Text books for 11 year who wants to be a dentist

Question

Any recommended reading gratefully received - Thank you

Answer 1

I would start with some anatomy textbooks...both gross anatomy and dental anatomy would be a good place for an 11-year old to start.  This is interesting and not too difficult to learn bit by bit.  (My parents bought me the Anatomy Colouring Book when I was a kid...it's university level but not too tough for anyone reasonably bright at any age).  Anatomy is very important, since dentists are doctors who specialize in the mouth.  

For dental anatomy, we used:

Dental Anatomy: A Self-Instructional Program (10th Edition)  by Nancy Shobe Karst and Sarah K. Smith (Paperback - Sep 19, 1997).  This is a fill-in-the-blanks style book that takes you through dental anatomy.  It isn't too difficult to understand.  (the hard part is memorizing it all for exams! :) )

Physiology will also be important, so I would suggest some shorter books on things like the digestive system, nervous system, cardiovascular system, metabolism, etc that are designed for an introductory level.  Big heavy textbooks have good information but are designed more for reference and therefore REALLY dry to try and read.  

If you want something really interesting and kinda gross, pick up a textbook on Oral Pathology.  These usually come with lots of pictures of things that go wrong in the mouth...eg, diseases, cancers, etc.  I think pathology is the most interesting part of being a dentist (even though many of the conditions are rare and we may never see them.)  Being able to recognize these could save someone's life at some point in practice.  The pictures are graphic, so I would recommend this only for a mature 11-year old who is  serious about science and health care, and definitely with parental discretion.

DAT (Dental Aptitude Test) prep books might also be interesting.  The science summaries review basics learned in high school, but, I have known some very bright and ambitious 11-year olds who wouldn't be discouraged by the challenge.  (The math and chemistry might be a bit too tough to learn independently, but the biology is manageable.)  These will also have sections with "perceptual ability" questions that can be practiced at ANY age.  This is the book I used, which was great:

http://www.amazon.com/Prepare-Dental-Adm...

On the DAT, there is also a soap carving portion.  You may be able to order the soaps from the CDA or ADA, as well as a practice guide.  This is fun and helpful!