If you're thinking about getting a job in the dental field, you might consider becoming an orthodontist. An orthodontist, as everyone who's had braces knows, is a dentist who corrects and realigns teeth so that they're as straight as can be. Orthodontics was the first ever branch of dentistry to constitute its own career. And since most people are born with teeth that are in some way crooked, orthodontists usually have plenty of patients to work on. Many times people will go to the orthodontist just so their teeth will look as nice as possible. Other times there are real health reasons why a person might need to get their teeth straightened-to avoid gum disease, for example.
In general, when a patient goes to see an orthodontist for the first time, the orthodontist will take an X-ray of his or her mouth. This way, the orthodontist will know what tools to use to correct the teeth: braces, retainers or headgear-or, in severe and often emergency cases, the orthodontist will break the bones of the jaw and wire the jaw shut, setting the jaw in such a way that when it heals it will align properly. Sometimes dentists
…show more content…
It's very helpful if the subject you major in as an undergraduate relates to dentistry in some way: biology, chemistry, mathematics and anatomy are examples of helpful majors. Then this person must spend three years in dental school, perhaps four. Dental school will involve both classroom work (textbooks, exams, lectures) and hands-on training. At the conclusion of dental school the student will have to pass a medical boards test to become a certified dentist. Then he or she must apply to an orthodontics program that the Commission on Dental Accreditation approves of. If accepted, he or she will again study and do hands-on work, often in the form of part-time employment, volunteer positions or internships, in order to become a full-fledged