Dentist Career Guide

Dentist examine, diagnose and treat diseases, injuries and malformations of the teeth and gums. They normally work with dental assistants to provide advice and instruction on taking care of teeth and gums. Dentists also contribute to the prevention other health related issues by providing advice on diet and lifestyle choices that can affect oral health.

Training to be a dentist requires achieving a bachelor’s degree and then enrolling into dental school to achieve either a Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) or a Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) degree. Once qualified, the career prospect for dentists are generally high, especially for dentists who want to work in underserved areas. However, in areas where there are lots of dental graduates, there can be competition for jobs. Typically, salaries for dentists are high and there is the opportunity to work flexibly as careers progress.

What they do

Dentists are responsible for the care of human teeth and gums. Their main job responsibility is to diagnose and treat problems with their patient’s teeth, gums and other related parts of the mouth.

Although the key responsibilities and duties of a dentist will change based on their experience and who they work for, their typical duties include:

• Diagnosing and providing appropriate dental treatment to their patients. This include things such as regular teeth cleaning, root canals, fillings, surgical extractions, implants or cosmetics such as dentures or teeth whitening
• Educating their patients and improving their understanding on correct oral health and hygiene
• Communicating with other dental staff (for example, administration staff, dental assistants or dental hygienists) regarding patient treatment plans
• Prescribing the right medications to patients if necessary and documenting them thoroughly
• Keeping documents regarding medications, diagnoses, treatment and consultations
• Supervising and leading other members on the dental team (e.g., technical and administrative staff)

Why they are needed

A babies first tooth appears at six months of age. After this, it is crucial to ensure these teeth are kept clean and healthy for the entirety of their life. Dentists are needed to assist the public on how to look after their teeth, keep their gums healthy and to fix any problems or diseases related to gums and teeth.

In America, there is a major risk of tooth loss, tooth decay and gum disease, which only increases with age and the highly skilled work of a dentist can help to prevent this. Below, are some statistics to highlight the importance of dentists, their work and why we need them:

• More than 1 in 4 (26%) adults in the United states have untreated tooth decay.
• Nearly half (46%) of all adults in the United States, aged 30 years or older, show signs of gum disease; with severe gum disease affecting about 9% of adults in the United States.
• Oral cancers are common in older adults, people over 55 years old, and dentists need to work to prevent this.

The pros and cons of a career as a Dentist

Pros:

• Dentists often start on an excellent salary, which quite quickly increases with experience and time
• Dentists have a great career outlook. They are in heavy demand and there is no sign of this slowing down anytime soon as nobody is yet to make a magic cure to prevent and cure teeth decay or gum disease!
• Dentists are highly regarded and respected members of the community
• As dentist work in small teams, they often find the career quite sociable as they get to interact with other like-minded people on a daily basis
• No two days are the same and there is rarely a boring day as a dentist. In fact, every day, dentists get to meet and treat new patients and tackle new and novel problems
• As dentists progress and improve their knowledge, they can begin to set their own hours, which offers great flexibility and an excellent life fit
• A career in dentistry often leads to great personal and professional influence. Often, dentists advance to own their own practice or become part owners in a dental partnership. This allows dentists to be their own bosses and have control over their schedules, services and professional conduct

Cons:

• The education required to become a dentist is lengthy and typically very expensive, which even with a high income, can take years to pay off. In fact, dental students typically come out of dental school with the average debt of $221,173 in 2012, according to American Student Dental Association.
• Dentistry can sometimes be very stressful and highly pressured when there is a dental emergency. What is more, is that dentists often acquire a lot of responsibility, even when they have just graduated, and they can often work long hours, which can place a huge amount of pressure on them.
• Dentists sometimes have to work on weekends or in the evenings. Typically, this is only in an emergency situation but not unheard of to often be on call and to work irregular hours in order to meet the needs of patients.