Introduction of Dentistry
You very happily pay a visit to this professional to earn a million dollar smile. Yes, we are picking about dentistry and dentists. This profession contains with the inspection and treatment of teeth, gums and other parts of the oral cavity. A dentist especially takes care of issues affecting the teeth. Normal procedures are removal, correction and replacement of decayed, damaged or lost teeth.
Further more, this professional also has to carry out computer and magnetic resonance imaging, tissue grafts, implants, trauma and laser surgery.
Yet, this career profile is changing rapidly, creating a lot of opportunities and challenges for job seekers. With a raising awareness of oral health and the preface of new stream such as oral pathology (diagnosis for diseases that affect the mouth), orthodontics (straightening and aligning teeth and jaws) and periodontics (care of gums and the diseases that might afflict them) have all enhanced the opportunities in this field.
India is a hot destination to earn a perfect smile at a friction of cost compared to several parts of the world. Dentistry is one of the most attractive professions today. This career gives high salaries and flexible job schedule. You also get the scope to be your own boss if you opt to open your own practice.
What is more, dental care is an enriching industry because you will never miss anyone who has not had issues with their teeth.
Various Roles, various Names
Post BDS you get the scope to work towards specialization in the stream of dentistry. This can be earned by doing MDS. The various areas of specialization are listed as follows: Endodontics, Oral Surgery, Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Orthodontics, Periodontics, Prosthodontics and Pedodontics. The advantages of pursuing one of these zone of specialization are normally higher salaries and a more academic bent to the job.
Every specialization done a different role:
Endodontics: Practice of basic clinical science containing the biology of the normal pulp, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases and injuries of the pulp and root canal process.
Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology: Research and diagnosis of diseases using with clinical, microscopic, biochemical, radiographic, or other examinations.
Oral Surgery: Diagnosis and treatment of oral disease, in particular kind and malignant tumors of the jaws,neck and head. They also done surgeries for sleep disorder.
Orthodontics: Diagnosis, restraint and treatment of dental and facial irregularities.
Pedodontics: Dental field dealing with take care for teeth, gums and mouth of children.
Periodontics: involving with diseases of the gums.
Prosthodontics: Science that done with the general working of the mouth, teeth and face.
Market Watch
In the light of raising incidents of different dental disorders, the need of dentists is enriching rapidly. Liberalization of economy has brought better prospects for these professionals in terms of research and working facilities and remuneration. Fresh pass-outs have a vast variety of job choice to opt from.
International Focus Europe, the dental industry require more and more professionals. So there is better scope for Indian dentists abroad. There are many career scopes available in countries like Australia and USA.
Positives/Negatives
+ives
A career in dentistry is individually fulfilling since you will be done an important community service to help people to support their health and appearance.
To serve the present and future oral health required by the patients, as a dentist you will be comfort with the challenge of a lifetime of learning.
-ives
The profession is used to be a ‘standing’ profession and dentists must stand while treating their patients. Later, it became a combination of standing and sitting, based on the procedure involved. Now, it is highly a sedentary one and dentists are prone to back and neck issues.
You will have to involve with biological waste and radioactivity as X-Rays are done within the clinic setup in most settings, thus exposing you to harmful factors and disease.
In the initial years of your career, you will have to take in a lot of hard work before you can fix your name in this industry.
Step-by-Step
Dental health is a basic part of the overall health system. With the modern lifestyle, dental issues are becoming general among all sections of the society. Additionally, improper dental care also makes problems such as early tooth falling, enamel loss, tooth decay, etc.
All these issues require proper suggestions of dentists to make teeth healthy and fit for a long time. Thus, dentistry as a profession has become more demanding and because of its promising nature, several young aspirants are joining this profession.
To get admission into this business you must have to pass the 10+2 level with Physics, Chemistry and Biology to solicit for the competitive entrance examination. A lot of universities and institutes, both in the public and private stream, organized their own admission tests.
Government colleges are generally a preferred destination for learning, though the lot of seats available there is limited, as is the number of institution in comparison to private collages.
When choosing for a private college, opt the one that has an approval from the Dental Council of India.
The Bachelor of Dental Science (BDS) degree program is a 5-year course that is divided into 4 parts each of 1 years’ time period followed by a year of internship. The Dental Council of India registers those who have finished the BDS to practice dentistry. After finishing this degree, several graduates opt to join a government hospital to earn hands-on experience.
A BDS degree is not only considered ad enough to succeed in this profession but also you will have to go for a Master of Dental Science (MDS) degree.
You have to done participating in education programs depend on your specialization throughout the time period of your practice. Continuous education is an integral and an important part of this profile. You simply cannot escape this side no matter whether you are a new joiner or have spent fourth years in practice.
Upgrading your knowledge is needed, even in order to renovate your license to practice on an annual basis. It is also essential to be aware of the developments in the medical stream and pharmaceuticals.
You can also follow various certificate and diploma courses to upgrade and update your knowledge in this stream.
Start Early
For a professional course in dentistry, you must have to pass 10+2 with Physics, Chemistry and Biology, with minimum 50% marks to be qualified for admission in the BDS program. This is essential requirement for choosing for this career field.
Admission process to this course is through a general, nationwide competitive examination. The All India Pre-Medical/Pre-Dental Entrance Exam organized by the CBSE is common for both the MBBS and the BDS. There are also private institution that admit candidates on an all India basis. But to be qualified for practice, you should ensure that the course opt is approved by the Dental Council of India.
Is it the Right Career ?
The fundamental qualities needed for this career are patience, capability to stand for long hours, concentration, good health, accuracy and a methodical and scientific approach. You should also have an eye for detail, cool temperament, manual dexterity and compassion for public. Strong interpersonal talents and communication skills are also needed to do well in this job. If you thought that you have these qualities then this is a good career for you.
Pay Packet
In government hospitals, a fresher dentist could get around Rs 6,000 a month (including allowances), while in private hospitals it could be little less. Post-graduate degree holders can hope to start on from Rs 7,000 onwards.
Dental surgeons can get a good salary through their own practice. The consultation charges could begin from Rs 250 upwards for routine check-up or cosmetic filling. These can be as much than Rs 40,000 to Rs 50,000 based upon the nature of the dental issues. A well known dentist can earn around Rs 30,000 to Rs 1,00,000 or more per month.
What would it Cost ?
The course fees for an MDS degree is between from Rs 1 to Rs 3 lakhs per annual and the private institutions under management quota may give anywhere between Rs five lakhs to Rs ten lakhs.
Funding/Scholarship
If you are seeking for a scholarship at the time of BDS program then you require to
applying for the Shri Brihad Bharatiya Samaj scholarships. On the basis of merit, 200 candidates are given scholarships.
Job Prospects
Excellent job opportunities are available for dentists in dental departments in hospitals, dental clinics, nursing homes, and health departments. You can also look a teaching job in any of the dental institution spread across the country.
Apart from this, as a dentist you can look employ in the research and advisory departments of pharmaceuticals. Opportunities are there in firms producing oral care products such as mouth wash, toothpaste, and gum care products.
Self-employment is also an another promising avenue. With experience, you can open your own personal clinic. A lot of dentists prefer private practice as it offer the best financial opportunities along with a greater level of independence.
Demand and Supply
Due to the increasing dental issues in the country, dentists are in high demand. Besides, several people have now become very conscious about their looks and consult dentists for cosmetic rectification of their teeth. This has led to the advancement of a sub-discipline known as aesthetic dentistry.
This has developed the scope and signification of a professional degree in the discipline. A comparatively short-life span and self-specialized course provide the field an added advantage.
Tips for Getting Hired
A bachelor’s or a mater’s degree from an educational institution recognized by the Dental Council of India is important.
BDS pursed by a specialization in a particular area during your MDS learn gives you better opportunities in this field.
You want to find the right balance between clinical studies, advanced dental sciences throughout your professional life and continue education in basic and have a strong sense of ethics too.
You must have aware about the latest developments in the world of dentistry.
Top Companies
There are many choices to work and thus it is very hopeless that you would miss a work once you graduate. Some wide ranges of occupation scopes available for dentists are mentioned below:
| Nursing homes, dental clinics and health departments | Researcher or adviser in a pharmaceutical or a dental care company |
| Armed forces | Dental departments of government or private hospitals |
| Indian Railways | Teaching departments in dental colleges |
| Medical insurance firms | State services |
If you have the will and passion, you can even go for personal practice in this stream. Nowadays a lot of dentists give priority in self practice rather than employing in organization as it provides independence along with better financial opportunities.
