What is the education needed to become a general dentist?

Question

I want to become a dentist and i just want to know how long and what i would have to do to become one. i also want to know the steps to become one (like schools, internships, and stuff like that) i would also like to know what schools i should go to. btw i live in southern california :)

Answer 1

Check the website of the American Dental Association

http://www.ada.org/

Good luck

Answer 2

It depends on if you want to be a dentist or a dental hygenist. The hygenist job requires you to take a special course that lasts 90 days or so. I'm not sure that you need a college degree to enroll but it wouldn't hurt.

For dental school, you need to go to college for the required biology and chemistry courses. You will then take a standardized test or two (I don't remember what they are called but similar to MCAT for medical school). After that, you would apply to dental schools (each state only has a few to control the number of new dentists that are trained each year). Dental school will last 4 yrs, at which point you can go to work for an established dentist and build up your patient base to one day have your own dental practice. Additionally, you can spend 3 yrs on an internship to become a specialist (ie orthodontist, periodontist, etc). You get paid a small amount for the internship.

Make sure you really want to become a dentist. I've known people who have gone through the process and they hate their jobs now but with a dental degree, all you can do is be a dentist.

As for schools, just check online what dental schools are available in California.

Answer 3

High School Diploma or a GED