Dental Now
What Dental Now gives you
Dental Now is a free platform for pre-dental students that tracks your shadowing hours, gets them verified by your supervising dentist's NPI number, and generates a signed PDF certificate you can present at any point in your application. You can also store other credentials (CPR, OSHA) in one place.
Sources Guidance sourced from ADEA AADSAS program profiles, the ADA dental education directory, and the CODA accredited-program finder. 75+ programs verified.
A planning resource, not a guarantee. Dental school requirements vary by program and change year to year. Always confirm current requirements directly with each school on your list, the admissions office is the final authority.
Dental Now EditorialPre-dental admissions research
What you get on Dental Now
ValueThree tools that address the three main documentation challenges pre-dental students face, all in one place, all free.
Verified shadowing log
Record each session as you go: date, duration, supervising dentist, and what you observed. Your supervising dentist reviews and confirms each session digitally, so the record is verified, not self-reported. Hours are organized by setting and date so you can show breadth at a glance.
NPI-backed certificate
When your hours are confirmed, Dental Now generates a signed PDF certificate that includes the supervising dentist's NPI number and a unique verification link. Anyone, including an admissions reviewer, can visit that link to confirm the record independently against the federal NPPES provider registry.
Credential vault
Store other pre-dental credentials in one place: CPR certification, OSHA training completion, and any other documentation your target programs ask for. One link to share rather than hunting through email attachments at application time.
Start building your shadowing record today.
The certificate grows with each verified session. By the time you apply, your hours are already confirmed and ready to present.
Free. Verified by your supervising dentist's NPI number. 75+ CODA schools covered.
Log your first session in under 30 seconds.
About dental shadowing
What it isDental shadowing is time spent observing a licensed dentist during patient care, without performing clinical tasks. Almost every dental school requires it.
You watch real patient care: exams, cleanings, fillings, extractions, and other procedures. The goal is firsthand exposure to the profession so you can speak credibly about what the work involves, both on your application and in interviews. Shadowing is distinct from working as a dental assistant: when you work as a DA you perform clinical tasks, which most schools count as employment, not observation.
The notes you take during shadowing sessions, what you observed, what questions you asked, how specific procedures worked, become the concrete material for your personal statement. Students who log detailed observations write better essays than students who only logged hours.
How many shadowing hours do you need?
AnswerPlan for around 100 verified hours across at least two practice settings. School minimums vary and some are firm cutoffs.
There is no single national minimum. Some programs publish a firm minimum (Michigan requires 100 hours and will not review applicants who have fewer). Others give a recommended range. The only safe approach is to check each school on your list. For the detailed per-school breakdown, see the complete shadowing hours guide.
- Minimum to plan for: 100 verified hours covers most programs' firm minimums and is the competitive baseline
- Setting breadth matters: general practice plus at least one specialty (oral surgery, orthodontics, pediatric, or a community clinic) shows range
- Consistency signals commitment: hours spread across several months read as sustained interest, not a last-minute push
Browse by dental school
BrowseFind shadowing opportunities near the schools you are applying to.
Guides for pre-dental students
ResourcesEach guide below covers one part of the documentation process in depth.
Ready to start? Log your first session in under 30 seconds.
Your certificate is built automatically as you log, verified by the dentist you shadowed.
Free. Verified by your supervising dentist's NPI number. 75+ CODA schools covered.
Log your first session in under 30 seconds.