Last Updated: May 15th, 2022 by
Dental care is a crucial aspect of anyone’s overall health. That includes taking care of your teeth, gums, and surrounding parts of the head. As a dentist, your job is to diagnose and treat medical conditions at those parts and help patients maintain their winning smiles.
You’ll discover how to become a dentist as you read this guide. That includes the education, training, and licensing you’ll require. You’ll also learn about the many specializations you can choose from.
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Job Description
As a dentist, your primary responsibility is to diagnose medical conditions in a patient’s teeth, gums, jaws, and surrounding parts of their head. Part of that process includes taking and reviewing medical images of those parts.
Then, your job is to restore and maximize the patient’s dental health. You’ll do that by performing simple and complex procedures, from teeth cleanings to oral surgeries.
Your role is also to advise patients on improving their overall dental health. In addition, you will likely provide advice to caregivers, like parents of underage patients or family members of your older patients.
Lastly, you’ll support your patient’s recovery after dental procedures by prescribing necessary medication like antibiotics, pain medication, and more.
Read More: How to Become a Dental Hygienist. If you’re interested in all aspects of dentistry, stop by this guide on how to become a Dental Hygienist!
What Does an Average Day for a Dentist Look Like?
Suppose you’re unsure about wanting to learn how to become a dentist. The best way to decide is to understand what a dentist does on the job every day.
Here’s what an average day on the job will look like for you as a dentist:
Review Patient Records
At the beginning of each day, you’ll check for the list of appointments you’ll have in the coming hours. Then, you’ll prepare for those appointments by checking those patients’ records.
Each patient will likely come in with a different need. By updating yourself using their records, you’ll know what to expect when talking to patients and examining their teeth, gums, and mouths.
Depending on the size of the office, you might have others helping you gather the patient records for you to review.
Consult and Advise Patients
When patients arrive for their appointments, you’ll consult with them to understand any dental issues they might have.
By doing that, you’ll know what diagnostic procedures and treatments you’ll need to help them restore or improve their dental health.
At the same time, you’ll also provide them with dental care advice that they can use at home.
Obtain and Examine Medical Images
As part of the diagnostic process, you’ll often need to take medical images of the patient’s mouth, jaw, and surrounding areas.
For example, you will have to take x-rays to give you a clearer picture of your patient’s condition.
Then, you’ll examine those images to plan for additional imaging or to plan treatments.
Much like what you’ve seen above, how you carry out this task will depend on the size of your dental practice. Dentists in larger practices can typically delegate the task of taking medical images to someone else.
Of course, as a dentist, you’ll still be the person who examines the x-rays, and other images were taken.
Take Measurements or Prepare Models
Some patients will need dental appliances like dentures.
These are custom-made for the individual patient. So, you’ll have to take measurements and make models of their teeth and gums before you can order the appliance.
Perform Dental Procedures
You’ll spend a significant portion of your workday performing standard dental procedures on your patients to improve their dental health.
Some procedures are for regular dental care. These include teeth cleaning, whitening, fillings, and extractions.
However, there are also more complex procedures that you’ll perform. These include root canals, installing braces, and restoration procedures.
Prescribe Medications
Lastly, you’ll also spend a part of your day prescribing medications for patients to take home.
Those medications can include things like antibiotics to fight or prevent infections. You could also prescribe pain medication to help patients recover more comfortably.
Process for Becoming a Dentist
The process you’ll go through to learn how to become a dentist will take several years. However, it’s a pretty standardized process. So, you’ll share the same experience as almost any other dentist that you work alongside in the future.
Here’s what the process will look like for you:
1. Start Preparing in High School
Suppose you’re still in high school right now. In that case, you can get a head start on your dentistry career by taking courses that will support the process.
For example, you can take high school courses in:
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Math
- Anatomy and Physiology
- And others
Taking these courses in high school will give you early exposure to the topics that you’ll learn in college in the coming years.
2. Pursue a Bachelor’s Degree
Higher education plays a crucial role when you want to become a dentist. However, before you enrol in dental school, you must first pursue a bachelor’s degree.
Most dental schools will require you to have a bachelor’s degree in science or healthcare as a minimum requirement.
You should strive to maintain a high grade-point average during your college years. That’s because the dental schools you apply to will also consider your grades for admission.
Besides that, you should also work to gain recommendations from your faculty. These recommendations will set you apart from other dental school applicants.
3. Take the Dental Admissions Test (DAT)
Another crucial step you must take before enrolling in dental school is to take the Dental Admissions Test (DAT). Your grades on that test will determine whether or not you get into the dental school of your choice.
4. Enroll in Dental School
After completing your bachelor’s degree, you must pursue a Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS), Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry (DMD), or similar qualification in dental school.
The course you take must have accreditation by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA).
As you pursue one of those qualifications, you’ll take healthcare courses like:
- Anatomy
- Periodontics
- Radiology
- Anaesthesia
- And others
5. Specialization Training
Generally, you do not require additional training after you graduate from dental school. However, you will need more training if you choose to specialize in a specific area of dentistry.
For example, you’ll have to pursue residency training related to your chosen speciality. That process can add another 2-4 years to the overall process of becoming a dentist.
6. State and Specialization Licensing
The final step you must take to practice as a dentist is to get a license. Dentists must get that license from the state, and each one has a different set of requirements.
Among those requirements are that you pass the written National Board Dental Examinations and any other tests required at the state or regional level.
Are You Suited for a Dentistry Career? Skills, Credentials, Tools and Technology
Classroom lessons and hands-on training are essential when learning how to become a dentist. Equally important are the skills and proficiencies that you must have or be willing to develop.
Here are some of the personality traits, skills, and proficiencies you’ll need to be a successful dentist.
Read More: How to Become a Dental Assistant. Not sure if being a dentist is right for you but still interested in dental work? This guide discusses what it takes to pursue a career as a Dental Assistant.
Personality and Skills
US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) lists being detail-oriented, having dexterity, and being patient as essential qualities for a dentist.
Being detail-oriented is critical because, as a healthcare provider, your area of focus is mainly the mouth, face, and head of the patient. So, you must spot and understand minor details in these areas to diagnose and treat them effectively.
Besides that, the tools you’ll use require a great deal of dexterity or skills when working with your hands. That matters for the same reason as before, which is that you’re diagnosing and treating only a tiny part of the patient’s body.
Lastly, having patience is also a crucial personality trait for a dentist. You’ll often deal with uncomfortable or scared patients, which makes treating them more challenging. However, you’ll complete the procedure safely and effectively by being patient and understanding.
Credentials and Proficiencies
The Occupational Information Network (O*Net) highlights that proficiencies in medicine, dentistry, and psychology are crucial for this line of work.
As a dentist, you must have a solid foundational knowledge of medicine in general. That’s because you are a medical professional like any other, who diagnoses and treats diseases. The only difference is that your focus is on the patient’s mouth, throat, face, and head areas.
Of course, you must be very proficient in dentistry, as that is your area of focus. That means your knowledge and skills will focus primarily on the mouth, teeth, gums, and surrounding parts of the patient’s head.
Lastly, proficiency in psychology also goes a long way. That will help you see things from a patient’s perspective through diagnosis and treatment. For example, in cases of severe disease or accidents, the patient will be under exceptional psychological stress.
How Does a Dentist Find Work?
Your effort to learn how to become a dentist will be complete when you find work in the industry. The best way to do that is to focus on the employers that hire dentists the most.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the employers who hire dentists the most are:
- Dental clinics (General and specialist)
- Physician’s offices
- Outpatient care centers
- Hospitals (General and surgical)
- State governments
You can start your job search by identifying the dentist’s offices in your local area. These days, you’ll find that many of them have official websites where they post job openings.
However, you can also contact them directly on the phone, by email, or by visiting them directly. Ask them about any current job openings, and express your interest in working for them.
In many cases, you can submit your resume or CV for them. That way, they’ll have your details on file when they have job openings in the future.
What Is the Average Salary of a Dentist?
Learning how to become a dentist can be somewhat lucrative. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) finds that dentists generally earn an average of $180,830 a year.
The BLS shows the full range of that average salary by finding that:
- The top 90th percentile of dentists earns more than $208,000 a year
- The bottom 10th percentile of dentists earns an average of $81,060 a year
Which States Pay Dentists the Most?
As a dentist, your average salary will also depend on where you choose to work.
The BLS lists these as the top 5 highest-paying states for dentists:
- Rhode Island: $258,920 a year
- Vermont: $254,190 a year
- Alaska: $242,850 a year
- Maine: $236,060 a year
- New Hampshire: $222,430 a year
How Do I Earn More as a Dentist?
One of the best ways to increase your earning potential as a dentist is to pursue one or more specializations.
When you do that, you’ll set yourself apart from your peers by having specialized skills and knowledge. Those specialties could focus on specific parts of the mouth and head, or it could be based on the patient’s age.
For example, you can choose to specialize in working with children and special-needs patients as a pediatric dentist.
Dentistry Job Outlook
The job outlook for this career path is positive. So, learning how to become a dentist can be worthwhile for you and anyone else interested in pursuing this line of work.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) expects the field to grow by 8% between 2020 and 2030. The BLS considers that growth rate to be ‘as fast as average’.
Although the number of dentist jobs will grow in the coming years, you can set yourself apart by choosing to specialize in one or more areas within the field.
Top 10 Dental Specialties in 2022
The field of dentistry has plenty of specialties you can choose to pursue.
Here are the top 10 options you can choose from:
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon
Here, you’ll specialize in performing surgeries to treat injuries, diseases, and defects. Your focus will be on the face, neck, jaw, and other parts of the head.
Endodontists
Through this specialty, your focus will be on the soft tissue within the tooth. Your expertise will cover tooth pain, infection, and diseases that affect the internal area of the tooth.
Periodontists
In this area, you’ll focus on the gums in particular. You will help patients prevent and treat gum diseases while diagnosing them when they appear.
Pediatric or Pedodontics Dentists
Suppose you prefer working with children. In that case, you can pursue a pediatric dentist education to specialize in working with children.
Orthodontists
This is probably one of the widest-known specialties in the dentistry field. When specializing in orthodontics, you’ll focus on keeping the patient’s teeth and jaw functioning at their best. That will also include installing braces whenever necessary.
Read our related article on How to Become an Orthodontist for a more in-depth career overview!
Prosthodontists
Some patients require prosthetics like dentures and implants. As a prosthodontist, you’ll specialize in preparing and fitting those prosthetics to suit patients’ needs.
Public Health Dentistry
This specialization is a niche that overlaps with the field of public health. It’s a non-clinical specialization that focuses on the dental health of different populations.
Cosmetic Dentistry
Cosmetic dentists focus on the appearance of a patient’s teeth and gums. In this area, your expertise is making a patient’s teeth look as best as possible.
Reconstructive Dentistry
Some patients with severe injuries to the face and head will require a specialist who can help them restore full use of their mouths. That’s where you come in as a reconstructive dentist.
Oral Microbiology
In this niche, you’ll specialize in diagnosing and assessing facial infections. For example, you might have a patient suffering from fungal or bacterial diseases that require special skills a general dentist might not have.
Professional Associations
Mentorships and networking will help you continue learning how to become a dentist once you enter the industry.
For dentists, associations tend to fall into 3 categories: nationwide professional associations, associations based on speciality, and state-level associations.
Here are a few examples:
- General dental associations:
- Associations based on dentistry speciality:
- State-level dental associations like:
- California Dental Association (CDA)
- Texas Dental Association (TDA)
- And many others.
Top Colleges and Universities
Getting a college degree is a big part of learning how to become a dentist. Here are some of the top dentistry schools you can sign up for:
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
