Whenever you see a teenager smile and the sunlight flash on the metal of their braces, you’re looking at the work of an orthodontist. These specialty dentists are the ones that people are referred to both for braces and similar items, as well as for assistance in dealing with defects of the face or mouth. But it takes a lot of orthodontic education to become one of these professionals.
Orthodontists may or may not have a bachelors degree, but they have all spent some time as an undergraduate. Certain courses must be completed before admission to dental school is possible, and an entrance exam may or may not be required. Generally, between eight and eleven years elapse from the time a budding orthodontist graduates high school to the time he or she is licensed to practice.
Once in dental school, the student faces four years of rigorous coursework before they have officially become a dentist. Some of those who originally intended to become orthodontists will stop here, and become a regular practicing dentist. But those who still want to continue on, will enter a two or three year master’s degree or certificate program in orthodontia.
An orthodontist must be physically healthy enough to handle the demands of the job. It doesn’t require a great deal of cardiovascular fitness, true, but good vision, good hand-eye coordination and the ability to lean over someone’s mouth for long periods of time are required. A bit of technical ability for using devices such as braces and other corrective equipment properly is also necessary.
There is a silver lining to being an orthodontist — the average salary for one of these professionals was $123,000 within the last few years. But orthodontists, like many other professionals, often come out of their professional school education tens of thousands of dollars in debt. So, while this may seem like a lot of money, the orthodontist is likely going to be using it to pay off his or her student loans for the first decade or two he or she practices.
A lot of the work that orthodontists do is aesthetic — that is, making people look better. But they do perform a valuable service to the world, because these are also the professionals that are trained to deal with facial and jaw bone abnormalities, as well as problems with the teeth beyond the purview of a normal dentist. People who are born with facial deformities, and those who acquire them through trauma or other means, are often treated by orthodontists.
Orthodontists don’t have the easiest careers in the world. After all that education, their reward is working with a lot of kids and teenagers who don’t want to see them. Some children are scared of them, others are mad about being forced to see the orthodontist, and still others are upset about the pain and difficulties orthodontia may have caused them. Being aware of this means that a budding orthodontist won’t be surprised when he or she goes into business, because it can be difficult to leave a career that so much time and money went into acquiring.
It’s a good thing some people want to go into orthodontia, because we all need someone around when we need our teeth fixed. Orthodontic education is not for everyone, but those who don’t choose it need to remember to appreciate those who did.
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