Articles in Career DevelopmentArticles in EntrepreneurshipArticles in Health & SafetyArticles in Job SearchArticles in Salary / BenefitsArticles in WorkplaceDentistA Day in the life of a Dentist Dentists deal with procedures that involve actual manipulation of the teeth or gums. Dentists have also evolved to provide cosmetic care that addresses society’s perception of hygiene and health, as with the burgeoning business in whitening teeth. Problems dealing with the jaw or any invasive oral procedure are usually undertaken by an oral surgeon, and dental hygienists and dental assistants do much of the routine dental cleanings, maintenance, and X-rays. A significant part of a dentist’s job involves educating patients about ways to preserve a healthy mouth, and the best dentists are skillful communicators. (Gum disease, for example, ultimately attacks more than 87 percent of the population.) Cavities can develop and worsen for a long time undetected by a patient, and sometimes the only remedy is root canal therapy (less painful than in the early days but still expensive) or extraction of the tooth. Dentists are the preventative doctors par excellence, ever alert for early signs of swollen or bleeding gums, tooth decay, etc., but often they simply step in and correct the results of their patients’ less-than-stellar personal hygiene. While dentists encourage frequent visits to maintain good health, the reduced likelihood that patients have comprehensive health insurance coverage for dental work as compared to other forms of health care has been known to strain that effort. Dentists work 7–10-hour days, except when emergencies arise, which can occasionally lengthen the workday. The life of a dentist is very similar to that of any other doctor, except that dentists keep regular office hours—one notable attraction of the profession. Many of the dentists we surveyed responded that although the hours are long, one is able to lead a fairly predictable life, take standard vacations around major holidays, and enjoy weekends with family. Reasonable hours were cited on over 90 percent of our surveys as one of the most important features that led people to dentistry as opposed to any other medical specialty. Dentists pay enormous premiums for liability insurance, large sums for fixed costs such as rent and equipment, and significant overhead for qualified personnel and quality products. Since each patient treated corresponds to additional revenue received, dentists often try to see as many patients as they can on a given day. A dentist usually spends one afternoon a week managing paperwork and insurance claims. The amount of time required to process this paperwork is likely to increase as changes in health care management force doctors to spend more time filing and defending claims of even routine prevention for their insured patients. Paying Your Dues Associated Careers |