Dentist
Teeth, gums and jaws — a health career with a clear route, your own patients and the option to run your own clinic.
Save this career to see your personalized pathway in My Senda.
- Typical pay
- €35k–€80k
- Usual education
- Dentistry degree (5 years)
- Outlook
- Mostly private sector; strong self-employment path.
A day in the life
Check-ups, fillings, extractions, root canals and orthodontic reviews, working millimetre by millimetre with a nervous person in the chair.
Ways in
- Science Bachillerato and a high entrance mark
- Five-year Dentistry degree
- Work as an associate in a clinic
- Optional master's in orthodontics, implants or endodontics
What to study at 16
The subjects you choose for the final years of secondary school can shape which degrees, exams and careers are easiest to reach. This is about choosing courses, not choosing a school.
Spain
Bachillerato de Ciencias y Tecnología
Portugal
Ciências e Tecnologias
France
Bac général — spécialités
Germany
Oberstufe — Leistungskurse
Italy
Liceo scientifico
Netherlands
Profiel Natuur & Gezondheid
Exams you'll need
The gates between you and this job, and when each one comes.
EBAU / Selectividad
Dentistry is a capped degree with a high entry mark.
RequiredTest di Medicina
Dentistry in Italy shares the numero programmato test with medicine.
Skills that matter
Best courses to take
The study routes that lead most directly into this career.
Degree in Dentistry
Five years mixing science with fine manual work, ending in supervised clinics on real patients.
The single required qualification.
Helpful school subjects: Oral anatomy, Restorative dentistry, Endodontics, Orthodontics, Oral surgery
Dental Hygiene (Grado Superior)
Clinical hygiene, prevention and chairside work in dental practices.
If five years is too long, start as a hygienist.
Helpful school subjects: Oral health, Prevention, Clinical practice