Luu 1

Suzy Luu
Professor Myrtetus
English 100
29 November 2015

Orthodontics
A career in dentistry involves working with your hands, helping the community, and
having an opportunity for challenges. Orthodontists are dentists who specialize in the
realignment of teeth applying pressure and slowly readjusting their positions with devices such
as braces. Their main job is to straighten teeth and providing a healthy beautiful smile for their
patients. This is a career for people who are interested in the physical nature of science.
Orthodontics is a specialty in the field of dentistry and it is not an easy path, only six percent of
dentists are orthodontists (American Association of Orthodontists). Long hard hours, hard work
and dedication will require commitment and genuine passion for this career. However, there are
many rewarding benefits such as the privilege of restoring the oral health of the community and
transforming their patients lives. With an option of setting up a dental office, dentists can work
independently with their careers or career goals. Therefore orthodontists not only manage a
practice, but a business. Finding the right location, designing their own office, hiring dental
assistants and receptionists, and promoting their own clinic is a business plan with all the other
small details (Kokemuller). This career combines all three elements of science, business, and art.
In the field of orthodontists, its expected that this career will be growing up to 20 28%
and around 4,800 new job openings by the year of 2020 which is 5% higher than all other

Luu 2
careers. (Thompson). As cosmetic procedures are growing to be popular, orthodontists will
benefit from this since the realignment of teeth is partially a cosmetic procedure. Similar to
doctors, they also hold a high status among their communities which is also a motivator for
students to pursue in this career. To prepare for this field, one must earn a bachelors degree
which typically takes four years in an undergraduate. It is recommended to major in biology,
chemistry, or in a similar science field to be considered in dental school admission although there
isnt any specific major that undergraduates need to take. After earning a bachelors degree, a
DAT (Dental Admission Test) is required to apply to a dental school. Over 56 dental schools in
the United States are accredited by the American Dental Association. The Dental Admission Test
will score based on academic and scientific knowledge, a minimum score will be required to be
considered in the dental school admission. Acceptance rates vary by school of what theyre
looking for in their candidates. Dental schools consider GPA, letters of recommendation,
interviews, shadowing hours, and most importantly the DAT. After being accepted into dental
school, it generally lasts four years and will be awarded with a certified dental degree which
could either be Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) or Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) degree
(Thompson). Dental school with be broken into two years of science courses and two years of
supervised clinical and hands-on experience as a dentist. Business courses are also offered that
most students consider studying to help them run their practice and pursue their careers (Layne).
The next step is to be a licensed dentist which will require a state board exam National Board
Dental Admissions. To continue onto a specialty such as Orthodontics, the post DMD or DDS

Luu 3
options are available which requires additional educational courses and into residency and
earning a specialty state license which is a minimum of an additional two to three years plus
another two to three years into residency. A dental school may accept forty to fifty students a
year, but orthodontist specialty may only accept three students a year. Therefore, this specialty is
highly competitive and difficult to get into. Students being ranked at the top of the class will
have a higher chance of being accepted so grades and letters of recommendation are important.
Only 20 percent of orthodontists are Board Certified or also known as Diplomat of the
American Board of Orthodontics which is the highest achievement one can earn in this
profession (Tanja). To become Board Certified, one must go into an additional series of high
level examinations both written and oral which is a very vigorous process. Being in dentistry
does not mean working in a clinic or office is the only choice. There are alternatives such as
Dental research, Endodontics, Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Oral and Maxillofacial
Radiology, Pediatric Dentistry, Periodontics Prosthodontics, Forensics, Teaching and Public
Health. A day-to-day schedule of a dentist is typically five days a week from 9AM-5PM a dental
clinic or 30-40 hours per week. Working conditions are not harsh such as having the need to deal
with urgent calls or working night shifts, when the clinic is closed, the dentist is free from work.
Dentists have a flexible schedule and can open or close their clinic anytime as desired. Dental
assistants, patients, and a front desk receptionist are usually present and working with the
orthodontist. The salary of orthodontics is a median of $201,030 annually which can come off
very rewarding and an hourly wage of $96.65. (Bureau of Labor Statistics). However, debt from
dental school and additional schooling for orthodontics will graduate with a high amount of debt
and student loans. More than 75 percent of graduate students will have an upwards of $200,000

Luu 4
in debt (American Dental Association). With the high amount of debt, new dentists need to work
more hours and live very frugally for usually five years and up before earning their hard earned
money. That is the reason why the annual salary for an orthodontist is high in order to pay off the
student loans, hard work, and time invested. For an orthodontist, their security is the certification
of the dental degree which can be an access to explore other careers related in the medical
science field. Most orthodontists dont change their careers and usually retiring at the age of 60
to 70 years old passing their legacy onto their son or daughter that is moving onto the same field.
An orthodontist must be as committed to business as they are to being an orthodontist to run a
successful career. Like an entrepreneur, successful orthodontists need to come up with a business
plan such as creating a website, advertisements, commercials, offer reward for referrals, and
other marketing strategies to promote their business. During their career as an orthodontist, they
run into many difficulties such as patients cancellations, children screaming, patients may not
pay bills, and small mistakes that may cause a bigger problem. There are cons of having to face
with unhappy patient if the procedure doesnt go as planned or desired. Therefore, this is
something important to consider and not every day would run smoothly like planned.
Personality traits of being a dentist includes being artistic, a leader, trustworthy, comfortable with
close interaction, detail-oriented, passionate about providing care to those in need, and have a
love for learning new things. Although these traits are optional, they are the characteristics are
the top dentists who are thriving in their careers today. Going into orthodontics isnt for anyone,
but with the right mindset and passion for this field, it can be a successful profession.

Luu 5

Works Cited
Thompson, Lindsay. "Orthodontist Wages & Benefits." Work. Demand Media. Web. 01 Dec.
2015
Kokemuller, Neil. "Benefits of Being a Dentist." Work. Web. 01 Dec. 2015.
"How to Become an Orthodontist in 5 Steps." Learn.org. Web. 01 Dec. 2015.
Layne, Elizabeth. "The Schooling to Become an Orthodontist." Chron.com. Demand Media.
Web. 30 Nov. 2015.
Thompson, Joseph, DR. "How to Become an Orthodontist." Ask an Orthodontist.com. Web. 01
Dec. 2015.
"29-1023 Orthodontists." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Web. 01 Dec. 2015.
"Orthodontist." Salary and Job Description along with Careers and Degrees. Web. 01 Dec.
Z, Tanja. "Orthodontist Job Description - Healthcare Salary World." Healthcare Salary World. 24
Jan. 2013. Web. 01 Dec. 2015.
"Why Go to a Board Certified Orthodontist? - A Perfect Smile Orthodontics." A Perfect Smile
Orthodontics. Web. 01 Dec. 2015.