ORTHODONTIST
Orthodontists
are specialized dentists who work to improve their patients' smiles through
correcting teeth alignment and guiding proper facial development. Orthodontics, a specialty within the dental
profession, involves straightening teeth and correcting bites. As an
orthodontist, you are responsible for locating problems with the positioning of
patients' teeth and with their oral development. You might use x-rays or
plaster molds of your patients' teeth to do this. You will then use dental
appliances, such as braces, retainers and space maintainers, to correct these
problems for the purpose of providing better function, appearance and facial
development. You will also be responsible for planning custom treatment plans
that are tailored to treat each individual patient based on his or her dental
records and specific anomalies. You may also be in charge of supervising and
instructing orthodontic technicians and assistants in performing routine
procedures.
Orthodontist’s
make about $201,030 at the time annually.
Beginners start at about $60,000 per year and a reputed orthodontist can
reach up to about $250,000 per year or even more. There are many reasons why
experienced orthodontists get a higher raise but the most important reason is
because of their established reputation and recurring clients. Also,
experienced orthodontists gain easier their clients’ trust and make clients
feel more at ease with the orthodontic procedures which need to be done.
To become an
orthodontist you must graduate from a dental school with a Doctor of Dental
Surgery or Doctor of Dental Medicine. However, you'll first need to earn
a bachelor's degree in most cases. It doesn't matter what major you choose, but
you'll need to take certain prerequisite courses, such as chemistry, biology,
physics and organic chemistry. You’ll need to take the Dental Acceptance Test
during your junior year of your undergraduate’s studies. Once you’re admitted to
dental school you’ll receive both didactic and clinical training. Your courses
might include histology, physiology, dental anatomy, pharmacology and oral
radiology. You'll be exposed to the different dental specialties, such as
periodontics, oral surgery, orthodontics and pediatric dentistry. During your
clinical training, you'll work with patients and gain experience working in the
different dental specialties.
After
graduating from dental school, you'll need to enter a residency to receive
specialized orthodontics training. These programs last 2-3 years and you may be
awarded a certificate and/or master's degree upon completion. Your residency
curriculum could consist of seminars, lectures and clinical practice. Some
orthodontic residencies also require you to complete an advanced research
project that may be published in an orthodontic journal.
I wouldn’t like
to become an orthodontist because I’m already focused on a career that is more
complex such as this one. Yes this is a great career but I really don’t see
myself admiring this career even though it seems fantastic.