Oral health is incredibly important to the populace on the whole, and there will always be a place in the job market for a talented, dedicated dentist.
So, how can you get started on the path to the dental career?
It certainly takes a lot of persistence and study, and also a good business sense to help develop your career. Luckily, we’re here to help! We’ve developed this very handy guide that will help you brush up on all the best resources for developing your dental career.
Table of Contents
So, where can you go to get started with your dental career? Here are some links that will detail some of the basics for you as you embark on your journey!
The Explore Health Careers website has a superb look at all of the different job tracks that one can go to in the healthcare field; the dental breakdown has a look at the long-term job health of the field (spoiler: it’s good) along with a salary breakdown (natch) and some basic information for those looking to pursue it.
Dentistry, like every other medical professional field, has plenty of different tracks for the professional to go into - from hospital dentistry and international dentistry to academia and public health dentistry. The American Dental Association’s website has a fantastic breakdown of those different troughs a dentist may be able to go into.
The American Dental Education Association is a tremendous website for anyone just starting out their career; this section of the website breaks down some of the benefits - both financial and social - for starting a career in dentistry.
- From the website called “The Balance” comes an excellent look at the entirety of a dental career, covering employment facts, education requirements, earnings and “a day in the dentist’s life.” A great look at the career from this valuable site.
The 1 2 3 Dentist website is a great place for anyone considering a career in dentistry to look at; it’s a wonderful resource for those unsure about the career to peruse, and to see if their personality and character traits might match up to the life that dentistry offers.
Straight from the mouth of the government, here’s the latest facts and figures on the current and future dentistry field. Monitor this site constantly to see how the market changes and evolves.
From ADS Transitions - a valuable dental resource - this extremely detailed guide touches all the basics on starting off your career. The guide goes over everything from finances and new practice best practices to the benefits of start-ups versus purchases.
Dentistry IQ bills itself as the web’s “most comprehensive resource for dental professionals.” Naturally, the IQ site has an exceptional guide for all those dentists that are just starting out on the road to providing oral health.
Hey, the American Dentist Association - who would have thunk that would be a great resource for information! Anyways, this particular section of the ADA’s website has an excellent just-starting-out “Guide to Finding a Job” that any new dentist would do well to check out.
The Spear Education website has a very nice piece on a dentistry career; this article is a nice, no-b.s. glimpse into the life that a dentist will go through during the first part of their career. Highly recommended for anyone just heading into the industry.
Of course, no one can just go ahead and jump into a dental career - this isn’t something you can just get straight out of high school! No, you definitely need to be educated in the industry. So where can you start to build up for your career? Here’s a breakdown of what you can do to plan for your future in dentistry.
Here’s a very basic breakdown of the career from the invaluable College Grad website. Includes some links and information of the building blocks for the entire industry.
If you’re going to be a dentist, you’ll have to pass the Dental Admission Test to get into the best school possible. Here on the American Dental Association’s website, there’s an excellent “Dental Admission Test” guide that will allow you to explore just what you’ll need to do for this test.
Okay, you’ve gone ahead and decided that you have to take the Dental Admission Test - now, don’t you want to go ahead and CRUSH it? Well, luckily enough, there’s an entire website dedicated just to that. Good luck on it, future dentists!
The gold standard in test prep might be Kaplan, and they have a very effective Dental Admission Test website. Don’t go in and take it cold - be sure to prep!
Hey, if you want to be a dentist, you have to go get a degree somewhere! You should aim for the top, and this Dentistry Today article collects information to make up a list of the top dental schools in the world.
Opening Your Own Practice
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The “Dental Economics” publication has a nice website for all of the professionals out there. If you’re looking into developing a new practice for your patients, be sure to read this article carefully before you start out.
The business side is an absolutely essential part of any superb dental practice; it’s not something that can (or should) be ignored. So don’t neglect it! The B Plans website is full of excellent best business practices articles, and this dental plan guide is a good one.
The Bank of America’s corporate website has a treasure trove of good advice for all people who are looking to maintain and thrive with a small business. A dental practice is generally considered a small business, so be sure to read up on the BOA advice before you start your venture.
New York University has one of the world’s best dental schools, and a lot of their materials are available online for review. This one - a comprehensive textbook on starting your dental practice - is course-quality material.
The eternal quandary for all of those heading out of dental school: go in and invest in your own practice, or work for someone else and save up for the future? It’s a big question that takes a lot of study, thought and care, so be sure to take a look at this article before you make a decision either way.
Looking to build up your own dental practice? You're gonna have to navigate that fun and always-simple world of dental practice financing. The good news, though, is that Dentistry IQ has a fine guide to finding financing - so good luck with all of that money.
Another very valuable website from Fit Small Business for any of those who are looking for a loan for their dental practice. Don’t try to tackle this kind of financial commitment without doing your research.
You’re not going to believe the kind of advice the website “How to Open a Dental Office” gives! Actually, you probably would, so be sure you go ahead and read it; there’s plenty of intriguing information on those little things you have to know to set the office up.
The “Houston Chronicle” website is full of information for small businesses, and this article directly addresses the unique problems that come along with starting your own dental practice.
Getting ready to head into the industry for 2017? Be sure you’re aware of what’s happening in the industry! This article from Titan has an enormous amount of information and insight into what’s going to happen to dentistry over the next few years - good background for all of those coming into dentistry!
Just as in any other industry, it’s important to grow professionally, and one of the keys for that is to be able to educate yourself on the happenings in the field. One of the best ways to be aware is to monitor all of the different industry outlets that deliver trade information to the desktops and phones of dentists on a daily basis.
Look at this website - an entire town filled with dentistry news - how fun is that! Okay, well, it’s not an actual town … but it’s still a very fun and informative place for anyone in the industry or someone looking to come into the industry to check out on a daily basis.
Dentistry Today is the peak trade website for the industry, with plenty of news, facts, figures, and social media updates for all of those associated with dentistry. Intrigued by a career in dentistry? Start here.
Off the Cusp is a fantastic name for a dentistry news website, and its content matches its name; it’s full of “cutting-edge developments in the dentistry industry.” This will very quickly become one of your bookmarks if you head into the dental industry.