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Dentist

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AVG. SALARY

$166,300

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EDUCATION

Doctoral degree

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JOB OUTLOOK

Stable

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Let's be honest -- nobody really likes going to the dentist. Even the most devout brushers and flossers don't look forward to their next visit.

Dentist Sasha Prior knows this for a fact. "It's true," she says. "People are never really happy to see me, but they'd sure miss me if I was gone."

Prior understands dental work can be uncomfortable. "Who likes having somebody else's fingers in their mouth?" she says. But she also realizes that not having the dental work done can be downright painful.

"When a person comes to my office with an aching tooth, they're not looking forward to having me touch it," she says. "But they probably can't wait for it to feel better after I'm done."

Prior isn't the only dentist who thinks this way. Dentist Hor Tak D. Zung believes people fear dental work out of habit or as the result of one bad experience.

"Dentistry has come a long way in reducing people's anxieties and experience of pain," he says.

Dentistry has gone through a lot of changes in the past 20 years. "We've come leaps and bounds in recent years," agrees Prior. "The dentistry today is much more technical and more precise than the dentistry of 20 years ago."

Some of the most difficult patients are children who have had a bad experience in the dentist chair. Very often, these bad experiences are the result of a lack of communication on the part of the dentist.

If a dentist uses a needle on a child without telling him or her, the patient may grow to be suspicious of everything that happens in a dentist's office.

"Kids can fidget, cry, close their mouths constantly, scream for their parents -- it's very trying, and you have to have piles of patience," says Zung.

Zung says people's perceptions are their worst enemy in the dentist's chair. If someone expects a procedure to be painful, they become anxious. And that makes it harder for a dentist to do his or her job.

"It can be very stressful dealing with fearful patients," says Zung. "But with reassurance and confidence, most people can be helped with a gentle hand and compassion."

Good communication skills are needed in order to be an effective dentist. This field demands manual dexterity, technical reasoning, creativity and a strong scientific mind -- and that's just to get into dental school.

In fact, dentistry is one of the toughest university programs to enter. Experts say most colleges and universities won't even look at an application unless the student has an A average.

A friend of Prior's had an experience a few years ago that illustrates the competitiveness of dentistry programs. A friend who had always been an excellent student applied to several dental schools across the United States and was turned down by every school.

"He didn't know what to do, so he decided to apply at medical schools," Prior says. "Every place he applied not only welcomed him, but offered him scholarships because of his good academic record."

Dentistry wasn't always such a hard profession to crack, but the field has become more competitive since it's become a more popular career choice. Dentistry offers a shot at a very good living, self-employment and challenging work.

While it may be the prestige or the money that draws some people to this profession, Zung believes these aren't the true rewards of dentistry. "One can take a lot of pride in helping people out with their dental problems," he says. "Improving people's smiles is the most fulfilling part of being a dentist."

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OCAP believes that financial literacy and understanding the financial aid process are critical aspects of college planning and student success. OCAP staff who work with students, parents, educators and community partners in the areas of personal finance education, state and federal financial aid, and student loan management do not provide financial, investment, legal, and/or tax advice. This website and all information provided is for general educational purposes only, and is not intended to be construed as financial, investment, legal, and/or tax advice.