are more or less interested in. However, your science classes will definitely help you the most when you graduate and continue on to dental school.
When you are about to graduate you will need to think about taking the DAT or the Dental Admissions Test. This test allows the schools you are applying to know that you have the basic knowledge you need to become a dentist.
After you have taken the test you will also want to select several dental schools and apply to them. These schools will look at your grades, recommendations from professors, and your DAT test scores.
As a result it is very important to earn good grades, do well on the DAT, and build meaningful relationships with the professors that you work with. A few months later you will probably receive a letter of acceptance from at least one of the schools you applied to.
When you begin dental school, you need to know that it will take about another four years of hard studying. The first few years of dental school you will be in the classroom learning about the mouth and everything can go wrong with it as well as how to fix it.
This will be pretty much the same as your undergraduate experience and it will involve a lot of studying, listening to lectures, and test taking. Most of the classes that you take will draw on your background science knowledge.
After you have completed the first two years, you will begin to apply what you know in real life. A more experienced dentist will supervise you performing various procedures.
These two years will be some of the most eye opening years that you will ever have. You will learn a lot more by doing the procedures on real people rather than simply sitting in a classroom.
However, the previous two years were definitely not a waste. You will need every scrap of knowledge that you remember from those previous years.
When you graduate from dental school, you will have to get your license. A license is required in order to actually practice dentistry.
You can get a license by taking and passing written and practical exams. These exams are designed to test whether you really know what you are doing, even though you made it through school already.
When you have a license you can open your own practice or join the office of another dental professional. Most new dentists prefer to join the office of another dental professional until they have several years of experience.
When he or she has gained enough experience, then he or she will set up his or her own practice. However both ways have been done and it is up to you which method you prefer to pursue after you have graduated from eight years of schooling.
