Dentistry As A Career Articles | Dentist Career

By: DentistCareers.net

Dentistry is a profession dealing with the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of oral diseases and disorders, with primary emphasis on the health of teeth and gums. In a sense, dentistry is a medical subspecialty. Good oral health is critical to human psycho-logical and physical well-being since the state of the teeth affect speech and expression, and, also, systemic diseases frequently manifest themselves in the oral cavity.

There are more than 150,000 active dentists in the United States; most of them are in private practice with the remainder working as salaried professionals. Of those in private practice, 80% are general practitioners who are contributing to the improvement of their communities' health standards and are rewarded by having favorable working conditions and ample financial remuneration. Many thousands of dentists hold positions as commissioned officers in the armed forces. Others are employed by the Veterans Administration and in public health dentistry at the state or local level. There are also several thousand full- or part-time teachers, administrators, and investigators in dental schools and in dental research laboratories.

WHY STUDY DENTISTRY?
Dentistry provides young men and women of talent and dedication with an opportunity for a lifetime of professional satisfaction. The following are some of the attractive attributes of the dental profession:

1. It provides a strong sense of inner satisfaction derived from the knowledge that one is contributing to the physical well-being of one's patients. 2. It provides a personal feeling of achievement that comes from the successful application of one's judgmental and manual skills in resolving problems. 3. It provides an opportunity for group leadership as the head of a dental care team, making use of one's managerial and organizational skills. 4. It provides a basis for economic security and long-term financial stability. 5. It provides an opportunity to gain status in the community and thereby serve one's neighbors outside of one's professional capacity.

THE NEED FOR DENTISTS
The demands for dental care by the public have increased annually. The three factors responsible for this situation are greater affluence, better education, and increased population growth. (Nevertheless, only about 50% of the general population sees a dentist with any regularity.) The response to the demand for increased dental care has been an increase in the number of patients handled by dentists. Nevertheless, it should be realized that the demand for dental services tends to fluctuate with changes in economic conditions. In any case, the national need for dental care will not only be maintained, but will probably be increased, thus suggesting an attractive future for most prospectivemembers of the dental profession.
A note of caution is necessary, for in a recent report on employment prospects for dentists, the U.S. Department of Labor has said: "employment prospects to grow about as fast as average. . . . Increasingly abundant supply of practitioners will make it more difficult to start a practice. Competition for patients is likely to be intense in some localities, which could adversely affect earnings.