Pure Potential

All About Careers - Dentistry

British dentists are some of the most highly-skilled practitioners in the world and dentistry is a truly exciting profession to get your teeth into. Dentists are the dons of mouth and teeth care: there to diagnose and treat the oral diseases and injuries of the great British public.      

The most popular area of dentistry is general dental care. These dentists are the GPs of the dentistry world and work in their own practice. Dentists are also employed in hospitals where they often deal with the more difficult, rare or severe dental cases. Hospitals, and a few specialised practices, are also the stomping ground of specialised dentists, such as orthodontists, dental surgeons and maxillofacial prosthetists (responsible for helping people in need of facial reconstruction surgery).

Alternatively, if you don’t fancy years and years of training or actually doing the drilling, poking and pulling, you could explore a career as a dental nurse or hygienist. Dental nurses assist dentists during clinical treatments, while dental hygienists educate patients in the care of teeth and gums as well as giving their teeth a professional clean. You’ll need excellent communication skills and a friendly, approachable manner.

So you want to be a dentist? You can’t just grab a pair of pliers from your dad’s tool box and start pulling people’s teeth out. You’ll need good biology and chemistry A-Level grades to get a place on an approved dentistry degree course and a steady hand for all those tricky dental operations. If you fancy becoming a dental hygienist or nurse, then you’ll need to complete an approved course in dental nursing. Entry requirements vary but most will require GCSEs.

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