Dental Careers
Dentists
There are several dental schools in Texas, and one of the top is in Dallas: The Texas A&M University College of Dentistry.
General dentists are responsible for the diagnosis, treatment, management and overall coordination of a patient’s oral health. General dentists are trained in all dental procedures but choose not to specialize in only one specific area of dentistry. Dental specialists are dentists who have received additional education and training after receiving licensure as a general dentist. A dental education also gives you access to other career paths, like working in a hospital emergency room, conducting advanced laboratory research, teaching future dentists or even traveling the world with international health and relief organizations.
Top 10 Reasons to Become a Dentist
- Serve Others: Help people maintain and improve their oral health, quality of life and appearance
- Balance Your Lifestyle: Dentistry offers flexibility to balance professional and personal life
- Empower Your Patients: Give patients smiles they are proud to wear
- Research: Be involved with the scientific advancement of dentistry
- Be a Leader: Earn respect from your family, friends and community
- Educate: Be an educator on the importance of oral health
- Detect Disease: Treat oral health and detect disease - including cancer and cardiovascular disease
- Be Creative: Merge your artistic and scientific talents
- Succeed: With the aging population and increase in access to care, the demand and need for dentistry is on the rise
- Choose Your Practice Model: Own a dental practice and set your own schedule or become an associate in a group practice.
Dental Hygienists
There are several dental hygiene schools in Texas, and one of the best is in Dallas through the Texas A&M University College of Dentistry: The Caruth School of Dental Hygiene.
Dental Hygienists use their knowledge and clinical skills to provide dental hygiene care for patients. The Texas State Board of Dental Examiners is responsible for issuing dental hygienist licenses and allows dental hygienists to perform duties that include the exposure of radiographs, and the application of pit and fissure sealants. Other typical services dental hygienists perform include:
- Smoothing of roughened root surfaces
- Polishing exposed teeth
- Topical application of drugs
- Removal of accumulated matter, deposits, stains, and accretions from natural and restored tooth surfaces.
Dental Assistants
There are many dental assisting schools in Texas, and one of the strongest is in Dallas through the Dallas County Dental Society: DCDS Dental Assisting School. This program runs for only twelve weeks and provides assistance with externship placement and job searches.
Dental Assistants may perform many tasks including taking and developing dental radiographs (x-rays), sterilizing instruments and equipment and taking impressions of patients' teeth.
Dental Laboratory Technicians
Many community colleges in the Dallas area offer programs to become a Dental Lab Tech.
Dental Laboratory Technicians work with a variety of materials, as well as sophisticated instruments and equipment, to create dental prostheses.