The American Dental Association (ADA) sets the standards for dental board certification. Each state has its own requirements as to what is needed and what you need to have certified. States also have differing requirements as to what forms you need to complete before being taken on as a potential member. There are several things to look out for when it comes to these requirements, as listed below.
Completed? You’re Now Certified
First of all, the state your application was filed under will have some form of requirement that you must meet before being accepted on to their successful completion and certification. The most common requirement is that you have completed a training or internship program. The successful completion of the program will then be used as a basis for their decision. There are a number of different programs you could be looking at, so make sure you look through all of them very carefully before making any final decisions. If you don’t have the time to do this, however, there are online courses that can help.
It’s important to note that some dentists do not need to take any of these advanced training courses. They only need to successfully complete the basic requirements for acceptance into their state. It is actually the dentists who take this additional step that can provide the information necessary to help other dentists in their state. This is why you will see those dentists with advanced training and certifications who also have completed the basic courses.
One of the most common questions dentists have is about the requirement for dental board certification in their state. The short answer to this question is that none exist. This means you needn’t bother going to school in order to become a dentist. However, you may find that you are required to take a number of additional tests and this is where your training may come into play. You need to show the state that you have completed courses and other training that is deemed necessary by your state.
The Process
The process for receiving dental board certification differs from one state to another. Some states require you to submit proof of your training and completion of the coursework. Others require you to submit a letter that tells them about your education and that includes a sentence that states you have taken the appropriate courses. There are no specific rules regarding the length of time between the sentence and the “completion” of the course, but the best rule of thumb is to include at least nine hours ago the sentence:
To receive your license as a dentist, you will need to complete the certification exam. You can do this through several different avenues, but the one that is most recommended is to hire a tutor. Tutor-tutors are those who have been trained in the art of tutoring students to pass the licensing exam. Tutors will work directly with the state licensing board and should be able to supply you with a list of courses that have been completed. The fee that tutors charge is nominal and makes taking your certification test a breeze.
In addition to using words correctly, you should also use proper grammar. The sentence should be written in all capital letters; the first word should always come at the end of the sentence, followed by another capitalized word. You should also use a word that describes what you are certifying, instead
of describing what you do as a dentist. If you use words like clean, polished, beautiful, marvelous, you are better off replacing the word “dentist” with a description word like “anesthetic dentistry”, “anesthetist” or “surgeon”. Be careful with capitalized words; it may seem like a smart word selection, but some states will take capitalization over letters, so make sure your doctor has been appropriately capitalized in your state.
You can make your own corrections to the above sentence by adding an explanatory word or two, rephrasing the sentence to fit the board’s requirements, and making sure the sentence flows as one cohesive unit. For example, instead of saying, “To become a certified dental assistant in Texas, you must pass the Texas State Board of Examiners’ Examination on the written and oral exam.” You might instead write, “To become a certified dental assistant in Texas, you must pass the Texas State Board of Examiners’ Examination on the written and oral examination.” This second example is more concise and flows more smoothly, and fits into the standard format for medical reports, so it will be used by medical and dentists across the nation.