How to Become A Dentist: Everything You Need To Know

What Does a Dentist Do?

Dentists diagnose, treat, and maintain dental health, performing procedures like cavity filling, teeth whitening, and patient education on oral hygiene. Their responsibilities also include administering anesthesia, interpreting X-rays, and creating dental models. Utilizing tools like drills, probes, and X-rays, and working alongside other professionals in their clinics (such as hygienists), dentists specialize in various areas such as implants, pediatric care, or general dentistry, making their practice highly procedural. For those who have a passion for health and working with several people each day, dentistry can be an incredibly rewarding career:

“In dentistry, I get to see so many diverse patients. One moment I may be working with a middle-aged person with a broken tooth, while the next hour may bring an apprehensive child who needs a baby tooth extracted. It doesn’t matter your age, race, or religion – everyone needs dental treatment!” – Dr. Amanda Thompson, DMD, Case Western Reserve University

How to Become a Dentist: Before Dental School

Let's go over a step-by-step guide to understand how you can become a dentist.

High School

In high school, it is best to take courses that support your post-secondary options. This means it is important to take math and science courses to allow you to enroll in the dental and medical school prerequisites that will be listed below.

Throughout your journey, seek opportunities to ask those who are in dental school or dentistry lots of questions. These can be career exploration sessions, career mentorship, or one-on-one formal or informal discussions with dentists or dental students. Ask questions about their journey to dentistry, the pros and cons of the industry and career highlights to make an informed decision. 

Undergraduate Studies

While science prerequisites are necessary for dental school admission, specific dentistry majors are not required.

This is essential to know if you're starting your undergraduate degree. While many opt for a science degree, you're free to pursue the course of study you prefer. Your GPA holds the most weight; so, focus on obtaining good grades in each of your courses.

Additionally, courses from other disciplines can fulfill the science requirements for dental school applications if you're not majoring in science. The prerequisites will vary from school to school; however, these are some of the ‘typical’ course requirements for dental school:

How To Become a Dentist: Applying To Dental School

There are a few important components of the dental school application you must prepare for. These include the dental aptitude test (DAT), academic performance, letters of reference, dental school personal statement, supplemental information, and the dental school interview.

It’s no secret that the application process can be overwhelming. Dr. Amanda Thompson, DMD, a dental school graduate and one of our admissions experts, says:

“In general, I wish I had help applying to dental school. I did everything on my own and had no idea what I was doing or how to stand out. Now that I am an Academic Consultant, I feel lucky that I even got into dental school at all! My application could have been so much stronger if I had guidance.” - Dr. Amanda Thompson, DMD.

Let’s review the various application components:

Dental Aptitude Test

The dental aptitude test is an admission test required by most dental programs. It is a high stakes examination that requires preparation, a firm DAT study schedule, an understanding of DAT scoring, and more. You should plan to take the exam at least 1 year before starting dental school.

The exam is held twice per year in November and February and focuses on assessing both academic knowledge and psychomotor abilities required to excel in dental school. The examination has 4 components:

1. Manual Dexterity Test: Candidates’ psychomotor abilities in dentistry are tested by carving a soap model within a designated time frame, typically 30 minutes.
2. Natural Science Section: Candidates are tested on their knowledge of biology and general chemistry, covering content typically found in introductory science courses. The section consists of 70 questions, with 40 focusing on biology and 30 on general chemistry, to be completed in 60 minutes.
3. Perceptual Ability Section: This component evaluates skills essential for dentistry, including aperture perception, angle discrimination, and 3D form development. There are six subtests, each assessing different perceptual abilities, with a total of 90 questions to be answered in 60 minutes.
4. Reading Comprehension Test: Candidates are presented with three passages designed to test their ability to comprehend written text and analyze themes and main ideas. There are 50 questions to be answered in 50 minutes.

For more information about the DAT, please refer to the Canadian dental association. For more information about the DAT in the United States, please click here.

Academic History

You will also be required to submit your academic history. This usually takes the form of your official transcripts from all post-secondary education. This is used to ensure you have completed the pre-requisite courses and to calculate your cumulative GPA.

Dental School Letters of Recommendation 

Most dental school programs require 3 letters of recommendation. These letters are used to highlight your non-academic abilities and emphasize your personal attributes.

Oftentimes, at least one reference needs to be from a university instructor, and one needs to be from someone from a volunteer or employment role you have held. Think about who could speak to your attributes related to dentistry and approach them early to provide them with ample time to write a strong letter of support. Give your recommenders at least 8 weeks to write your letter.

Taking opportunities to engage in research, volunteer with student organizations or community organizations, especially related to helping others, and relevant work experiences can provide you with connections who can write strong letters of recommendation for you. 

Dental School Personal Statements

Some schools will require a personal statement outlining what makes you an exceptional applicant for dental school. It is important to highlight 2-3 experiences you have had that led you to apply to dental school. Remember, it's important to be selective about the experiences and events you include in your statement. Take it from our consultant, who has first hand experience:

“A personal statement is meant to showcase the traits that make you suitable for the profession. Be sure to “show, not tell” the reader about yourself by discussing specific experiences from your life, your takeaways from those experiences, and how those takeaways apply to your future as a dental student or dentist. Anyone can say, “I am compassionate,” but it is more meaningful if you SHOW the reader about your compassionate ways be describing a lived experience.” - Dr. Amanda Thompson, DMD.

Dental school personal statements must follow the structure of an academic essay. If you are applying through AADSAS, the essays are typically 4,500 characters long. It is very common to write multiple drafts of a letter until you feel satisfied with the result. Make sure to have others read your statement for cohesiveness, structure, and grammar. If you need help, you can always reach out to a dental school advisor for help. 

Supplemental Information

The last section of the online application is the supplemental information. This takes many forms, but the goal is to provide your volunteer and work experience.

There is often a word limit for each entry, which requires your writing to be succinct. Focus on your role and the skills and attributes developed from the experience. This is not unlike the AMCAS Work and Activities section, which outlines your extracurriculars for medical school.

Dental School Interview

The dental school interview will either take a multiple mini-interview (MMI) format, traditional format, or a panel interview format with the aim to assess your judgment, communication skills, and skills related to dental school and dentistry.

First of all, you must go over dental school interview questions. These will help you prepare for dental specific questions that are bound to surface during your interview.

Don't forget to practice with MMI questions before your interview and review common interview questions like "tell me about yourself" and "what is your greatest weakness" before your meeting with the admissions committee. 

How to Become a Dentist: Finish Dental School

Dental school applicants may receive offers of acceptance to dental schools, where they pursue either a Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) or a Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry (DMD) degree.

In Canada, all dental programs offer the DDS degree, while in the United States, both DDS and DMD programs exist; however, both degrees equip graduates with the same skill set and job opportunities.

During the first two years of dental school, students focus on classroom-based education, covering the fundamentals of dentistry, diagnostics, anatomy, and physiology, along with procedure-based labs to develop essential skills. In the third and fourth years, students participate in clinical rotations to apply their knowledge and skills in real-world dental practice.



How to Become a Dentist: Dental Practice and Specialization

After graduating from an accredited dental program, you will first get licensed by the country or state/province you want to practice in. A written examination and an OSCE is required to gain certification to practice. 

After completing the required certification, you can begin their career as a general dentist. You may open your own clinic or join other dentists. 

You may choose to do extra training or specialize. This will require a few years of extra education or residency after completing dental school. In fact, dental residencies are some of the most competitive residencies out there.

You will then subsequently write examinations for your subspecialty before being able to practice. There are many specialty areas in dentistry which includes:

Not all dental schools offer all the above specialty programs. When offered, there is a MSc and PhD option for each and as such can take upwards of 7-8 years to complete. In addition, there are research training programs specific to dentistry that are separate from the clinical specialty programs.

Pros and Cons of Becoming a Dentist

FAQS 

To your success,

Your friends at BeMo

BeMo Academic Consulting

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