You've submitted your CAAPID application. Your personal statement is strong. Your letters are solid. You finally get an interview invitation. Then you see it: "Bench test required as part of the interview process." Your heart sinks. You haven't touched a typodont since dental school. You've been practicing on real patients for years — but now you have to go back to plastic teeth and demonstrate your skills under timed, observed conditions. For many international dentists, the bench test is...

You need three letters of recommendation for your CAAPID application. Sounds simple, right? Ask three dentists who know you, they write some nice things, you submit them. That approach gets you rejected. Here's what most international dentists don't understand: a weak letter of recommendation doesn't just fail to help you — it actively hurts you. A generic letter that says "this person is hardworking and dedicated" tells admissions committees nothing. Worse, it tells them no one was willing...

You're a dentist in your home country. You've treated thousands of patients. You have years of clinical experience. But in the United States? Your degree means nothing. You can't practice. You can't even call yourself a dentist. It's frustrating. It's overwhelming. And the path forward seems impossibly complicated — INBDE, CAAPID, Advanced Standing Programs, state licensing, visas... Where do you even start? This guide breaks down exactly how to become a dentist in the USA as an international...