Before you can become a full fledge dentist who is recognized by the American dental association, you must first go through several years of education and training at a dental school. If you are considering a career as a dentist, it is important to take a look at the training and dentist lifestyle you will lead in school before making a decision on if this is the right career path for you.
The American Dental Association estimates that it takes 6 years of schooling for a student to become a dentist. If they wish to have a specialty such as oral surgery or orthodontics it could take 8 to 10 years of schooling.
The first step to becoming a dentist and living the dentist lifestyle is attending an accredited college or university. All certified dental ADA schools require students to have already attended an accredited four year college or university before they can even apply for a dental school. Graduating from that four year college or university is recommended, but some dental schools may consider and accept applicants if they have more than 30 credits. However, this is rare and if you want in a top dental school you will need to plan on attending a college or university for four years and graduating.
After being accepted by a dental school, your quest to discovery ‘what is dentistry’ begins. For the first semester or two of your dental school life, you will explore the basics of dentistry. The basics you need to learn before leading a dentist lifestyle include general anatomy, how general procedures are preformed, and how to work directly with patients.
Once the basics are learned you are one step closer to leading a dentist lifestyle. After the basic courses you will start to learn how to perform actual procedures on patients. You will start with very basic procedures ranging from filling a cavity to extractions, and move on to complicated procedures.
While it might seem like a lot of school is needed to lead a dentist lifestyle, it really is necessary. People trust those who lead a dentist lifestyle with their dental health. It is important that all dentists receive the training and education needed to provide patients with the best care possible.
