It can be daunting when it’s time to renew your professional license, especially if you’re not sure where to start. Your State should send you a renewal notice, generally 60 days before your license is set to expire, and if you do not renew it, an additional final notice may be sent around 30 days before your expiration. In most cases dentists and dental hygienists will receive these notices by email only, so make sure you have a current email address on file and that you check it regularly. It is important to notify the the state agency responsible for licensing of name or address changes.
While that should leave you with enough time to renew your license, don’t wait until the last minute! Save yourself some stress by reviewing license requirements and continuing education here. There are specific requirements for dentists and hygienists to adhere to for compliance. Dental Assistants also have a requirement for DANB certification to legally assist in CT dental practice settings.
Continuing Education
Before you do anything else, know where you stand in terms of required coursework for renewal. If you are applying for license renewal for the first time since being licensed, you actually do not need to take any additional courses to continue your education until the next registration period. If you have doubt or are unclear of what is acceptable continuing education, contact Joyce Turcotte, RDH, M.Ed., President of Professional Learning Services at jturcotte@pls.org.
Additionally, if you are not engaged in active practice, or if you have a medical disability or illness, the State may waive your continuing education requirements for a designated period of time or grant you an extended deadline to give you more time fulfill the requirements. If available, waivers and extensions usually must be requested by the time of license renewal.
Take the Required Coursework
Even though your state may give you a 60-day notice before your license is set to expire, we know that sometimes, 60 days is shorter than it seems. Give yourself plenty of time in advance to find out if there are any courses you will have to take. Even if you don’t start them right away, you should find out exactly what credits you need to earn and what courses you need to take.
Be Renewal Ready with Professional Learning Services
At Professional Learning Services, we offer face-to-face and online CE programs, as well as in office workshops to continue your education requirements! We’re here to help you complete your education requirements so you can be renewal ready far before the deadline.