Becoming an orthodontist is a long road through school. It usually takes approximately 12 years of formal university education to become a certified specialist in Orthodontics!

Your university career will begin with a four-year bachelor's degree, usually a bachelor of science degree. You will then enter dental school, which takes another four years to complete. There is only one dental school in British Columbia, at the University of British Columbia. However, there are many other great schools across Canada and in the United States.

After eight years of university, you will be a general dentist! Some dentists choose to pursue a dental specialty such as orthodontics, which requires an additional three-year master's of science degree and residency program. Other specialties include pediatric dentistry, oral surgery, periodontics, and endodontics. Many schools require an additional one to two years of formal training as general dentists prior to entering a specialty residency, such as a hospital residency.

Once you graduate from your dental specialty residency program, you will challenge the national dental specialty board certification examination, governed by the Royal College of Dentists of Canada. Upon passing this examination, you are then officially a certified specialist in orthodontics!

Here's how Dr. Chow's long scholarly road looks:

• Bachelor of Science (Biology), University of Western Ontario
• Doctor of Dental Medicine, University of British Columbia
• General Practice Residency, University of Michigan
• Master of Science (Orthodontics) and Orthodontics Residency, University of Toronto
• Fellow, Royal College of Dentists of Canada

Beyond practicing in his Surrey office, Dr. Chow is an Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of British Columbia Faculty of Dentistry, teaching clinical orthodontics to dental students.

Furthermore, Dr. Chow is honoured to have been selected as a member of the examining team for the Royal College of Dentists of Canada. He writes and administers the certification examinations for all orthodontists challenging the board certification examination in Canada. Dr. Chow is your trusted Vancouver BC Orthodontist, contact our office today to schedule your first appointment.