Is dentistry right for me? The surest way to answer that is to spend real days in a working dental clinic before you commit to four years of dental school. A pre-dental internship shows you the pace, the patients and the problem-solving of dentistry, so you can test your interest against the job as it is actually done.
Deciding on a career in dentistry can be both exciting and challenging. Coursework lays the foundation, but nothing replaces time in a clinic when it comes to confirming that you want to care for patients’ oral health for a living. This guide explains why a pre-dentistry internship is such a useful step for aspiring dental professionals, what you can expect to see and do, and how IMA’s program can help you make an informed decision about your future.
The Importance of Early Exposure in Dentistry
Early exposure to the practical side of dentistry helps you bridge the gap between what you learn in class and what happens in the operatory every day. Biology and chemistry tell you how teeth and tissues work. Only a clinic shows you what it is like to spend a full day in a small space, with your hands steady and your attention on one patient at a time.
The career itself is worth understanding before you commit. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, dentists held about 161,400 jobs in 2025, and employment is projected to grow 6 percent from 2025 to 2035, faster than the average for all occupations, with about 4,800 openings a year. Most dentists are general practitioners, about 78 percent work in offices of dentists, and many run their own practice or work as associates in an established one. Those numbers describe a stable profession, but they say nothing about whether you will enjoy it. That is the question an internship helps you answer.
Why a Pre-Dentistry Internship?
A pre-dentistry internship offers a unique opportunity to:
- Experience real-world dental care: see firsthand what a day in a dental practice or hospital dental unit looks like.
- Build practical skills: develop patient communication, professionalism and the habit of careful observation.
- Test your passion: find out whether the daily work of dentistry matches your career goals.
- Strengthen your application: stand out in your dental school applications with documented experience in the field.
What Is a Pre-Dentistry Internship, and How Is It Different From a Pre-Med Internship?
A pre-dentistry internship is a structured program for students considering a career in dentistry. It places you in dental clinics, research settings and community education programs so you can understand how dental care is delivered day to day. Pre-med internships also offer clinical exposure, but a pre-dental placement focuses on oral health: how dentists assess teeth and gums, how they explain treatment in a dental chair, and how dental technology and procedures fit into patient care. If you are still choosing between health professions, our guide to choosing a pre-health internship when you are undecided compares the main tracks side by side.
Is Dentistry Right for Me? Questions to Ask Yourself
Before and during an internship, it helps to test yourself against the real demands of the job. The BLS lists the qualities dentists need: communication skills, attention to detail, dexterity, leadership, organization, patience, physical stamina and problem-solving. Turn those into honest questions:
- Do I enjoy detailed, precise work with my hands? Dentists work carefully with small tools in small spaces, and they match the shape and color of a restoration to the teeth around it.
- Can I stay patient with anxious patients and children? Many patients fear dental work, and some need long appointments and steady reassurance.
- Am I comfortable leading a team? Dentists who own a practice manage hygienists, assistants and front-desk staff, and many mentor other dentists.
- Does running a small business interest me, or at least not scare me? Scheduling, records and staffing are part of most dental careers.
- Am I drawn to one patient at a time? Dentistry offers long-term relationships with patients and visible results, but less variety in setting than some other health careers.
- Have I compared dentistry with related careers? The American Dental Association’s overview of careers in the allied dental professions describes hygiene, assisting and laboratory roles that may fit you better.
You do not need a perfect answer to every question before you apply. Write your answers down before your placement, then revisit them after a few weeks in the clinic. The change between the two versions is often the most useful thing an internship gives you.
What to Expect From a Pre-Dentistry Internship
Pre-dentistry internships provide a comprehensive learning environment that combines time in the clinic, patient interaction and exposure to the dental technologies and procedures in current use. What you may do depends on your training level, the host site’s rules and the dentist who supervises you.
Hands-On Clinical Experience
Interns work closely with experienced dental professionals. The clinical side of the internship includes:
- Assisting in procedures: observing and sometimes assisting in dental cleanings, examinations, and minor procedures.
- Understanding equipment: learning how to operate and maintain the dental tools and imaging devices vital to modern dental care.
- Clinical workflow: seeing how a dental unit runs day to day, from patient flow and records to treatment planning.
Assisting in Procedures
Interns can observe and sometimes assist in routine dental procedures such as cleanings, examinations, and minor restorative work. This exposure builds your foundation, because you see firsthand how dentists manage patient care, balance their time and handle unexpected problems in the middle of a treatment. If you want a fuller picture of what an intern’s day involves, read our guide to the responsibilities of a pre-dental intern.
Equipment
A key part of the internship is learning how to operate and maintain essential dental tools and imaging devices. You will become familiar with everything from handpieces and scalers to X-ray units and digital imaging systems, and you will see how each one supports diagnosis and treatment. Watching the team set up a tray, sterilize instruments and position a patient for radiographs, and working with the equipment yourself, builds your technical confidence.
Clinical Workflow
Beyond procedures and equipment, you will get an inside look at the overall workflow of a dental unit. Interns see how appointments are scheduled, how patient histories are recorded and how treatment plans are developed and carried out. This broader view helps you appreciate the organizational and administrative skills it takes to run a practice, which matters if you plan to own one someday.
What to Notice While You Shadow
Time in the clinic is most useful when you watch with purpose. A small notebook kept between patients, never in front of them, helps you turn a busy day into learning you can use. Pay attention to: For prompts and worked examples, see our guide to dental internship reflection.
- How the dentist opens each visit. Notice how they greet the patient, ask about pain or worries and explain what will happen next.
- How decisions get made. Ask, at a natural pause, why the dentist chose one treatment over another or ordered a particular radiograph.
- How the team works together. Watch how the dentist, hygienist and assistant hand off tasks without slowing the appointment down.
- How infection control works. Dentists and their teams wear masks, gloves and safety glasses to protect themselves and their patients, and every instrument follows a cleaning and sterilization routine.
- How the day feels physically. Notice the posture, the focus and the stamina a full schedule requires.
- What surprises you. Write down anything that changed your picture of dentistry, good or bad.
Our guide to planning and documenting dental shadowing hours shows how to log these days so you can describe them accurately later.
Research and Innovation
Many pre-dentistry internships also expose students to the research side of dental care:
- Current trends: learn about newer treatments and technologies in dentistry.
- Evidence-based practice: understand how research informs clinical decisions and improves patient outcomes.
- Research projects: take part in projects that may involve clinical data collection or the evaluation of treatment approaches.
Current Trends
Pre-dentistry internships expose students to trends and innovations in the field. You will hear about newer treatment options and the technologies that are shaping dentistry, from digital imaging to updated materials. This insight broadens your knowledge and encourages you to think critically about how these advances fit into everyday practice, especially in clinics where resources are limited.
Evidence-Based Practice
A significant part of modern dentistry is the application of evidence-based practice. During your internship, you will see how current research informs clinical decisions, so that patient care is both effective and up to date. Understanding how scientific studies become better treatment outcomes is important for anyone considering a career in dental care.
Hands-On Projects
Many programs include opportunities to join research projects that may involve clinical data analysis or the evaluation of new treatment approaches. At IMA, interns who want research experience can join ongoing research projects led by local medical teams. These projects let you contribute to the research process, practice problem-solving and see how careful study drives improvements in patient outcomes.
Patient Interaction and Communication
Effective communication is a cornerstone of patient care. During your internship, you will have the opportunity to:
- Engage with patients: observe how dental professionals talk with patients, address concerns and explain treatment plans.
- Develop soft skills: strengthen empathy, active listening and clear communication.
- Support patient education: take part in sessions that teach patients how to maintain their oral health and understand their options.
Engage With Patients
Effective patient communication is at the heart of quality dental care. You will see how dental professionals greet patients, respond to their concerns and explain treatment plans in plain language. Watching a skilled dentist calm a frightened child or explain a costly treatment to a worried adult teaches you more about trust than any lecture. A patient can always decline to have a student present, and learning to respect that choice is part of the experience.
Develop Soft Skills
Technical skill matters, but successful dentistry also relies on strong interpersonal skills. Throughout your internship, you will practice empathy, active listening and clear communication. These skills create a positive patient experience and often decide whether a patient trusts a provider enough to come back.
Patient Education
You may also be involved in patient education work that helps people maintain good oral health. At IMA, community oral health sessions are a big part of this: you help teach oral hygiene to children and adults. Whether through one-on-one conversations or group workshops, you will learn how to explain important health information clearly. Teaching it reinforces your own understanding of oral hygiene and helps patients take practical steps to protect their teeth. To see why prevention and access matter so much, read our guide to public health dentistry abroad, and for the hygienist’s side of prevention, see our article on what pre-dental students learn from the dental team.
Our Pre-Dentistry Internship Program
International Medical Aid offers dental internships abroad for pre-dental students, dental students and recent dental graduates. IMA was founded by two Johns Hopkins alumni, and its internship program was developed at Johns Hopkins University. Interns are placed in hospital dental units in Mombasa, Kenya (the Dental Unit at Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital) and Cusco, Peru (the Dentistry Department at Hospital Nacional Adolfo Guevara Velasco), where they work alongside the dentists who run them.
The program covers general dentistry and the specialty care these units provide, along with community dental outreach and public health education. By working with local dental teams and community leaders, IMA supports ethical, sustainable, community-driven projects that respond to the high demand for dental care in underserved areas.
The experience sharpens your understanding of clinical dentistry and lets you contribute to the oral health of vulnerable communities through education and outreach. For full details, visit the Pre-Dentistry/Dentistry Internship page.
Overview
The program is designed for pre-dental students who want to explore the field in a structured, supportive environment. It blends time in a working dental unit with lectures, simulations, community oral health sessions and optional research, so you gain a well-rounded view of dental care. After orientation, which covers the program rules, guidelines on shadowing abroad and a tour of the hospital, you join the dental team for six to eight hours a weekday. Dental interns stay in the same unit for the whole program, so you get to know the team well. Stays start at two weeks, and the Kenya program runs year-round.
Benefits and Unique Opportunities
Interning with IMA gives you access to:
- Experienced mentors: work beside licensed dentists who are committed to teaching the next generation.
- Working hospital dental units: gain experience using modern dental equipment and technology in a busy public referral setting.
- Diverse learning experiences: watch everything from routine checkups to specialized procedures.
- Networking: build professional relationships that support your academic and career journey.
- Support: licensed dentists and other clinicians supervise you, staff are on call 24/7, and IMA has maintained a 100% safety record for all high school and pre-health interns.
How It Prepares You for a Dental Career
The internship is more than a learning opportunity. It is a foundation for your next steps. By the end of the program, you will have:
- A deeper understanding of dentistry: a realistic view of the challenges and rewards of the profession.
- Practical skills: enhanced technical abilities and soft skills that are critical in patient care.
- Confidence: a clearer sense of direction as you prepare your dental school applications.
- Professional contacts: connections with mentors, clinicians and peers in the field.
Admissions committees value experience you can describe specifically. Our guide to how international experience fits a dental school application explains how to present it, and our walkthrough of applying to dental school with ADEA AADSAS covers where it goes in the application.
Steps to Secure Your Pre-Dentistry Internship
Starting a pre-dentistry internship takes careful planning. These steps will guide you through the process:
- Research programs: compare internship opportunities and choose those that match your interests and career goals. Ask each program exactly what pre-dental interns may and may not do.
- Prepare your application: write a resume and a short statement that highlight your academic record, activities and interest in dentistry.
- Seek recommendations: ask professors or dental professionals who can speak to your potential.
- Apply early: many programs fill well ahead of their start dates. Submit your application well in advance to improve your chances of getting the dates you want.
- Prepare for interviews: be ready to explain why dentistry interests you and how the internship will help you grow.
- Follow up: after submitting, contact the program coordinator to confirm your interest and ask any remaining questions.
By taking these steps, you will be well prepared to secure an internship that deepens your learning and moves you toward a career in dentistry. If you are curious how internships work once you are in dental school, see our article on whether dental students do internships, and for a day-by-day picture of a placement, read what to expect when completing a dental internship.
Final Thoughts
A pre-dentistry internship is one of the best steps you can take if you are asking whether dentistry is the right career for you. It gives you a clear window into the everyday realities of the profession, with time beside working dentists, mentorship and a chance to build the interpersonal skills every clinician needs. If you are serious about dentistry and want to be sure it is the right path, our Pre-Dentistry Internship is designed to help you make that informed decision.
Go in with your self-assessment questions, watch closely, write down what you learn and compare your answers before and after. You will come home with the clarity and confidence to pursue dental school, or the equally valuable knowledge that another health career suits you better. Either way, take the next step with real-world experience and expert guidance behind you.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Can a Pre-Dental Internship Help Me Decide if Dentistry Is Right for Me?
It gives you a realistic preview of the profession. Working beside licensed dentists in a busy clinic, you see the pace, the patients and the precision the job demands, so you can judge whether the daily work matches your interests and goals.
Why Is Clinical Experience in Dentistry Important Before Applying to Dental School?
It lets you confirm your interest, build professional habits and understand the practical side of patient care. Documented time in a dental setting also shows admissions committees that your commitment is based on real exposure to the field.
What Procedures Can I Expect to Observe During the Internship?
Interns can expect to observe various procedures, including dental cleanings, examinations, X-rays and minor restorative treatments. Some programs may also offer opportunities to assist with patient consultations and basic dental procedures under supervision.
Will I Have the Opportunity to Interact With Patients?
Yes. You will see how dentists talk with patients, and in community oral health sessions you help teach oral hygiene. These interactions build your communication skills and show you how to address common patient concerns with care.
Can I Participate in Research During the Internship?
Often, yes. At IMA, interns who want research experience can join ongoing research projects led by local medical teams, which may involve collecting or analyzing clinical data and reviewing treatment approaches.
What if I Am Interested but Have No Prior Dental Experience?
The program is designed for students at different stages of the pre-dental path. A solid academic record, genuine interest in dentistry and a willingness to learn matter more than previous clinic hours.
What Are the Benefits of the IMA Pre-Dentistry Internship?
Mentorship from licensed dentists, time in working hospital dental units in Mombasa and Cusco, community oral health teaching, optional research and professional connections, with staff on call 24/7 throughout your stay.
How Do I Apply for the IMA Pre-Dentistry Internship?
Visit the Pre-Dentistry Internship page for program details and application instructions, then submit your application early so you can secure your preferred dates.
