Congratulations grad! You are off to college and deciding on a career path. There are so many options to choose from, depending on your interests and skill set. But it can be an overwhelming choice, especially when your interests pull you in many different directions. If you’re considering dentistry, you’ve probably seen a ton of blogs about how becoming a dentist is hard, time-consuming, and can be very expensive. But there are a lot of positives that should be considered as well! Here are a few reasons why you should consider going to dental school.
Key Takeaways:
- Dental school offers continuous learning and professional growth opportunities.
- Dentists have the ability to significantly improve patients' lives by enhancing their smiles and overall health.
- Dentistry combines science and art, requiring creativity and innovative problem-solving skills.
- Graduates can pursue diverse career paths, including research, hospital dentistry, and academic teaching.
- The profession provides financial stability with a high demand for dentists and competitive salaries.
- Dentists enjoy flexibility in work hours, allowing for a better work-life balance.
Gain Knowledge and Experience
Once you graduate from dental school, you have the opportunity to join a shared office space with other health professionals. Take this time to learn from them. You never truly stop learning, even once you've graduated. Embrace the opportunity to learn new techniques and practices to improve your professional capabilities.
Transform People’s Lives
What’s the first thing you notice about someone that makes a lasting impression? A person’s smile, of course! Becoming a dentist gives you the power to transform people’s lives for the better. Presenting someone with new teeth, refreshing their smile, helping them keep a good oral hygiene routine, and detecting other diseases early on through their dental care are good indicators of what you could experience throughout your career as a dentist. Oral health is the key to overall health, and your contribution can make a significant impact in their communities by promoting oral health.
Be Creative Daily
Being a dentist doesn’t just require you to know the mechanics and best oral health practices. Dentistry is a beautiful and complex combination of sciences and the arts. In dental school, students often develop a range of creative and artistic skills, including:-
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- Sculpting and Carving
- Color Matching
- Aesthetic Design
- Manual Dexterity
- Indirect Vision
- 3D Visualization
- Attention to Detail, and many more.
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In addition to this, you have to be able to adapt and think on your feet when you come across an issue or concern from a patient and that involves innovative thinking! This means being able to assess the situation quickly, draw upon your extensive knowledge and experience, and devise creative solutions that address the patient's needs effectively. Whether it's finding a new approach to a complex dental problem, customizing treatment plans to suit individual patient circumstances, or employing the latest technologies and techniques to enhance patient care, your capacity for innovation is crucial. Dentistry is often described as an art, as it involves a lot of restoration and helping to make a beautiful smile! -
Many career opportunities
Going to dental school doesn’t mean you have to open your own practice. Dental school opens the door to a stable and rewarding career with various specializations and opportunities to pursue many different careers once you graduate! This includes scientific research in the field, hospital dentistry, going abroad and performing international dental care, teaching academic dentistry, and more.
Earn a good salary
Dentistry is a profession with high demand and job security, offering a stable career path. Dentists often enjoy a lucrative salary, which can provide financial stability and a comfortable lifestyle. On average, entry level dentists can earn a base salary of around $189,979 a year according to Zip Recruiter. Depending on where you live and what area you decide to specialize in can double or even triple your yearly earnings.
Build your future
With the opportunity of opening your own practice, or continuing to build up the office you've joined, you can cultivate a future uniquely for you. Many dentists have the flexibility to set their own hours, which can lead to a better work-life balance compared to some other medical professions. This gives you the freedom to choose where you want to work, as well as, what kind of community you’d like to serve and be a part of.Even though it’s a time-consuming career, it can be very rewarding as you’re helping someone with their smile, confidence, and health. It’s the first thing people see and the last thing they remember, so think about that during those long nights of studying and while opening your practice. To learn more about what each year of dental school might look like, check out this article written by a dental student! Wonder what it’s like to open your own practice? Download our tip sheet to find out!
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