Education

In the United States, all dentists must complete four years of dental school after obtaining a four year college degree. Dental school graduates receive either a D.D.S. or D.M.D. degree. D.D.S. stands for Doctor of Dental Surgery. D.M.D. comes from the Latin Dentariae Medicinae Doctor. These days, both types of programs receive similar training. One degree is not better than the other.

After receiving a dental degree, a dentist must pass two board exams in order to practice professionally. The first is a national exam. The second is a state or regional exam. A dentist's license to practice is granted by the state in which he or she chooses to practice.

After earning a D.D.S. or D.M.D., about 1 in 3 dentists go on for additional education and training. However, in most states training beyond dental school is not required in order to practice.