As a Dentist, an individual commences a challenging career which is highly rewarding and satisfying. Besides offering you a secure future, the career as a dentist gives one the opportunity to serve people and cure them of any dental problems they might have.
Educational Qualification
For pursuing career as a dentist, the student ideally needs to have Physics, Chemistry and Biology (PCB) as a subject combination at the Senior Secondary School Level. The students need to score a merit position in the dental examination which is held throughout India at state and central levels. Dental colleges located in various states of India hold their Dental Entrance Examination. A central level Dental Examination is also held and those securing merit positions in the same are offered admissions in various dental colleges throughout the country as per the central pool seat availability. Till last year, different states in the country used to hold their separate Dental Entrance Examinations but lately the system has been centralized and a common dental examination is held throughout the country. The selected candidates are offered admissions as per their merit positions and preferences. To appear in the dental examination, a candidate needs to secure a minimum of 50% in the PCB combination in their Senior Secondary Examination. Ensure that the college to which you are seeking admission is recognized by Dental Council of India.Duties and Responsibilities
Though specific responsibilities and duties of a dentist might vary as per the profile of the hospital or clinic where the dentist is employed, yet all dentists have certain duties and responsibilities. These can be listed as:- Oral evaluation of the dental condition.
- Carrying out Diagnostic radiography or x-rays.
- Caries or cavity detection.
- Caries prevention and treatment.
- Repair or replacement of broken tooth.
- Carrying out denture replacements.
- Carrying out emergency treatments/surgeries.
- Root canal treatment.
- Carrying out tooth extraction procedures.
- Detecting gum diseases and suggesting probable cure.
- Carrying out therapeutic cleaning of infected teeth.
- Carrying out various orthodontic procedures.
- Carrying out teeth whitening tasks.
Skills Required
For pursuing a successful career in dental sciences, one needs to possess the following key skills.Enthusiasm to Learn
For pursuing a successful career in Dentistry, one needs to have significant interest in studying oral disease procedures and human anatomy. Besides these skills one needs to have the enthusiasm to learn and become the best in the field. Tons of Patience You need to be good with your motor skills when it comes to carrying out dental procedures. The medical instruments need to be handled with care as you are dealing with patient’s teeth. Perfect Eyesight As a dentist, you will be carrying out various dental procedures inside the mouth of a patient. You need to have perfect eyesight as the working space is limited and any error on your part can result in grave consequences. Advisory Skills A dentist gets all kind of patients on any working day. Some patients come for seeking dental surgeries while others come over for some suggestions on their dental conditions. As a dentist, you need to have great advisory skills to educate and guide the patient accordingly. A Great People’s Person You will have patients from different age groups. Children, aged people and youngsters come over for dental surgeries. You need to handle all of these with equal care and patience.