After completing an Associate of Arts and Science Degree with a major in Science Specialization: Pre-Medical, you will continue your pre-dental study by transferring to a four-year school. Most dental schools prefer candidates to have a bachelor’s degree before entering dental school.
You can declare a major in any subject at a four-year school to obtain a Bachelor of Science Degree, which will require an additional two years. Your chosen major does not determine your success in being accepted to a dental school.
After being accepted to dental school, it typically takes four years to earn a Doctor of Dental Surgery (D.D.S.) or Doctor of Dental Medicine (D.D.M.). Early in your academic career, you will need to research some of the dental schools you are interested in attending in order to ensure you will meet all their criteria for admission. Some basic factors are:
It is the Dental School Admission Test. It is a standardized test taken by students who are applying to dental schools. It will be similar to the ACT® or SAT®. It is a broad assessment of your critical thinking, analytical writing, verbal reasoning, and quantitative reasoning skills — all skills developed over many years, including your two years at SWCC. It consists of four tests: Survey of the Natural Sciences, Perceptual Ability, Reading Comprehension, and Quantitative Reasoning.
As in other health-related occupations, empathy, understanding, and a desire to help others are good qualities for effectively dealing with patients. Decision-making skills, desire to learn, empathy, and interpersonal skills are also needed. Dentists must have fine motor dexterity and an eye for detail work. Patience is another quality needed to deal with patients anxious about dental care. The student must like learning math and science.
The student should shadow dentists and ask questions about the profession. Dentists diagnose and treat diseases, injuries, and malformations of the teeth and mouth. Dentists educate patients on how to care for their teeth and prevent oral diseases. Over 80% of dental graduates are general practitioners, with 20% specializing in one of the nine recognized dental specialties.
There are 65 dental schools in the United States.
Local Dentist and Adjunct Faculty Member began education with Southwest
Dr. Erik Roberts received his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the VCU School of Dentistry. Dr. Roberts received his A.A.&S. in Science from Southwest. He then transferred to Virginia Tech, where he graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. After establishing his dental practice locally, he joined the SWCC faculty and currently teaches online laboratory courses in human anatomy & physiology and microbiology.
Dr. Roberts is with Richlands Family Dentistry. “Serving the dental needs of my home community has always been my goal, and I’m thankful for the opportunity to finally do so. I look forward to remaining a part of the SWCC family and continuing to foster the development of online learning.”