The importance of a healthy mouth need not be told. You can eat, drink, smile, talk, live, easily and painlessly, when your mouth is doing fine. This is the reason why oral care is given a prime position in every healthcare related issue.
The one person we trust with our mouth more than ourselves is our dentist. They are the ones who maintain the painless and easy smile on our faces. However being a dentist is not easy, it is seen as a very difficult, rewarding, and responsible job both by doctors and patients around the world.
The difficulties faced can make the job extremely stressful. The biggest one is being tolerant. While some patients have an extremely restrictive mouth opening ability, many have tongue of the size of sausages, some cry in pain with only the sound of the drill, and some salivate a lot.
However, amidst all these problems, the biggest perk of being a dentist is the ability to change peoples’ lives by bringing a smile to their faces.
Excelling dentistry, like any other medical line requires a lot of focus and dedication. Your quest to become a skilled and renowned dentist will be incomplete if you don’t start working towards it since the first year of college itself. But before you step into a medical college to come out as a skilled professional, read below.
Here are the steps you need to follow, if dentistry is for you:
If you have been seeing yourself as a dentist since school, and know that this is what you want to do with your life, start by taking the first step of choosing the right medical college. Once you enroll into one, step 2 to 4 continues. The steps are explained in much detail below:
- Enroll into a medical college
The first and most important way to kick start your medical career is to enroll into a medical college offering a degree in dentistry. List down a number of good colleges offering Bachelor in Dental Sciences course (India) or similar undergraduate course like BS in Dental hygiene etc. in other countries, and start applying.
- Develop traits that would complement your career
The major attribute you will need to develop is being a great listener and talker while keeping patience. As a dentist, you need to be a good listener in order to analyze the problem and a great talker to keep patients happy and coming.
- Know about industry’s trends and developments
Be updated on what is happening in the industry. Have basic knowledge related to the new methodologies used or techniques adopted by the renowned doctors.
- Practical application
One sure shot way to become skilled is to practice whatever is taught. In college you will be taught things like teeth carving, identification of disease based on the teeth anatomy etc. under the practical classes section. Make sure you do the practical things at least thrice on something or someone. Continuous practice will set your hands and will also make you comfortable with the lack of personal space this job demands.
This is the one field that makes the dream of working in a flexible schedule, earning a great salary, and bringing an endless beautiful smile on someone’s face a reality.
The only thing that can stop you from being amazing and highly likeable is a shift in focus. Make your goal clear and focus on it, be open to learn and adapt. These are the only ways that will help you join the club of elite dentists that the world remembers forever.
