Dentists are highly trained clinicians who take care of everything in and around people’s mouths, including teeth, gums and jaws, and they have doctorates in dentistry.
The median salary for a dentist in the U.S. in 2023 was $170,910, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Dentists who specialize, becoming oral and maxillofacial surgeons or orthodontists, typically earn salaries over $239,000.
However, getting accepted into dental school isn’t easy. Only 53.8% of applicants who sought admission to the 76 accredited dental schools in the U.S. for the 2024-2025 school year actually enrolled as first-year dental students that year, according to admission statistics from the American Dental Education Association.
“It’s challenging to get into these programs and becoming more challenging with a surge in application numbers,” says Paul Jardine, interim director of admissions at the University of Minnesota–Twin Cities School of Dentistry. For example, the school’s applications increased from around 600 in 2019 to over 1,700 in 2024, he says.
This reflects a broader national trend, Jardine says. The number of U.S. dentistry school applicants in 2024 — 12,491 — was the highest since 2007, and the number of first-year enrollees, 6,719, was the highest since 2000, according to ADA data.
Individual applicants are also applying to many more schools than they used to, he says. “It’s a clear sign that people are interested in the profession.”
Here’s what aspiring dentists need to know.
Types of Dental Degrees and Dentists
A dentist may hold either a DDS, or Doctor of Dental Surgery, or a DMD, Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry or Doctor of Dental Medicine, which are equivalent degrees.
Dental school typically lasts four years. An accelerated degree may take only three years to finish, but those programs are rare. Dental graduate programs usually involve science coursework and a clinical curriculum.
“While student-dentists get about four breaks between quarters, each year of dental school is essentially a fast-paced 12-month blend of classroom, simulation laboratory and clinical education,” Jack Gormley, assistant dean for learner success and belonging at the University of California–San Francisco School of Dentistry, wrote in an email. “In these four years, our goal is not to train a competent technician. It goes above and beyond that to preparing competent, confident health care providers and community leaders equipped with the well-rounded knowledge and experience to advance health for all.”
To become a U.S. dentist, you must obtain a license to practice within the state where you intend to work, according to the ADA. Every U.S. state requires licensed dentists to pass the Integrated National Board Dental Examination.
You can pursue a career in general dentistry or focus on a dental specialty,which would require completing a residency within that specialty. Those residencies range from one year to six, depending on the specialty and its affiliated school.
The National Commission on Recognition of Dental Specialties and Certifying Boards recognizes 12 dental specialties:
— Dental anesthesiology focuses on pain management and overall patient well-being during dental procedures.
— Dental public health focuses on preventing and controlling dental diseases and promoting community dental health.
— Endodontics focuses on the pulp within teeth and often involves root canals.
— Oral and maxillofacial pathology centers on the diagnosis of mouth diseases using various techniques such as microscopic examinations.
— Oral and maxillofacial radiology involves the use of data and imaging technologies like X-rays to identify injuries and illnesses.
— Oral and maxillofacial surgery entails performing operations in and around the mouth.
— Oral medicine focuses on the diagnosis and management of diseases affecting the oral and maxillofacial region.
— Orofacial pain includes the diagnosis and treatment of jaw, mouth, face, head and neck pain disorders.
— Orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics focuses on the prevention and correction of misaligned teeth and jaws.
— Pediatric dentistry centers on the dental needs of infants and children.
— Periodontics involves addressing gum problems.
— Prosthedontics involves the creation of dentures and providing other treatments to address missing or deficient teeth.
Dental school grads entering the general dentistry field often complete a general dentistry residency, which in some cases is required to qualify for a license to practice. For example, New York requires its dental school grads to complete a minimum one-year residency.
Specialties like oral surgery or orthodontics typically require a master’s degree after you earn a DDS, Jardine says. While it’s good to consider long-term plans, students should commit their DDS years to gaining general dentistry knowledge and training rather than focusing on a specialty during that time, he says.
“We make the recommendation that they use that training period to solidify or redirect their decision about whether or not they want to specialize.”
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Prerequisite Education and Exams
In addition to earning a bachelor’s degree, dental school candidates typically complete prerequisite undergraduate courses with labs in biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry and physics, according to the American Dental Education Association website.
Some dental schools also require undergraduate coursework in anatomy and physiology, microbiology, biochemistry and English composition, so work with your adviser to plan your courses.
Dental students typically have a bachelor’s degree in science, but schools accept students from many undergraduate backgrounds, including liberal arts and business, admissions experts say.
Applicants also take the Dental Admission Test, a multiple-choice assessment of natural sciences aptitude, perceptual ability, reading comprehension and quantitative reasoning. “Most schools suggest that applicants take this test either before or around the same time that they are applying to school,” Pattie Katcher, director of admissions at the University of Michigan–Ann Arbor School of Dentistry, wrote in an email.
Applicants report scores through the ADEA’s Associated American Dental Schools Application Service, the centralized application service for all U.S. dental schools.
In March 2025, the DAT moved to a new 3-digit reporting system with scores from 200 to 600. Scores from the previous 2-digit system remain valid, and the ADA provides a concordance table to compare old scores with new.
The new system “improves the DAT’s accuracy in representing your skills, giving you and prospective dental schools stronger insight into your true level of preparedness for the rigors of dental school,” according to an ADA press release.
However, experts emphasize that your competitiveness is not determined entirely by your DAT score and your GPA. Schools also consider volunteering, community service, time spent shadowing dentists, letters of recommendation, personal statements, leadership accomplishments, research background and interpersonal skills, Gormley says.
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“For schools with truly holistic admissions practices, there is no minimum score needed for admission,” Gormley wrote in an email. “But DAT is meant to reflect each applicant’s academic proficiency in general and science proficiency in particular.”
Dental schools invite selected applicants to interview, Katcher says, and dental school decision day typically falls on Dec. 15.
How to Decide If Dental School Makes Sense
Dental school is a full-time commitment that requires dedication to studies, classes and clinics, as well as immense self-discipline, Gormley says. “And yes, it’s an expensive venture.”
The average amount of dental school debt among dental school grads in the class of 2024 who used student loans to finance their education was $312,700, according to the ADEA.
You should carefully consider whether you’ll have the capacity to work off campus during dental school, Gormley says. Part-time work or volunteering in research labs, clinics and offices may be more realistic alongside dental school demands.
Although the cost and time involved in dental training can be intimidating, the profession can be personally fulfilling and financially rewarding, Jardine says.
“I try to avoid encouraging or discouraging people and instead simply lay out the facts and have them make decisions,” he says, adding that the cost of attendance for a DDS program can surpass $400,000 with tuition and living expenses.
Applicants should seriously consider the debt-to-potential earnings ratio. “Even though the debt our trainees take on is quite large, the compensation keeps with it to a certain extent,” Jardine says. “There’s a lot of places to get information, but ultimately, seek out mentorship and guidance from people who are in the profession.”
Personal Qualities You Need to Excel as a Dentist
Dental schools look for candidates who possess qualities that people would typically look for in their own dentists, Jardine says: empathy, calmness, commitment to service, resilience and professional decision-making skills.
“I would want my dentist to be well-informed, educated and up-to-date on all the technical details of the profession,” he says.
Dentistry demands keen spatial awareness and precise hand-eye coordination to perform intricate procedures in tight spaces. Dr. Inna Chern, a dentist based in New York City, says a love for building or crafting is one sign that a person possesses qualities to be a dentist, since those hobbies involve the type of artistry and dexterity needed for the profession.
A dentist who runs his or her own practice needs to understand business concepts, oversee billing and insurance, and know how to lead and supervise staff, Gormley says. It’s also important to keep up with new technologies and techniques for patients.
Dentistry needs “committed individuals with an infinite variety of personal qualities,” Gormley says. “In addition to communication skills and empathy for patients, I often think of the willingness to be a lifelong learner — the openness to admit how much we have yet to learn.”
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How to Get Into Dental School and Become a Dentist originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 03/10/25: This story was previously published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.
