Before going to know about the career prospect of DENTIST and how to become?? Let's see why is dental health important? This might sound like an exaggeration but; it is an undeniable scientific fact that the oral bacteria have potential to cause serious health problems related to heart, diabetes etc.
Next thing, bad breath. Although you have a charming personality, having bad breath can be a biggest turndown and has a potential to ruin your date! You think you can fix it by having a mint. But, what you don’t know is that there is an entire physiology behind bad breath and it can be permanently solved.
Smile - the universal language. But
factors like yellowing of teeth, tooth decay, imperfect alignment of teeth etc.
can heavily affect our smiles. See..the list keeps going like sensitivity, gum
and tooth infections etc. We all brush our teeth and may be use a refreshing
mouth-wash liquid. But that’s not all! There are a lot of techniques to be
followed in order to achieve healthy and perfect oral hygiene. This is how dentists
are helpful to us.
Dentist- This
profession has been in the top 10 list of high- demand courses since many years
in India as well as other countries.
Who is a dentist?
Dentist is a medical professional who
provides treatment to different diseases and injuries of the oral cavity
(mouth). Dentists deal with the problems mostly related to teeth, jaws, tongue
and salivary glands. Dentists play an important role not only in the aspect of
oral hygiene, but also in cosmetic industry. The demand for dentists has been
increasing over the past decades because of the changes and improvement in our
lifestyles.
- Dentist is the broad term used for both general dentist and dental surgeon. There is not much difference between them. General dentists can also perform surgeries of teeth and gums, but dental surgeons usually perform more complicated surgeries like emergency facial trauma operations involving face, neck, head and jaws.
- General dentists observe and examine the oral cavity, and diagnose the problem of the patient. Based on the diagnosis, they prescribe effective medicines. They also make treatment plans for the patients who need regular check-ups.
- General dentists deal with microbial infections, inflammatory problems like gingivitis, sensitivity of teeth, diseases that occur due to lack of oral hygiene and educate the patients about the importance of regular check-ups, foods that should be avoided, toothpaste that suits their teeth, routine methods that should be followed etc. which are useful in maintaining perfect oral health.
- They perform different procedures like tooth-whitening, correction of imperfect alignments of teeth, filling cavities of teeth etc. and help people achieve a great smile. Thus, dentists are of great cosmetic importance.
- They perform prosthodontic procedures such as installing bridges, veneers, Invisalign, braces, caps and other prosthetics which are helpful in fixing gaps between teeth, perfecting the alignment of teeth and also giving good shape to the teeth.
- Using prosthetic material, they also make partial or complete sets of dentitions called dentures (false teeth) by taking dental measurements from the patient. These are most commonly used by old people.
- Dentists who have done specialization in dental surgery(dental surgeons) perform emergency surgeries in cases of trauma due road traffic accidents etc. They can perform trauma surgery on teeth, jaws, face and neck based on radiological analyses.
- Dental surgeons perform orthodontic procedures like removal of the wisdom teeth, installing dental implants in jaw bones (mandible, maxilla) by giving anaesthesia to the patient.
- In cases of missing tooth, broken tooth, they install artificial tooth implants made of ceramic/metal by processes like cementing.
- They perform endodontic surgeries, mainly root canal therapy which involves procedures like pulpectomy, pulpotomy of teeth.
- Specialised dentists also remove cysts and cancerous tumours of the oral cavity. They also perform cosmetic surgeries of jaw bone, brow bone etc.
HOW TO BECOME A DENTIST:
- After 10+2 (Intermediate Bi.P.C), one should go for Bachelor of Dental Surgery degree (B.D.S). This is a 5-year under-graduate course which is comprised of 4 years of study and 1 year of internship. One can start practice as a general dentist after completion of this course.
- After getting B.D.S degree, one can go for Master of Dental Surgery degree (M.D.S), which is a 3-year post-graduate course, which helps you to improve your expertise as well as salary. This course has great scope andimproves your skills. With an M.D.S degree, you can become a dental surgeon and perform complicated surgeries such as emergency trauma operations, cysts and tumour removal etc.
- Besides M.D.S, specialisations are also available in M.D.S course such as:
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AREAS OF EMPLOYMENT:
- Government hospitals
- Private hospitals
- Dental clinics
- Nursing home
- Pharmaceutical companies
- Dental tool production companies
- Railways
- Private practice
QUALITIES TO BECOME A DENTIST:
- Good memory
- Analytical thinking
- Logical precision and accuracy
- Attention to detail
- Patience and stamina
- Good communication skills
- Interest in learning new skills
SALARIES OF A DENTIST:
The starting salaries of a dentist range from Rs.15,000-Rs.30,000. Usually salaries of dental surgeons are a bit more than that of general dentists. With experience and skill, earnings can improve and can be as high as Rs.90,000 per month.