The best thing you can do for your future is to work for a dentist. I worked as a dental assistant for a few summers, and the things I learned there has really helped me get into dental school and be ahead of my classmates clinically (even now, as a D3). I'm a lot more calm and confident in dealing with new cases/problems than my classmates, mainly b/c I've already seen it done before. Even in talking with patients or explaining certain things, I feel more confident (and I'm definitely a better salesperson, can tell them for a fact they "hey, it's going to be a LOT more expensive in private clinic, trust me b/c I've worked out there!").
If you're thinking of specializing, I would go ahead and shadow as many specialists as I can during the summers. It's always interesting too, to see how different offices are set up and run (and you can make mental notes for yourself, to think ahead of how you would like YOUR office to be set up one day).
