Dental Schoo; Question???!

Dental Schoo; Question???

So I am going to start dental school and I am highly interested in becoming a orthodontist. However, is it true that I must complete the ortho. progrmas immediately after dental school or can I wait for 2 to 3 years after graudating from dental school and earnign some expereice.Will I have a better chance of getting into the ortho. program or will it still be very competitive??

It's too early for you to be worrying about that. :-)

You won't have to decide what PG programs to apply to until your third year. Meanwhile, concentrate on getting VERY GOOD grades, schmooze your instructors to get nice recommendation letters, and have a good time. If your dental school gives you some time off in the summers after your 1st and 2nd years, start contacting ortho program directors to see if you can arrange a summer externship to "get your foot in the door" and let them "put a face to your name." You also need to do well on your National Dental Board exams.

Get good grades, recs, NDB scores and network, and you should be able to match into an ortho program. But who knows, the clinical and coursework in dental school might get you interested in some other specialty like OMFS, peds, etc. Enjoy the experience, and good luck!