What Does It Take To Be A Dentist
Being a dentist is one of the most rewarding careers out there, but it requires a lot of hard work.
What does it take to be someone who fills teeth?
Dentistry - An Essential Field of Care
To begin with, consider how important dental care is.
Your teeth keep your smile looking attractive and young. They’re also vital to chewing food properly for good nutrition. Diseases like tooth decay and periodontitis, however, can cause tooth-loss, pain, and damage to your self-esteem.
A dentist’s job is to prevent and treat disease in one of the most complex parts of your body: your mouth.
Dentistry is not easy. But dentists are willing to perform the difficult work so that you can stay healthy and smile with confidence.
Your dentist thus plays a very important role in your oral and overall health.
How does someone become a dentist?
Learning to Be a Dentist
Admission into a dental school usually requires a bachelor’s degree or a minimum of a few years of undergraduate study. A potential dental student also needs to pass the Dental Admission Test.
Dental school itself usually lasts around four years. The first two years focus on studies and lectures while the last two emphasize clinical training and experience. The resulting degrees are either DMD (Doctor of Dental Medicine) or DDS (Doctor of Dental Surgery).
It doesn’t end with the degree, however. Dental school graduates need to be licensed before they can start practicing. This process includes intense written and practical exams. After passing the tests and getting his or her license, the new dentist is ready to open up a dental office or join a dental team.
Some dentists continue their studies for two, four, or even more years in order to become specialists in areas like orthodontics, endodontics or periodontics.
Why Become a Dentist?
Dentistry has an appeal because there is a large demand for dentists to meet the needs of a growing and ever-changing population. The work generates high income and enables a flexible lifestyle, making it easy to raise a family.
But becoming a dentist isn’t just about the money and dentistry isn’t a good profession for just anyone.
Dentistry is challenging. It’s all about solving complex and painful problems in a tiny workspace while being crunched for time. A good dentist needs to have qualities such as:
● Compassion ● Dedication ● Organization ● Patience ● Attention to detail ● Confidence ● The ability to remain calm in stressful situations
Dentists find all the hard work rewarding because they get to help people enjoy a high quality of life. It’s makes dentists feel good to see a patient feel proud of their new smile and build greater confidence in themselves.
Additionally, a healthy mouth equals a healthy body, so dentists are happy to contribute to the health of their local communities by providing valuable dental services.
Who Is Your Tacoma Dentist?
General dentists and specialists alike take continuing education courses that help them stay up-to-date on the latest in research on treatment techniques and new dental technology.
You too can find out the latest in the dental field and learn more about the rewarding career of dentistry by visiting a dentist in person.
You’ll find Tacoma family dentist, Dr. Duke Bui, extremely easy to talk with and very approachable. Ask him anything you’d like to know about becoming a dentist and why dental care is so important for people of all ages.
Contact Duke N. Bui, DDS, PS - Family Dentistry to schedule a consultation.
