Are You Considering a Career as an Orthodontist?
Making the decision to become an orthodontist should be made after careful thought and consideration. Since the path is a long one, people who are most successful are generally those who love school.
An orthodontist specializes in correcting teeth that are out of place or misaligned. They can correct crooked teeth,
overbites, and malocclusions. Anyone who is interested in providing orthodontic services should consider getting the proper education that is necessary to start a career in dentistry.
This can be a very rewarding career if you want to be able to give people beautiful smiles and keep them healthy. Teeth that are not properly aligned can cause many health problems including sleep apnea and speech impediments. As you may be aware, sleep apnea can cause severe respiratory problems, snoring, and even death. Speech impediments can limit one's opportunities in life and cause issues with self-esteem. Orthodontics entails more than cosmetic procedures -- you have the chance to save someone's life. Many times, people need these services to fix some health issues that are a result of misaligned teeth and chewing disorders.
Anyone who needs to see an orthodontist has to be recommended or referred by a dentist. This is usually done after a checkup reveals there is a need for orthodontic work. Once a person goes to the consultation at the office, they are informed of the plan of action that is needed to provide the corrections. Usually this includes the aid of braces, retainers or several other treatment plans that may take quite a few years to complete in order for the final results to be successful.
If you decide that this line of work is something you want to pursue, then you are going to need to get started on the educational requirements. The journey to become an orthodontist takes several years to complete. Before you become a practicing professional, you have to complete an internship, which is also known as a residency. If you are someone who excels at and likes school, then this should pose no problem for you.
In order to get started on the educational journey for a career in the dental field, you will need to have a high school diploma or a GED. Once you have graduated from high school, you will need to either finish four years of pre-dentistry studies or earn a bachelor's degree. The field is very competitive, so you will need to make sure that you keep your grades up. Applying to dental school is similar to applying to medical school. If you want to make yourself a well-rounded candidate, participation in a few extracurricular activities will help.
