Steps to becoming a dentist?

What are the steps to becoming a dentist?

• Answer:

  Step 1: Take high school biology, chemistry, physics, health and mathematics courses. Maintain a high grade point average. Step 2: Ask your guidance counselor for information on colleges that have a two-year pre-dental program that emphasizes the sciences. Most pre-dental students complete a bachelor's degree. Step 3: Send for college catalogs and applications. Apply well before the deadline date. Step 4: Commit yourself to receiving high grades in college, especially in your science courses. Step 5: Contact the American Dental Association for a list of four-year dental schools accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation. Make certain you'll meet the admission requirements. (See the ADA Web site at ada.org.) Step 6: Take the Dental Admissions Test (DAT). Your test scores, overall grade point average, science average and recommendations will all weigh heavily in the decision to admit you to a dental school. Step 7: Understand that the first two years in dental school will consist of classroom and lab courses. The final two years are spent in clinics under the supervision of licensed dentists. Step 8: Obtain your license by passing additional written and practical state examinations after you've graduated from dental school. Make certain you know what your state's licensing requirements are well before you get to this point. Step 9: Check on your state's requirements for specialty licenses in the dental field. An additional two to five years of study is required.