Dental Careers

A dentist is a doctor that specializes in the oral health of patients. They need to be able to:

• Diagnosing oral diseases.

• Promoting oral health and disease prevention.

• Creating treatment plans to maintain or restore the oral health of their patients.

• Interpreting x-rays and diagnostic tests.

• Ensuring the safe administration of anesthetics.

• Monitoring growth and development of the teeth and jaws.

• Performing surgical procedures on the teeth, bone and soft tissues of the oral cavity.

Requirements to get into Dental School:

• Must take Dental Admission Test (DAT)

• Baccalaureate degree required

• Some dental schools have a GPA requirement

• Application fee (usually non-refundable)

Years in Education:

• Dental school is usually 4 years about receiving a Bachelor's Degree.

• If the dentist wants to specialize in an areas there are post-doctoral residency programs. This could include: Orthodontics, Endodontics, Periodontics, Pediatric Dentistry, and Oral Surgery to name a few. The length of time to become one of the above listed specialist can take 2-6 years after dental school.

Course that should be taken prior to Dental School:

• Biology

• Physiology

• Anatomy

• General Chemistry

• Organic Chemistry

• Bio Chemistry

• Physics

• Histology

• Mathematics (should include calculus, statistics, etc)

• English Compensation and Speech

A dental hygienist is.......

• Someone who cares about others and wants to help their patients stay healthy. We educate patients about oral health and how it can affect your overall health. The mouth is connected to the rest of the body. We discuss brushing, flossing, nutrition, smoking cessation, periodontal disease, pH levels in the body and mouth, we do oral cancer screenings, and we take blood pressure. You never know when you as the hygienist could save someone's life!

Recommended courses in high school.........

• Courses that will be taken in dental hygiene school could include:

  • Human Anatomy & Physiology 1 & 2

  • Microbiology

  • Chemistry

  • Structures in Math or higher (Algebra, Trigonometry, Calculus, etc)

Admission requirements........

• Usually students will complete one year of college get prerequisites done before that are admitted to the dental hygiene program, but not always. If you choose to do a year of prerequisites it just allows you to concentrate on the core dental hygiene courses once you are in the program.

Years of higher education.....

• Associates Degree is usually 2-3 years

• Bachelor's Degree is usually 4 years

• Master's Degree is usually an additional 2 years after Bachelor's Degree

If you want to become a Certified School Dental Hygienist (CSDH):

1: you need to go to dental hygiene school and graduate from an accredited program and pass a national, computer, and clinical board exam.

2: you will need to work in the field of dentistry for a few years so you have the knowledge when assessing the children within the schools

3: you need to find out what other coursework you will need from the Department of Education

4: complete any coursework needed

5: apply for your certificate with the Department of Education

(A CSDH works in the school district they need to abide by the State Board of Dentistry Regulations and Guidelines, as well as, the Department of Education)

As a CSDH, you will:

• provide dental health lessons in the classroom

• provide dental evaluations for state selected grade levels

• help families with finding a dentist

• Our goal is for students to understand the importance of taking care of their teeth, so they stay healthy.

• Top careers in dentistry - Indeed https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/dental-field-jobs

• https://www.ada.org/en/education-careers/careers-in-dentistry

• Dental Hygienists - https://www.ada.org/en/education-careers/careers-in-dentistry/dental-team-careers/dental-hygienist

• Dental Assistants - https://www.ada.org/en/education-careers/careers-in-dentistry/dental-team-careers/dental-assistant

• Dental Lab Tech - https://www.ada.org/en/education-careers/careers-in-dentistry/dental-team-careers/dental-laboratory-technology

• CODA approved programs search: https://www.ada.org/en/coda/find-a-program