Orthodontist Career Information
If you saw the movie Austin Powers, and thought that the International Man of Mystery had a great smile, then read no further... Anybody would be hard-pressed to find a more unsightly set of chompers. But even a grin as egregious as Powers' could be rehabilitated with the expertise of an orthodontist.
What an Orthodontist does
Orthodontists are dentists first but they are more than just ordinary dentists. Orthodontists are specialized dentists who are concerned with correcting and preventing irregularities of the teeth to bring about proper occlusion. Thus, transforming crooked, mangled looking teeth into attractive, straight smiles the whole world can appreciate.
An orthodontist is a dentist who has received two to three years of additional training in the specialty of orthodontics. In addition to training in dentistry, orthodontists are trained to manage tooth movement (orthodontics) as well as how to guide the facial development of children (dentofacial orthopedics). Of all dentists, only about 6% are orthodontists.
Job Opportunities
As a orthodontist you can have you own clinic or work with a hospital, government or otherwise, as orthodontists are in great demand. As our society is becoming more fashion and appearance conscious, more and more people need orthodontics to get their teeth straightened out by getting braces.
Abilities & Traits Required
Orthodontic dentistry is a specialized field, which requires both manual skills and a high level of diagnostic ability. Good visual memory, excellent judgement of space and shape, manual dexterity, combined with scientific ability and methodical approach are a must if you want to pursue this field.
As most of the patients are children, as a orthodontist you would require a lot of patience and should be able to build a good rapport with people so as to put the patients at ease. As you will spend most of your working hours standing, so a high level of physical fitness, a sound health and stamina come into play.
Qualifications
10+2 with physics, chemistry, and biology makes one eligible to take the entrance for BDS, a 4 -year course. After BDS one can either do a diploma course or MDS in Orthodontia.
Salary
Orthodontics is one of the most lucrative branches of Dentistry as people these days are more appearance conscious.
But Dentistry is a game of experience and how well you manage to establish yourself. You'll begin as an apprentice with an established dentist for a pittance. But before we have one less dentist in the world, let me tell you that the pay increases with experience.
Once you earn a reputation as a orthodontist you could be charging anywhere between Rs. 500 to a few thousand rupees per patient in general and if you have private clinic, then the money can be much more. Basically your income eventually will depend on the number of patients you have.