Career Details :: Dentists, General
Description
Diagnose and treat diseases, injuries, and malformations of teeth and gums and related oral structures. May treat diseases of nerve, pulp, and other dental tissues affecting vitality of teeth.
Experience
Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
Education
A bachelor's degree is the minimum formal education required for these occupations. However, many also require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Training
Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.
Tasks
- Fills, extracts, and replaces teeth, using rotary and hand instruments, dental appliances, medications, and surgical implements.
- Applies fluoride and sealants to teeth.
- Treats exposure of pulp by pulp capping, removal of pulp from pulp chamber, or root canal, using dental instruments.
- Fills pulp chamber and canal with endodontic materials.
- Examines teeth, gums, and related tissues to determine condition, using dental instruments, x-ray, and other diagnostic equipment.
- Eliminates irritating margins of fillings and corrects occlusions, using dental instruments.
- Plans, organizes, and maintains dental health programs.
- Produces and evaluates dental health educational materials.
- Fits and adjusts prosthodontic appliances in patient's mouth.
- Fabricates prosthodontic appliances, such as space maintainers, bridges, dentures, and obturating appliances.
- Counsels and advises patients about growth and development of dental problems and preventive oral health care services.
- Analyzes and evaluates dental needs to determine changes and trends in patterns of dental disease.
- Restores natural color of teeth by bleaching, cleaning, and polishing.
- Removes pathologic tissue or diseased tissue using surgical instruments.
- Formulates plan of treatment for patient's teeth and mouth tissue.
- Treats infected root canal and related tissues.
Related Careers
- Dental Hygienists
- Optometrists
- Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
- Orthodontists
- Physician Assistants
- Prosthodontists
- Respiratory Therapists
Important Abilities
General Work Activities
- Assisting and Caring for Others
- Handling and Moving Objects
- Getting Information Needed to Do the Job
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
Important Skills
Frequent Work Context
- Job-Required Social Interaction
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
- Importance of Being Sure All Is Done
- Consequence of Error
- Provide a Service to Others
Related Majors
| Major | Add to XapPack |
|---|---|
| Craniofacial Biology |  [ add ] |
| Dental Hygiene | [ add ] |
| Dentistry | [ add ] |
| Endodontics | [ add ] |
| General Dentistry | [ add ] |
| Geriatric Dentistry | [ add ] |
| Oral Biology | [ add ] |
| Oral Pathology | [ add ] |
| Oral Sciences | [ add ] |
| Orthodontics | [ add ] |
| Periodontics | [ add ] |
| Philosophy/Pre-theology | [ add ] |
| Prosthodontics | [ add ] |
Institutions Offering Related Majors
No institutions found.