Dental

Becoming a Full-Fledged Dentist: Everything Students Need to Know

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A career in the dentistry industry is a good choice. According to the 2021 United States NWR rankings of the best jobs in the country, dentistry placed in the top ten of career options and had three specialties, orthodontist, a prosthodontist, and the maxillofacial and oral surgeon ranked in the top thirty-five.

In addition to the satisfaction of helping the general public to improve their oral health, the average salary for these professions is pretty high, at least $150,000 a year. In this article, we will discuss how to become a dental professional and provide future dentists with recommendations on how to get started, so they can maximize their chances of chasing their dream career in this industry.

How to become a dental professional

Becoming a reputable dentist needs a significant investment in education. Most dental schools require at least a bachelor’s degree to apply, with a couple of schools offering an accelerated admission after two or three years of undergrad studies. From all the accredited schools in the United States, every one of these schools offers four-year dental programs with the exception of a couple of schools, which provide a three-year program.

Like most med-school admissions, these colleges do not need a specific major. But people will need to complete particular requirements like certain courses (usually in the sciences department), DAT or Dental Admission Test, letters of recommendations, personal statements, as well as relevant extracurricular. A quick lesson on dental history explains the difference between these types of schools.

The first school in the United States that offered these kinds of courses was the Baltimore College of Medicine which started granting the Doctors of Dental Surgery course in 1840. Harvard, founded their dentistry department shortly after that. Since all of their courses are in Latin, they chose to grant a Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry degree. Since then, colleges have decided which classes to grant, with at least two-thirds offer the DDS degree.

How to get into these colleges? Check out https://www.usnews.com/education/best-graduate-schools/articles/how-to-get-into-dental-school-and-become-a-dentist for more info.

How hard is it to become a dental professional?

Becoming one is pretty challenging in a couple of ways, like the years of schooling needed, the cost of education, setting up dental practices, as well as the competitive school application process. Since college acceptance rates are usually around 55% in the United States – in other words, 45% of applicants do not end up enrolling anywhere – to gain admission to these schools; people will need to demonstrate excellent academic performance.

Recently, the average college DAT and GPA score for successful applicants have stayed steady at approximately 20 and 3.5, respectively, with prestigious colleges boasting higher numbers.

Want to become a dentist? How long does it take?

Usually, it takes eight years to become one: four years to earn the bachelor’s degree and another four years to earn the doctor’s degree or post-grad course. If a person is interested in getting dental specializations, they will also need to complete a residency.

There is … Read More..

Dental

Are You Looking for a Realigned Smile? Let’s Get Physical!

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Misaligned teeth can affect a person’s self-esteem and confidence. With teeth that aren’t aesthetically pleasing, a person could be forgiven for resenting the camera phone being pointed their way, or for feeling down about not having had their teeth realigned when they were teenagers. Thankfully, however, all is not lost and it isn’t too late to do something about it. All that is needed is some get up and go to visit the dentist and find out about the discreet treatments that are available which are a big step away from fixed metal braces. For those willing to physically head over for a consultation with their dentist, they can find out about Invisalign Macleod.

What is Invisalign?

Invisalign is a method of realigning mild to moderate alignment issues. It consists of sets of clear plastic aligners that are placed over the teeth like a gum shield and they sit on the gumline. Being neatly positioned, they will then be virtually unnoticeable as they are transparent, so only your teeth should be on show! The aligners apply pressure gently to the teeth to gradually move the teeth into the position they need to be in.

Is Invisalign worth it?

As with anything, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. However, it’s likely that the benefits of Invisalign will be appreciated by many patients! It is a convenient method of realigning teeth because it does so discreetly, but also because the aligners are removable. This means that you only have to wear them for up to 22 hours a day and you have a couple of hours to play with where you can remove them while you get physical and play sport (what else were you thinking of?!) or you can take them out while you attend a special occasion such as a hot date! Whatever your reasons to take them out, the choice is yours. You can also remove the aligners while you eat and drink, which means that you can continue to follow a normal diet and you won’t have to adapt it while you are undergoing treatment. You also won’t have to clean off masticated food and your aligners shouldn’t break as they weren’t in while you were eating. They also shouldn’t break in general as the plastic is pretty tough to damage.

Another major bonus with Invisalign is that the aligners are made to measure your mouth thanks to iTero technology which is used to perform a 3D scan of your mouth. This can then be used to generate an animation of what your mouth will look like after treatment as well, before you’ve even started wearing the aligners! By doing this, it can be an incentive to wear your aligners – if you need one!

Sounds great. What next?

If you like the sound of using Invisalign to realign your smile discreetly, then why not book in for a consultation with your dentist to see if Invisalign is the right treatment for you? … Read More..

Dental

How do Google Search Results Work?

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Google is the world’s busiest search engine with millions of searches being carried out on a daily basis. This includes searches with regards to dentists, emergency dental care, dental issues and ways to improve the teeth and smile. Once they have typed their query into the search bar, much research has shown that over 90% of Google users only check out the websites which come up on the first page of the search results. The first page is made up of 3 sections. Firstly, at the top of the list you will find the paid for Google advertisements which cost large sums of money and are a forceful way of getting your name heard and seen, if you can afford it. Next you will find the Google Maps results, which will show 3 or 4 of the local businesses in the area. To get on to this list you need to look after your Google business account which involves maintaining ratings and reviews, and you need to have top performance levels in the area to get yourself on the map. Then you find the bulk of the list which is made up of the organic search results. This is the section of the list which you need to focus on and aim to be at the top of.

What is dental SEO?

To find yourself at the top of the organic search results, you need to implement effective dental SEO. Google has algorithms which determine which websites feature on the first page. An award-winning dental marketing team will understand how these Google algorithms work and convince Google that you have all the answers to the patient’s dental needs, putting you at the top of the list, encouraging the patient to explore your website. Once they reach the website, with the help of an experienced dental marketing team you will have a bespoke, modern and informative site on which the patient is able to find all the information they require with regard to their dental needs, which will then encourage them to pick up the phone and book an appointment to visit you in person.

Dental SEO requires the creation of interesting, informative and educational content in the form of onsite articles, blogs and social media pages. This needs to be done on a continuous basis and uploaded regularly to help to boost your SEO with Google. By identifying which dental terms are searched for most regularly in your local area you can create your content based on these keywords to help attract further potential patients to your website. By using these keywords regularly and strategically throughout your content, not only will you help Google recognise that you are relevant, but you will also be attracting the patient group that are already searching for your treatments and services, which will help boost the success of your practice very soon. Speak to a good dental marketing agency without delay, let them take your marketing issues off your hands so you can … Read More..

Dental

Are there Advantages to Wearing a Lingual Brace? 5 Common Benefits of this Brace Type

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Ever wanted the orthodontic power of a standard brace without the lack of discretion?

If you are an adult with misaligned teeth, then this thought has probably crossed your mind more than once. Luckily, even if you have a more complex case of orthodontic misalignment, you can still straighten your teeth without wearing a metal brace. How? By asking your dentist about your suitability for lingual braces.

Attached to the back of your teeth, lingual braces are composed of metal brackets and an archwire, making them quite similar to regular braces. You will need to have them tightened, by your orthodontist Stoke-on-Trent, typically every 6-8 weeks, depending on the severity of your misalignment.

So, with that out of the way, what are some of the key advantages of wearing this kind of brace? Are they suitable for correcting your kind of dental issue? Read on to find out.

Versatility

As this brace is fitted, it can correct a wider range of orthodontic issues than an aligner. Issues like crooked teeth, rotation issues, severe over and underbites can all be corrected using a lingual brace without issue.

Discretion

This was mentioned before, but a lingual brace is the height of discretion.

If you do not believe it, think back to photos of Prince William and Kate Middleton; could you tell they were wearing this brace? Since a lingual brace is out of sight, behind your teeth, no one except you and your dentist, will know they are there.

Customised

You may have heard of modern-day aligners that are custom-fitted to the teeth and slot over them like a mouthguard. While that is great, if you have a more complex misalignment, such as needing to rotate teeth, you may need to look for an alternate kind of treatment. Although a brace may not seem customisable in the same way, it is quite the contrary. Your dentist and orthodontic team will be able to customise the fitting of your lingual brace so it is as comfortable as possible. You will probably feel slight discomfort after each tightening but, after all, there is no such thing as a comfortable brace or aligner!

Results

The results of wearing a lingual brace are similar to those found when you wear a traditional orthodontic brace. Assuming you wear the retainer once the brace is off, you will have a straighter smile that will last a lifetime. And with an over 96% success rate of teeth retention 10 years after treatment, that is great news!

Fitted

Okay, so while wearing a fitted brace may not sound like a great thing, studies have found that the wearing of removable braces and aligners can, in some cases, delay treatments. Why? Because the power of removing the aligner falls to the patient, who may forget to put it back in their mouth for long periods, thus delaying the process.

So, by wearing a fitted brace, you can ensure that your treatment time will run smoothly and that you will have … Read More..

Dental

Clearing the Myths Around Dental Disease in Children

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Many parents may consider that they have a sound understanding of how to care for their children’s teeth, but the results from numerous studies over the years show that this is far from the case.

Conclusions drawn from a recent study carried out by Oral-B have provided an interesting glimpse into the public health crisis that childhood tooth decay has become.

First is the battle of the tooth brushing routine with 70 per cent of British parents admitting to finding supervising this obligatory oral health practice particularly stressful. Due to parental frustrations and wanting to avoid the tantrums which usually precede tooth brushing time, many children don’t end up brushing their teeth twice daily, or, if they do get to, only brush for 76 seconds out of the dentist-recommended two minutes. 

The government and dental authorities can help curb the public health crisis that childhood tooth decay has become by creating awareness campaigns, but it is what happens in the home ultimately where the solution really lies.

Parental influence is critical to stop poor dental health in children

Due to prevailing misconceptions about children’s oral health, parents may not know just how critically important it is to have their child’s first dental appointment at a proper dentist Richmond. The Oral Health Foundation advocates this takes place as early as six months old, which is when a child’s first milk tooth makes an appearance. For other babies this may happen around their first birthday.

These dental visits serve another purpose as well – they are incredible opportunities to help a child become familiar with the dental practitioner and the sights and sounds of a dental environment, all of which helps in building a lifelong appreciation of dental health.

Another misconception surrounds milk teeth. Milk teeth serve a shorter length of service compared to permanent teeth which replace them. As they are not intended to offer a life-long service, the enamel is made relatively weaker which is why they are so easily vulnerable to dietary sugars and acids. Despite their short lifespan, milk teeth still need to be cared for properly to avoid the negative consequences that follow cavities and tooth decay.

The adverse effects of the frequent and excessive consumption of sugars and acidic foods in children’s diets has been well-recorded. It is not just the fact that many of the foods children eat are much too high in sugar, it is more the frequency of consuming these meals where the real danger lies. These unwanted levels of sugars and acids tend to draw out the minerals in enamel that keep them strong, leading teeth to put up a weak defence against the invasion of plaque.

Children suffering pain from tooth decay may avoid eating (their nutrition and physical development may become a concern), exhibit anti-social behavioural symptoms like withdrawing from activities they enjoy or from talking in general, to manage the pain. They may miss out on schooling because of lack of concentration or focus in their lessons impacting … Read More..