Life After Dental School

After dental school, many dentists opt to continue their education and enter a dental residency program. This is not unlike medical school graduates who attend residency for two to eight years. The difference with a dental residency is that residency is not required. It is your choice to complete a residency or not.





Many would recommend completing at least a year of residency after dental school. The reason is that a residency provides a learning environment not found in dental school. In the third and fourth year of dental school, a student begins taking care of patients in a supervised environment. A student would perform basic tasks and see about three or so patients a day.





In a residency, a dental school graduate could see up to ten patients a day. This hospital environment is much more hectic than anything a student has experienced in dental school. It is a great way to practice your profession because although you are licensed to practice by yourself, a recent graduate cannot make up for lack of experience. Completing a residency allows a student to ask questions that an experienced dentist can answer right away.