Dentists are the type of doctors who specialize in dental care. People should keep visiting dentists at regular intervals for good oral health. There are a lot of dentists. Dentists are in high demand all over the world and the demand is only growing day by day. Dentists are also growing day by day.
People take up dental studies in their higher education. But how soon after the degree completion can a dentist start practicing professionally? There are a few steps that a person has to follow to become a legal practicing dentist Folsom.
Steps to be taken by the Dentists to Start Practicing Professionally
Undergraduate Major
This major subject that you choose in your undergraduate course, has a lot of effects on how much time it is required for you to become a Dentist.
Taking up subjects such as biology, pre-med and chemistry are advisable, that way you don’t have to do extra courses at a dental school or take up extra time before practicing professionally as a dentist. Pursuing a double major can also take a lot of time to pursue.
Admission into a Dental School
The first step that you have to take after getting graduated is that you need to be enrolled in a dental school. Your application results will play a huge role in determining that factor.
Getting into a good dental school is not easy, because it is a very competitive process. The students need recommendations from previous professors and good GPA scores to be admitted into a dental school. You have to get a minimum score on the state exams
Bachelor’s Degree
There are two degrees that you have to complete without fail before becoming a dentist. There are some dental programs that have a combination of bachelor’s degrees and doctorate degrees.
In this case, a student’s time for two years is saved. Before applying to any dentistry program, you have to have completed a bachelor’s degree program.
Complete a Dental Program
The next step for aspiring dentists is to opt for a dental program after the completion of their bachelor’s degree.
There is still a long way to go before being able to start practicing professionally as a dentist, this is only the beginning of it. There are two types of doctoral degrees available which are: 1. DDS, 2. DMD.
Different Types of options for courses are also available for the students. The students can choose from these courses according to their preferences.
The courses offered to the students are dental anatomy, biology, dental radiology, and also oral microbiology. The students will receive on-the-job training during their programs by applying for internships. This qualification is enough if you want to practice as a general dentist
Specialty Program
If you want to be a specialized dental doctor, then after the completion of the dental program, you have to apply for a specialty program in order to receive specialized training so that you can provide special treatment to the patients.
This training program requires about one to two years to complete. The specialty program takes place in the form of a residency. The further specialization requires some more time to complete.
Different Types of specialized dentists courses that you can become or opt for are: Orthodontist, Oral Pathologist, Pediatric dentist, oral radiologist, Periodontist, oral surgeon, prosthodontist, and endodontist. Becoming an oral surgeon requires an extra 4 years of residency or 6 years of the program.
Licensing
This is the most important and main step which you have to pass, before starting to practice as a dentist professionally. Any dentist Marietta needs to be licensed after his degree completion before he or she can start practicing legally. You have to successfully pass the National Board Dental Exam for that.
There are 500 questions in total with a two-part written exam. It is determined by the help of this exam whether the participants are worthy of practicing professionally because a dentist comes with a lot of responsibilities of ensuring the good dental health of the people.
The students who have done the specialty program have to complete the exam conducted by the board in that specialization too. After you have obtained a license you can start practicing as a dentist professionally.
