Chances are that if you inform your dentist that you are considering dentistry as a career, he or she will be thrilled to serve as your preceptor. If you do not have a personal dentist, you should. It can be beneficial to visit more than one office. Your dentist will probably be willing to make some contact on your behalf with some of his or her colleagues. If not, then you should take the initiative to find other offices to visit.
Initiative is an important quality in a health professional.
Observing specialists can be helpful but cannot take the place of observing the general practitioner. You may have your career expectations directed to a special area of dentistry, but circumstances might prevent you from receiving the additional training necessary to practice a specialty. Do all of the observing in specialist's offices that you wish, but you must spend a minimum of 20 hours with general practitioners. You should observe each dentist from a number of different aspects. During your visitation and interview at prospective dental schools, you should be able to show an understanding of the concepts related to these questions and be able to discuss your assessment of them as they relate to you as a potential doctor.