Dentistry

Dentistry is one of the most super-competitive programs out there right now (at least in healthcare)!

What Does a Dentist Do?

• Dentists diagnose, prevent, and treat problems with teeth or mouth tissue
• They remove decay, fill cavities, examine x rays, place protective plastic sealants on children’s teeth, straighten teeth, and repair fractured teeth
• They perform corrective surgery on gums and supporting bones to treat gum diseases
• Dentists extract teeth and make models and measurements for dentures to replace missing teeth
• They provide instruction on diet, brushing, flossing, the use of fluorides, and other aspects of dental care
• They also administer anesthetics and write prescriptions for antibiotics and other medications
• Dentists use a variety of equipment, including x-ray machines; drills; and instruments such as mouth mirrors, probes, forceps, brushes, and scalpels

How Do I Become A Dentist?

• There are only two dental schools in Ontario: Western and Toronto
• You probably shouldn't even consider applying unless you have a GPA higher than 80%. The cut off to apply is 3.0, but applicants typically do not get in with a GPA lower than 3.75
• Need to have a least a 3 year degree for Western or a 4 year degree for Toronto
• Prerequisite requirements include chemistry, life sciences, humanities, and physiology
• You need to write the DAT
• Top-ranked candidates are interviewed

The DAT

• There are 4 sections: manual dexterity, survey of natural sciences, perceptual ability, and reading comprehension
• It is a 5 hour test and is scored based on how well you do compared to other people who wrote the test
• The manual dexterity portion isn't required by certain dentistry schools - check the DAT website
• The cost to write the DAT is over $200

Notes

• Tuition for dentistry is wildly expensive. It's about $40 000 per year with all fees included!