{"id":10040,"date":"2022-04-27T11:46:20","date_gmt":"2022-04-27T11:46:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/integrityfamilydentist.com\/?p=10040"},"modified":"2026-06-04T14:18:47","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T20:18:47","slug":"how-become-a-general-dentist-cip109","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.integrityfamilydentist.com\/blog\/how-become-a-general-dentist-cip109\/","title":{"rendered":"How Does One Become a General Dentist"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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\"How<\/a>A general dentist<\/a> is a professional in a position of enormous trust. A dentist’s duties include diagnosing and sometimes treating conditions of the mouth to relieve oral pain, as well as performing prophylactic treatment to prevent dental conditions. Becoming a dentist involves meeting requirements set by the state to obtain a dental license. To get to that point, a person wishing to become a dentist must undergo extensive education and training to receive an advanced degree.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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General dentist requirements<\/h2>\n
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It is illegal to practice dentistry without a license issued by the state in which one works. While each state has its own individual licensing requirements, there are some steps that are essentially universal.<\/p>\n

Education<\/h3>\n
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To be eligible for a license to practice dentistry, a person must receive either a Doctor Medicine in Dentistry or Doctor of Dental Surgery degree. Apart from the names, the two degrees are identical. Each program typically lasts four years and involves clinical practice under the supervision of a licensed dentist during the latter half. The first half of the program is devoted to classroom and laboratory studies:<\/p>\n