Dentistry offers many opportunities, challenges, and rewards. It is a rapidly changing and expanding profession. The Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) or Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) is a member of the primary healthcare professions on the front line of disease prevention, intervention and wellness promotion.
Dentistry allows you to be your own boss. Dentists can balance their personal and professional lives to meet their individual needs and desires. Dentistry provides opportunities in a variety of private and public settings including private practice, teaching, research, public health and administration.
A DDS program is an undergraduate course that enables students to become dental practitioners who are qualified to diagnose, prevent, and treat oral diseases. The Doctor of Dental Surgery program consists of six years, A typical program includes courses in general biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, pharmacology; diagnostic sciences such as anatomy, histology, and microbiology; oral sciences such as orthodontics, prosthodontics, etc. And some optional subjects such as business management, computer applications, ethics, hospital administration, etc. When people think about becoming dentists, they usually envision long hours, stressful situations, and lots of
drilling—and that may be how most practicing dentists spend their days. But let’s face it: no one chooses to be a dentist because they want to watch paint dry.
Role of a Dentist
Dentists help keep our teeth, gums, jaws, lips, tongue and face healthy by preventing problems before they start. Dentists treat dental pain, oral health issues, and gum disease. They also diagnose tooth decay, fix cavities and perform other preventative care procedures such as x-rays. If you like science but aren’t necessarily interested in writing prescriptions for patients or performing surgeries on them yourself, dentistry may be a good fit for you. In fact, many dentists say their work is more akin to engineering than medicine because fixing problems with people’s mouths involves working with an understanding of underlying structures and how each fits together. Dentists typically don’t have evening or weekend hours. Most dentists attend four years of college and then spend four years at dental school, earning a doctorate degree in dental surgery along with a license to practice dentistry. A bachelor’s degree isn’t necessary but can serve as preparation for further study. Once licensed, dentists usually complete one year of internship training that allows them to receive certification in fields such as orthodontics and
endodontics. Afterward, some pursue additional education so they can teach students themselves; others go into business for themselves while still others pursue specialized training through residencies or fellowships. The most common specialties include general dentistry, pediatric dentistry, oral and maxillofacial surgery, periodontics (tooth loss), prosthodontics (crowns and bridges), periodontology (gum treatment), orthodontics (braces), and cosmetic dentistry. Regardless of their choice of specialization or type of practice—private dentist office or hospital setting—dentists must continually educate themselves about new techniques and technology relating to every aspect of patient care.