The field of dentistry offers a wide variety of rewards and challenges to those looking for a well-paying rewarding career. The job is more than just helping patients enhance and maintain the health of their teeth and gums – it also involves staying on top of cutting-edge technology and interacting with patients. If you are hoping to become a dentist, here are ten easy tips for getting there.
1. Decide if you enjoy helping others and making their lives better. Dentists work directly with people, so people skills are important. If you don't enjoy being with others on a regular basis, and you don't have very good interpersonal skills, this probably isn't the right career for you.
2. Focus on science and math in high school. Like other health care professions, dentists must have a strong science and math background. Having the basics in place before you begin to do your undergraduate work will go a long way to helping you succeed in college.
3. Consider working at a dental office. That will give you exposure to the profession and help you decide if you truly do want to be a dentist. You may like the idea of being a dentist, but you may not truly enjoy the work. Being a part of it before you spend money on school can help you make that decision.
4. Take a dental assisting course. This is a short technical course that will teach you to be a dental assistant. That gives you an even closer look at what it is like to be a dentist. It's also much cheaper than dental school, so if you don't like it while you're an assistant, you certainly won't like the work while you're a dentist.
5. Go to college. You will need at least two years of science-based college. Most people get a degree in some kind of science. Find a school that has a strong science program before you leave for college.
6. Study for and take the DAT—Dental Admission Test. You need to take this test to get accepted into dental school. Most bookstores have a study guide for designed specifically for this test. Some testing centers even offer prep courses.
7. Develop your people skills. Dentists work directly with people more than other health professionals do. Your success as a dentist depends on having good people skills. Consider taking interpersonal communications classes in college to improve your skills.
8. Apply to dental schools. Apply to several schools, not just your first choice. Continue to take pre-dental classes and to prepare for the DAT while you wait for acceptance into a good dental school.
9. Expect to be in the classroom for another two years after you get accepted into dental school. You will probably not get into practice settings until your last two years of dental school.
10. Take your state dental boards and get licensed. In most countries, you can't practice without a license, and ensuring that your paperwork is in order is the biggest step in becoming a dentist.
It takes a lot of hard work and a desire to succeed to make it through dental school, and you’ll need to be a very special sort of a person to be good at dentistry – you need intelligence, manual dexterity and a good way with people. Once you have your license, all the effort will have been well worth it.
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