How to Become a Dentist in California
If you'd like to practice dentistry in the state of California, you must first earn a bachelor's degree that includes a curriculum of pre-dentistry coursework. You should then apply to an accredited dental school and complete all required coursework and internships. You don't need to go to dental school in California to practice dentistry there, but you will need to pass a California licensing test. Read on to learn the details of becoming a dentist in California.
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Things You'll Need
- Bachelor's degree
- Letters of recommendation
- Scores from DAT Exam
- Degree in Dentistry from Accredited Dental School
- Proof of passing National Board Dental Exam
- Proof of passing California State Licensing Exam
Instructions
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How to Become a Dentist in California
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Complete a bachelor's degree at an accredited college or university. Research the dental schools schools that you are planning to apply to and find out what types of undergraduate coursework they require their applicants to have. Most dental schools require coursework in physics, biology, organic chemistry, inorganic chemistry and biochemistry. Many colleges and universities offer pre-dentistry majors that offer all the coursework needed to be a competitive applicant at most dental schools in the United States.
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Apply to several dental schools. Even if your goal is to become a dentist in California, you can attend dental school anywhere in the United States. In addition to submitting an application, all schools of dentistry require applicants to pay an application fee and provide undergraduate transcripts. Nearly all dental schools require several letters of recommendation from professors or supervisors as well as scores from a standardized test called the DAT, or Dental Admissions Test. Pay attention to admission deadlines. Most dentistry colleges have firm deadlines of January or February for a start date of the following fall.
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Start the process of becoming licensed to practice dentistry in the state of California by passing parts I and II of the American Dental Association's National Board Dental Exam. The exam will be taken during the second and fourth years of dental school.
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Graduate from dental school. Expect dental school to take four years. Take take the California State licensing exam in dentistry. The exam will take three days and will measure your ability to perform clinical and laboratory procedures, make diagnoses and treat patients. Passing the exam will grant you a license to become a dentist in California.
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Renew your California dentistry license every two years. You must take 50 hours of continuing education credits in order to renew your license.
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