Rebecca Walsh's List: Career Research

• They delve into countless mouths to remove tooth decay, fill cavities, and  repair fractured teeth. They also perform corrective surgery on gums and  supporting bones. And among their less serious but more popular tasks is the  whitening and reshaping of teeth to enhance their patients' smiles
• dentists also work to prevent disease. They inspire their patients to do so as  well, encouraging healthy diets and good oral hygiene. 
• Dentists prevent, diagnose, and treat health problems of the mouth. Most  dentists are general practitioners, but some specialize in areas such as  orthodontics (straightening teeth with braces) and endodontics (providing root  canal treatment).
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  • Operate equipment including x-ray machines, drills, and scalpels
   
  • Find and fill cavities
   
  • Educate patients on dental care
   
  • Wear masks, gloves, and safety glasses to protect against diseases
   
  • Oversee business and office tasks
   
  • Supervise a staff of technicians and assistants
   
  • Continue your education to take on specialties, such as periodontics (the  dentistry of gums and bones)
• • Outlook must be good in the future
• • Maybe sign up for the math and science center for sophmore year
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  It Helps To  Be...

   

   

  Confident, quick, and steady with your hands. You should also be people  oriented -- you'll need to communicate your skills and trustworthiness to  patients, who will keep your practice going by returning and referring  others. Good business skills are also important, especially in private  practice.
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  Make High School  Count
   
   
  • Take plenty of math and science courses, including AP courses in  biology, chemistry, physics, and calculus.
   
  • Enhance your communication skills through English composition, drama, and  speech classes.
   
  • Study a foreign language so that you’ll be able to speak with more  patients.
   
  • Volunteer at a dental clinic.
• Most dentists run their own practices.
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  Outlook

   

   

  Government economists predict that jobs for dentists in general practice will  grow faster than the average for all careers through 2020. As the  members of the baby boom generation age, they’ll need more dental work. Also,  more people today seek cosmetic dentistry to improve their appearance. And  people are more aware of the link between oral health and overall health, so  they may visit dentists more often.

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• • Malocclusion is the universial term for bad bite
• • This means that regular dentists refer patients to an orthodontist as well
• Crooked teeth, crowded teeth, protruding teeth, underbites, overbites—all of  these problems are considered bad bite.
• Orthodontists are specialist dentists who correct irregularities in the way a  person’s teeth are positioned. Using braces, retainers, and other devices, they  force the teeth to move to a better position.
  
  
• They usually start working on people when they are in their teens. The reason  for this is that they want to work on a person’s permanent teeth, and these  don’t usually arrive until the teen years.
• The first thing the orthodontist does for a new patient is a complete  examination of the mouth so that a diagnosis can be made. To help diagnose  problems, orthodontists may use x-rays, photographs, and plaster impressions of  the teeth.
  

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• High school students who want to become dentists should take courses in  chemistry, physics, biology, anatomy, and mathematics.
• Most dental students need at least a bachelor's degree before entering dental  school
• All dental schools require applicants to have completed certain required science  courses, such as biology and chemistry.
• Majoring in a science, such as biology, might increase the chances of being  accepted, but no specific major is required to enter most dental programs
• College undergraduates who plan on applying to dental school must usually take  the Dental Acceptance Test (DAT) during their junior year
• Dental schools use these tests, along with other factors such as grade point  average and recommendations, to admit students into their programs.

• Dental schools require students to take classes such as local anesthesia,  anatomy, periodontology (the study of oral disease and health), and radiology.  All dental schools include practice where students work with patients in a  clinical setting under the supervision of a licensed dentist.
• Dentists who want to teach or research full time usually spend an additional 2  to 5 years in advanced dental training. Many practicing dentists also teach part  time, including supervising students in dental school clinics.

• Dentists must be licensed in all states; requirements vary by state. In most  states, a license requires a degree from an accredited dental school and passing  a written and practical exam.

• In addition, a dentist who wants to practice in one of the nine specialties  that all states recognize must have a license in that specialty. This usually  requires 2 to 4 years of additional education after dental school and, in some  cases, the completion of a special state exam. A postgraduate residency term  also may be required, usually lasting up to 2 years.

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• depending on how many college credit hours you already have, it can take up to 4  to 5 years to graduate dental school
• Then, you have to do another 3-4 years of orthodontics
• 9-10 years of college
• started dental school when i as 18 years old and finished when i was 26 years  old.
• $352,000 a year

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• Attend college at a UNIVERSITY. NOT a community college. Most dental schools don't  accept credits from community colleges.
• Your junior year of college you will take the Dental Admissions Test (DAT).
• The summer before your senior year of college, you will apply to dental schools.
• After you graduate (4 years of college), you will attend dental school.
  
  
• Dental school is another 4 years and you earn your DDS or DMD.
  
  
• To become an orthodontist, you have to specialize. Meaning, you have to apply to  orthodontics programs which are very competitive and see if you get in. If you  get accepted into an ortho program, thats another 2-3 years.
  
• So, 4 years college + 4 years dental + 2-3 years specializing

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