Once they’ve completed their undergraduate education, general dentists have gone through four years of dental school. They’ve also fulfilled the requirements of state licensing boards. Some dentists have a Doctor of Dental Medicine or DDM following their name while others have Doctor of Dental Surgery or DDS. However, the only difference between the two is the degree title. Education and training is the same for both descriptors.
Some general dentists go on to get additional special training in different areas of oral medicine.