How Long Does It Take to Become a Dental Surgeon?
Dental surgeons, also known as oral surgeons and maxillofacial surgeons, are licensed dentists who have specialized in the surgical removal or modification of teeth, oral tumors and the jaw. The dental surgery field is one of nine major areas recognized by the American Dental Association. Income earnings for dental surgeons are significant--about $210,000 based on 2009 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics--but you must complete years of training to work in the field.
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Average Time
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The average time necessary to become a dental surgeon is between 10 and 14 years, according to the Schools in the USA website. This figure includes time necessary to obtain the bachelor's degree preferred for admission into most dental schools.
Bachelor's Degree
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To be accepted into dental school so you can specialize in oral surgery, you must have some post-high school education. The absolute minimum for applying to dental school is two years of undergraduate work. Most students who apply to dental school have an undergraduate degree, but some pass the admission exam and finish their undergraduate while attending dental classes. During this two to four years of your education, you should take classes such as biology and anatomy.
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Dental School
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You may not work as an oral surgeon until you have completed a dental program at an accredited dental school. Dental school usually lasts four years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. During the first two years, you continue your biology and anatomy study and also take classes like lab techniques and biochemistry. The last two years include your clinical work where you actually begin working with patients. At the end of this four years, you usually will have either a Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) or Doctor of Dental Medicine (DDM) degree.
Residency
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After you complete your dental program and have been licensed by your state, you move on to the last four to six years of your education. This means applying to and completing a residency program in oral surgery. During this time, you will learn oral surgery fundamentals under supervision. The residency is extremely important because 1) it is not until your residency that you learn hands-on oral surgery techniques and 2) it is during your residency that you will be able to network best in the dental surgery field and establish yourself as a qualified surgeon.
Additional Considerations
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It is possible to shave as much as four years off your dental surgeon education by applying to dental school after your sophomore undergraduate year and finding a four-year residency instead of a five- or six-year program. However, combining bachelor's degree work with dental classes may be extremely demanding. Additionally, longer residency programs will give you more hands-on experience.
Another consideration is your dental exams. You must take these exams to practice as a dentist and as an oral surgeon in every state. Failure to pass these exams may delay your entrance into your residency, so you should approach them seriously.
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References
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