Job Titles and Salary Range
Possible job titles applicable for a dentist include doctor of dental surgery (DDS), doctor of medicine in dentistry (DMD), or doctor of dental medicine (DDM). Titles vary depending on state and institution, but the training is the same (Polansky, 2017). DePietro (2019) establishes that the salary range for a dentist is around $ 175,830 annually and around $ 14 652 monthly.
Skills and Education
Crucial skills that a dentist must possess include patience, communication, teamwork skills, and manual dexterity. Dentists in the US must first complete a 4-year bachelor’s degree in a science-related field, then take a dental admissions test (Kobza & Syrkiewicz-Świtała, 2018). Thereafter, they must enroll in a dental school and finally pass licensing exams.
Experience Required and Daily Work
Employers hire dentists with a minimum of five years of experience in private dental practice, and this includes two years of working experience after dental school. An ideal dentist must also have a DDS certificate and current CPR certification. Song et al. (2020) note that a dentist educates patients on oral hygiene, examines patients’ teeth and identifies potential dental problems, fills teeth, removes some, and whitens others.
Nature of Work and Type of Environment
The work done by a dentist mainly involves observation and physical examination of the dental health of their patients. The professional also incorporates the use of some machines for the cleaning of teeth and the removal of harmful residues that cause discoloration (Le et al., 2021). Dentists work in a hospital environment that has a dentistry department for oral hygiene or may also work in a private clinic.
Challenges and Rewards
Some of the challenges faced by dentists include unexpected changes such as the COVID-19 pandemic that makes patients neglect their dental hygiene. Dentists also suffer from the high cost of maintaining a private dental practice (Le et al., 2021). Rewards experienced by dentists include the satisfaction of restoring the oral health of their patients and the high pay.
References
DePietro, A. (2019). Here’s how much money dentists make in every state. Forbes. Web.
Kobza, J., & Syrkiewicz-Świtała, M. (2018). Job satisfaction and its related factors among dentists: A cross-sectional study. Work, 60(3), 357–363. Web.
Le, V. N., Dang, M.-H., Kim, J.-G., Yang, Y.-M., & Lee, D.-W. (2021). Dentist job satisfaction: A systematic review and meta-analysis. International Dental Journal, 71(5), 369–377. Web.
Polansky, B. (2017). The complete dentist: Positive leadership and communication skills for success. John Wiley and Sons.
Song, Y., Luzzi, L., & Brennan, D. S. (2020). Trust in dentist‐patient relationships: mapping the relevant concepts. European Journal of Oral Sciences. Web.