Apply to dental school. Dentistry applications, like medical applications, have to be completed a long time before non-science degrees. These are done through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). As part of your application, you need to complete a personal essay explaining why you want to become a dentist, as well as describing any applicable experience. This, along with your grades and a recommendation from a teacher, will be used to decide whether or not you are accepted.
Get into dental school. To do this, you will need good A-Level grades. AAB is the accepted standard, although requirements may be higher depending on the school. Science based GCSEs are also required. If you do not have science based A-Levels, then you need to complete a six-year course. The extra year is a foundation year, designed to put students on the same footing as their science-based colleagues. To get into a foundation course, you will need to pass the UKCAT, and have GCSEs in Biology and Chemistry. Work experience shadowing a dentist is also recommended.
Complete a two-year postgraduate course. After graduating, dentists are required to choose a specialty. These include pediatric dentistry, dental surgery, sedation and cosmetic dentistry. Once this course is completed, there are plenty of jobs. The NHS is experiencing a shortage of dentists.
Some dental schools allow you to take a year out from studies in order to gain a specialty. This can take the form of a Bachelor of Science degree, or BSc for short. You can also gain a Master of Research degree, or MRes for short, after the fourth year.
Become registered with the local primary care trust, or PCT. In order to be registered as a dentist in a specific area, a graduate from dental school has to complete an additional year of vocational training in that area. This includes training in region-specific issues. Once this is completed, dentists can join a practice as an assistant, or work in a dental hospital.