Cosmetic Dentist as a Career

Many people interested in helping others for their career choose to go into dentistry. A further subset of that profession is a specialization that focuses on the appearance of teeth and improving their aesthetic functionality. Dentists that improve the appearance of a person’s smile as well as taking care of their oral health and hygiene is known as a cosmetic dentist. Becoming a cosmetic dentist has many things in common with becoming other types of health professionals or other subspecialties of dentistry.

It all starts in high school. Getting into a good university is essential in order to be accepted into a good dental school in the United States or Canada. As such, it is important to get competitive grades in high school and score well on the ACT, SAT and have a high GPA. Both dental and medical schools are very competitive to get into and so only the top students really have the opportunity. You must prove early on that you can study hard and have the discipline to succeed.

After high school, you will spend four years in an undergraduate program before applying to dental school. This is an equally rigorous time as many students are weeded out and decide to do things other than dentistry. You do not need to major in science in order to get accepted to dental school, but many students find they are better able to succeed later on if they have a good science background. Also, the Dental Admissions Test often has some scientific content.

After passing the Dental Admission Test, it is time to select the dental schools of your choice and apply. Whether you are applying within your geographical area or across the nation, it is good to have a backup plan in case you don’t get accepted to your first choice. If you are accepted, you will spend four years in dental college. As with medical school, the first two years are structured around classroom learning and the second two years are spent learning practical hands-on skills during clinical work under the supervision of licensed dentists.

Once you graduate from dental school, you will apply to take the licensing examination and research the licensing requirements for the particular state you intend to work and live in. At this point, additional education and training is undertaken by those that wish to become a specialized cosmetic dentist. It is this further education and training that sets them apart from other dentists and gives them greater experience and expertise when it comes to aesthetic dental work.