Advance your career with scholarships and training Dentist

You have a passion for perfecting smiles. An appreciation for dentistry as an art and a science. And the need to serve a greater good as a global ambassador of goodwill. As a Navy Dentist, you will travel far beyond your everyday practice, joining top health-care professionals on a highly respected Navy Health Care team.

Jobs

As a Navy Dental Officer, you’ll strengthen your own talents with the insight of fellow professionals and a support staff dedicated to a common cause. You’ll find independence, a progressive setting and the chance to practice dentistry without the complications and expense of a private practice. Plus, you’ll have the added benefit of generous scholarships and financial assistance.

In America’s Navy, you’ll lead the way. Advancing your career by learning skills that will give you a distinct edge and expanding your dental expertise with training in various specialty areas. You'll be able to work at the best military dental facilities on shore, at sea and in the field, utilizing some of the most advanced technology on the planet.

Imagine starting your private practice potentially debt-free. As a Navy Dentist, you’ll find uncommon rewards and unparalleled experiences that will serve you well throughout your career.

Job Description

As an Officer in the Navy Dental Corps, you will serve your country by helping the men and women who defend it – and others in need.

  • Attend to Sailors, Marines and servicemembers – as well as their families
  • Contribute to humanitarian missions in this country and virtually anywhere in the world. Introduce oral care to parts of the world where dentistry is more a luxury than an expectation
  • Share your skills in domestic outreach that benefit the young, elderly and underprivileged

You’ll spend quality time with patients, maintain a flexible schedule, and be free of malpractice insurance, expensive equipment and paperwork that falls on your shoulders in private practice.

In the world of Navy Health Care, you can attain a broader spectrum of experience faster as you find yourself at the forefront of the dental field.

Wherever you serve, you’ll have the latest high-tech equipment at your disposal, such as:

  • Digital X-ray systems
  • Innovative dental restoration materials
  • Patented Forward Deployable Dental Dressing (FDDD)
  • Video teleconferencing
  • Saliva tests that can help detect exposure to life-threatening diseases such as tuberculosis and anthrax

Specific Responsibilities

In the Navy Dental Corps, you will provide the best dental care available for Sailors, Marines, servicemembers and their families, wherever duty calls, doing everything a typical dentist would do:

  • Perform checkups
  • Fill cavities
  • Offer preventive care

Plus, discover a more compassionate side of dentistry. That could mean contributing to humanitarian relief efforts in this country or virtually anywhere in the world. Caring for those who’ve never known the privilege of dental hygiene and educating people on the importance of proper dental health.

Dental Specialties

Navy Dentists practice in more than a dozen different focus areas, from general dentistry to advanced specialties, including:

  • Endodontics
  • Maxillofacial Prosthodontics
  • Operative Dentistry
  • Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology
  • Oral Facial Pain Clinic
  • Oral Pathology
  • Oral Surgery
  • Orthodontics
  • Pediatrics
  • Periodontics
  • Prosthodontics
  • Public Health*
  • Research*

*You must be a general practitioner/dentist first, then you can apply/be selected for these specialties.

Work Environment

As a Dental Officer, you may serve at any one of more than 250 Navy and medical facilities around the globe, in some of the most dynamic environments imaginable, from Hawaii to Japan, Germany to Guam, and Washington, D.C., to Washington state.

You could work at one of the highly acclaimed National Naval Medical Centers in Bethesda, Maryland; Portsmouth, Virginia; and San Diego, California. Or you could provide dental support to deployed troops aboard one of two dedicated hospital ships: the USNS Comfort and USNS Mercy.

Still more health-care opportunities are available stateside and abroad in a variety of settings: On board a surface ship, working closely with a nearby aircraft squadron, or even with the Fleet Marine Force. Or you could work at a Navy medical clinic anywhere from London, England, to Kaneohe, Hawaii.

No matter where you serve, you’ll provide leadership and expertise to support your country, the men and women who defend it, their families and the world at large.

Education Opportunities

Wherever you are in your dental career, the Navy can help ease your financial burdens and advance your career with generous scholarships, financial assistance and continuing education programs.

Plus, if you’re a student or resident, you can concentrate on your education or training with no military/training obligation until after your program is completed.

Students

Students can get dental school paid for. That means you could emerge from dental school debt-free. A Navy Dental Recruiter can help you choose the program that offers you the greatest advantage.

In the Navy Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP), you can receive 100% tuition coverage during dental school, PLUS:

  • A sign-on bonus of up to $20,000
  • Plus a monthly stipend of $2,088 to help cover living expenses for up to 48 months

In the Navy Health Services Collegiate Program (HSCP), you can receive anywhere from $157,000 to $269,000 while attending dental school. This includes:

  • A monthly military salary
  • A generous housing allowance*
  • A comprehensive health-care benefits package

Offers have many variables. To get details and find out which offer would benefit you most, request that a Navy Dental Recruiter contact you.

*Navy HSCP housing allowance based on dental school location. Increased offer amounts available in areas with a higher cost of living.

Residents

Residents can get supplemental income during their dental residency.

The Navy Financial Assistance Program (FAP) offers potentially more than $275,000 during your dental residency. That consists of:

  • An annual grant of $45,000 for up to four years (on top of normal resident pay)
  • A monthly stipend of $2,088 to help cover living expenses for up to 48 months

Offers have many variables. To get details and find out which offer would benefit you most, request that a Navy Dental Recruiter contact you.

Practicing Professionals

Practicing Dentists can receive a sign-on bonus from $75,000 to $300,000.*

Offers have many variables. To get details and find out which offer would benefit you most, request that a Navy Dental Recruiter contact you.

*Offer depends on specialty and service requirement.

Qualifications

To qualify for Active Duty employment consideration in the Navy Dental Corps, you must be:

  • Be a U.S. citizen currently practicing in the U.S. (contact a
    Navy Medical Recruiter for details)
  • A graduate of an eligible dental school approved by the American Dental Association
  • Licensed to practice in a U.S. state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico or a U.S. territory (new graduates must obtain a license within one year of beginning Active Duty service)
  • Willing to serve a minimum of three years of Active Duty
  • Between the ages of 21 and 41
  • In good physical condition and pass a full medical examination

 

After the Navy

In the Navy, your extensive training, continuing education and unrivaled experience as a dental professional will offer superior career advancement opportunities that will pay off long after you return to the civilian world. Beyond your affiliation with a world-class health-care network, you will take seasoned expertise, unmatched versatility and proven management skills into the private sector. Your ability to work effectively under pressure with a deep sense of pride and honor for what you do will only make you stand out more – putting you in high demand as a practicing dentist.

Consider Your Service Options.

There are different ways that you can commit to serve in America's Navy. Besides full-time opportunities in Active Duty, part-time Reserve positions are also available in this career area.