Are dentists taught how to "do" veneers?

Question

Law school for instance doesn't cover all you need to know, so does dental school at least cover the basic cosmetic dentistry (eg veneers), or do you just know to do it after four years of dental school?

Answer 1

Yes.

Answer 2

Your hunch is partially correct.

The procedures (making veneers, bleaching) are always covered theoretically at the dental school.

Not all dental student get to do these procedures on patients, because :

1. It is a cosmetic procedure and NOT a basic skill that a student HAS to know.

2. Depends on the availability of the cases.

The students, however, do get to practice the steps of making veneers on :

1. Mannequins

2. Computer simulation programs (DentSim) if the school that the student is attending has that state-of-the-art machine available for practice.

All dentists DO HAVE the option of learning these techniques through Continuing Education courses that are mandatory to maintain their licenses.

Again, it WILL depend on the individual dentist's priorities. Some dentists put more value on learning cosmetic procedures and some put more value on restoring basic health (e.g., fixing cavities with fillings, doing root canal treatments, extracting non-restorable teeth, making crowns and bridges to replace missing teeth).

I, for example, believe in the latter and do not sell cosmetic procedures to my patients. I just refer them out.

So, you are right. Not all know how to do it. If you are considering the possibility of getting veneers, go to someone who does it on a regular basis.