Seven Differents Jobs in Dental Occupations

“Every tooth in a man’s head is more valuable than a diamond,” (Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote, 1605). Living by this philosophy, I’ve decided that I want to become a dentist. When I made this decision, I knew absolutely nothing about what it was like to be a dentist, and the numerous jobs I could do as one. I thought that every dentist did the same thing, but boy was I wrong. Over the fifteen plus hours I spent shadowing my mentor, Dr. Victor Nitu, I learnt a lot of new stuff that has helped me narrow down what exactly I want to do as a dentist in the future. There are seven possible jobs I will be covering, and each entail a different pay, amount of schooling needed, and job responsibilities.

A general practitioner/general dentist, is a dentist that takes care of everything. “This dentist diagnoses, treats, and manages your overall oral health care needs, including gum care, root canals, fillings, crowns, veneers, bridges, and preventive education” (“Dentists and Other Oral Health Care Providers,” 2005). In order to become a general practitioner you must first go to undergraduate school, and then complete four more years of dental school (“What Does a General Dentist Do?” 2013). Before any dentist is accepted into dental school, they have to take the Dental Admissions Test (DAT).

“The DAT is designed to measure general academic ability, comprehension of scientific information, and perceptual ability” (“Take the DAT (Dental Admission Test): American Dental Education Association,” 2014). The DAT is only one of the key factors that can help you get into graduate school. Dental schools look at your overall GPA, your overall science GPA, your extracurricular activities, letters of recommendation, etc. (“Successful Dental School A...

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