dental nursing apprenticeship

Until a while ago i was thinking of becoming a dental therapist by doing a dental therapy and hygiene degree at uni, but this is still new and not available at many uni's near me, I'm planning to not move out yet, and i just came across dental nursing apprenticeships which i want to do, I'm not sure if i can become a dental therapist though only with a degree dental nursing apprenticeship which is around 12-24 months, i understand that i need to be registered with the GDC but am i technically a qualified dental therapist after the apprenticeship or do I still need to do a degree after

(edited 11 months ago)

Reply 1

Beth19964

Hiya, the dental nursing apprenticeship means you are qualified to provide chairside support to dentists, dental hygienist and dental therapists but you are not qualified to undergo the treatment yourself. For example, as a dental nurse you would help by providing aspiration to remove water and protect the soft tissue whilst the hygienist is scaling and provide materials and instruments to the dentist during treatment. Your ultimate role as a dental nurse is to provide the clinician the materials they need, note taking, provide support for the patient and to chaperone procedures. To be a dental hygienist/therapist you would be required to go to university and complete the diploma in dental hygiene or the degree in dental hygiene & therapy to undergo procedures within their scope of practice. As a dental nurse your are able to complete additional post graduate qualifications so that you are able to complete treatment such as oral health education, radiography, impression taking, and assisting in sedation and implant placement. It is possible to get into university without the dental nursing apprenticeship, but I would recommend having some type of work experience, I also feel having the experience as a dental nurse helps to cement confirmation that a career in dental hygiene/therapy is what you want to do and get some baseline knowledge into dentistry. Hope this helps.