One year left before application process

[aznnytezx]

I am in a situation where I have one year left until I start applying to a few dental schools.

My question is how can I get involve into any dental office without any license or any prior experiences?

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[TheRoni]

Do not be afraid. Start calling dentists and ask to shadow. Just using a phonebook or the web to find clinics and private practice dentists. A lot of dentists will reject you... But some are happy that someone wants to be a dentist and they like to talk about and show their work to someone who wants to hear and see it. Many people applying already have a dentist that they know because they are related to one and/or they go to one themselves... so you can also start there.
As a side-note, If you live in the US what state do you live in? Each state has different rules about what assistants are allowed to do. Glad to see you are trying to be prepared. CHEERS!

 

[wizi]

Join the dental club at your University --> make connections --> ask where to shadow.

There might be a chance that there is a non-profit dental practice around your area. find where it is. They will likely to accept volunteers.

 

[aznnytezx]

I live in TX, and thanks for the information! I will try to shadow dentists. I tried contacting a few dentists, and a few rejections is what I received. I will try harder now since summer just started. Thanks again!

 

[MuskieMan33]

I shadowed my life long general dentist, for a whole summer actually, a few times a week. That same dentist has other dental friends (oral surgeons and endo). Then I knew a friends mom who worked in a dental office, she got me in to shadow a few weeks there, with both dentists who work there. That same dentist's husband (friends mom's office) is a periodontist, and shadowing there got me in to shadow with him. Funny thing is that the periodontist decided to stop having people shadow because the past 2 people who shadowed had to leave mid-appointment (because of the nature of periodontal issues that people can have), but he was kind enough to ask my friends mom and his wife if I would be able to handle a whole day of periodontal procedures. It was a great experience.

Moral of the story, get in to shadow one dentist, if the days spent there go well, they will refer you to other offices if you ask.

 

[Mr PS09]

I would start shadowing asap. You want to get at least a 100 hours before you apply. I personally didn't call up dentists. I just went in the dental office and asked to talk to my dentist. Its way easier to say no over the phone.

Also, I would highly advise shadowing as soon as possible because you may find out that you don't like dentistry. I was a little unsure about dentistry but shadowing confirmed that dentistry was for me.