Knowing how to ask a dentist to shadow comes down to three moves: reach the right person in the office, make a short and specific request, and follow up politely. Most dental offices route requests through the office manager, so a clear email of under 150 words with your availability and goals works better than a long letter.
Dental offices run on tight schedules, small teams and strict privacy and infection-control routines, which makes a request to a dental practice different from asking a physician. If you are also contacting hospitals or physicians, our guide on how to ask to shadow a doctor covers that side. This guide is about dentistry only: where to look, who decides, what to send and what to do once someone says yes.
Key Points
- Start with your own dentist, then widen to referrals, alumni of dental schools near you and community clinics.
- In most private practices, the office manager or front desk lead decides whether a student can shadow and when.
- Keep your first message under 150 words, offer specific days and say how many hours you hope to complete.
- Show that you understand patient privacy and infection control before you ask.
- Log every day you shadow from the start, because ADEA AADSAS asks for weekly hours and a contact who can verify them.
Where to Find Dentists Who Will Host You
The American Dental Education Association’s GoDental shadowing guidance suggests starting with your own dentist and asking for a referral if they cannot host you. It also recommends asking friends, classmates, family and professors whether their dentist allows shadowing, talking with your health professions advisor and contacting your local dental school to see whether nearby alumni would host students.
Each kind of setting shows you something different, so try to plan for more than one:
| Setting | What you see | How to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Private general practice | Routine exams, fillings, crowns, the business side of a practice | Email or visit the office manager; mention if you are a patient there |
| Group or corporate practice | Several dentists and hygienists, a busier schedule, shared systems | Ask the practice manager; larger groups may have a set policy for students |
| Dental school clinic | Students and faculty treating patients, teaching in real time | Contact the admissions or outreach office, not individual faculty |
| Community health center | Care for patients with limited access, public insurance, prevention programs | Ask the dental director or clinic manager; expect paperwork and a short orientation |
| Specialty practice | Orthodontics, oral surgery, pediatric dentistry, periodontics | Ask after you have general dentistry hours, so you can explain why you want the comparison |
Several dental schools ask for most shadowing hours with general dentists, and some do not count hours with a relative. Our guide to dental shadowing hours compares four schools’ policies, so check it before you decide where to spend your time.
Who Says Yes in a Dental Office
In a physician’s world, a hospital volunteer office or a residency coordinator often handles students. In a small dental practice, the person you need is usually the office manager. They control the schedule, know which days are too full for a visitor and often handle the paperwork the dentist wants signed. If you write only to the dentist, your message may be forwarded to the office manager anyway, and a polite note to both saves a step.
When you call or visit, ask the front desk: “Who handles requests from pre-dental students who would like to shadow?” Then ask for that person’s name and the best way to reach them. Write it down, because using their name in your follow-up shows you listened.
Should You Email, Call or Visit in Person?
Use the channel the office answers fastest. Many offices prefer email because staff can reply between patients. A short visit can work well at a practice where you are already a patient, but go at a quiet time, such as mid-afternoon, never during a rush, and keep it to two minutes. Calls work best when you have a name to ask for. Whatever you choose, have a one-page resume ready to send or leave behind.
What to Show Before You Ask
Dental teams protect two things above all: patient privacy and infection control. Showing you understand both makes a dentist more comfortable saying yes.
ADEA notes that shadowing also teaches the “vital role confidentiality plays” in patient trust, and it encourages students to learn about HIPAA so the dentist sees you understand confidentiality. In practice, that means you never photograph patients or charts, never discuss a patient outside the office and step out of the room if a patient prefers.
Infection control matters just as much. The CDC calls Standard Precautions the foundation for preventing infection in all dental settings. Expect the office to tell you where to stand, what protective equipment to wear and what you must not touch. Mention in your request that you will follow their protocols and complete any orientation or forms they require.
What Will You Do While Shadowing?
In a U.S. office you will mostly watch and listen. You may sit in the operatory at a set distance, watch how the dentist explains a treatment plan and see how the hygienist, assistant and front desk work together. Pre-dental students do not examine, clean or treat teeth, and you should never handle instruments unless a staff member asks you to pass or hold something that is safe for you to touch.
Email and Phone Templates
Keep your message short, specific and easy to answer. Change the details to fit your situation.
Email template:
> Subject: Pre-dental student shadowing request, [your name] > > Dear [Office Manager’s name] and Dr. [Last name], > > My name is [your name], and I am a [year] at [college] planning to apply to dental school in [year]. I would be grateful for the chance to shadow Dr. [Last name] for about [number] hours over the next [weeks or months]. > > I am available [days and times]. I understand the importance of patient privacy and will follow all of your infection-control and office protocols, and I am happy to complete any forms you need. > > I have attached my resume. Thank you for considering my request. > > [Name, phone, email]
Phone script:
> “Hello, my name is [name]. I’m a pre-dental student at [college], and I’d like to ask who handles requests from students who want to shadow one of your dentists. Could you tell me the best way to reach them?”
If you reach the right person, add: “I’m hoping to shadow about [number] hours this [season]. I’m flexible on days and will follow all of your office protocols. May I email you my resume?”
Following Up Without Being Pushy
How Soon Should You Follow Up?
Silence usually means a busy week, not a no. A simple schedule keeps you polite and visible:
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| Day 1 | Send your email or make your call |
| Day 7 | Send one short follow-up that repeats your availability |
| Day 14 | Call the front desk and ask whether the office manager saw your message |
| Day 21 | Thank them and move on to the next office on your list |
Contact several offices at once. If two say yes, you gain a second setting, which most schools value. If an office declines, ask one question before you hang up: “Do you know another dentist who sometimes hosts students?” Referrals from a dental office carry weight with the next one.
Once They Say Yes
Confirm the date, start time, dress code and who you should ask for on arrival. Dress in business casual unless told otherwise, with closed-toe shoes and long hair tied back. Arrive ten minutes early, silence your phone and bring a small notebook for notes between patients.
Keep a log from the first day. ADEA AADSAS records shadowing as its own experience type, asks for dates and average weekly hours and lists a supervisor who can verify the experience. It also asks you to enter only hours you have completed. Record the date, the dentist, the setting, your hours and one thing you learned, and ask the office manager to initial your log each week.
Send a handwritten thank-you note within a few days. If the experience went well, it may also lead to a letter of evaluation later, so ask early if you think you will need one.
Adding Dental Experience Abroad
Shadowing at home should come first, because some schools only count hours with dentists who practice in the U.S. or Canada. If you want more variety, IMA offers dental internships abroad in hospital dental units in Mombasa, Kenya and Cusco, Peru. Pre-dental students shadow licensed dentists, do not examine, clean or treat teeth and help teach oral hygiene in community sessions. IMA’s U.S.-based Medical Director validates the hours log, and each dental school decides how to count it.
To see what that kind of placement involves day to day, read what to expect from a dental internship and our guide to the responsibilities of a pre-dental intern.
If you are still deciding whether dentistry fits you at all, start with whether dentistry is your calling, and when you are ready to write about your experiences, see how international experience fits a dental school application.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who Should I Contact to Shadow a Dentist?
In most private practices, contact the office manager, who controls the schedule. At a dental school clinic, contact the admissions or outreach office, and at a community health center, ask for the dental director or clinic manager.
Is It Better to Email or Visit a Dental Office in Person?
Use whatever the office answers fastest. Email lets staff reply between patients. A short visit can work at a practice where you are a patient, as long as you go at a quiet time and keep it brief.
What Should I Say When Asking a Dentist to Shadow?
Introduce yourself, name your college and application year, say how many hours you hope to complete, give specific availability and state that you will follow the office’s privacy and infection-control protocols. Keep it under 150 words.
How Long Should I Wait Before Following Up?
Wait about a week, then send one short follow-up. After two weeks, call the front desk. If you still have no answer after three weeks, thank them and focus on other offices.
Can I Shadow My Own Dentist or a Relative?
Your own dentist is a good place to start, and ADEA suggests it. Hours with a relative are different: some schools do not count them, so check each school’s policy before you plan.
What Can Pre-Dental Students Do While Shadowing?
You watch care, listen to how the team explains treatment and learn how the office runs. Pre-dental students do not examine, clean or treat teeth, and you should follow staff instructions about where to stand and what to wear.
