Dentists, General
Dentists, General is the O*NET name for people who examine, diagnose, and treat diseases, injuries, and malformations of teeth and gums. The skills rated most useful are judgment and decision making, critical thinking, and speaking. The job can ask you to use masks, gloves, and safety glasses to protect patients and self from infectious diseases. The strongest interest signal is Investigative (5.5 of 7), then Realistic (5.2) and Social, which gives it the code IRS. Getting in usually takes graduate school and often five years or more of related experience, a level O*NET calls extensive preparation. It tends to suit people who want research, analysis and working through hard problems, and it offers little for anyone seeking creative work with room for original expression.
What they do
Examine, diagnose, and treat diseases, injuries, and malformations of teeth and gums. May treat diseases of nerve, pulp, and other dental tissues affecting oral hygiene and retention of teeth. May fit dental appliances or provide preventive care.
Main tasks
- Use masks, gloves, and safety glasses to protect patients and self from infectious diseases.
- Administer anesthetics to limit the amount of pain experienced by patients during procedures.
- Examine teeth, gums, and related tissues, using dental instruments, x-rays, or other diagnostic equipment, to evaluate dental health, diagnose diseases or abnormalities, and plan appropriate treatments.
- Formulate plan of treatment for patient's teeth and mouth tissue.
- Use dental air turbines, hand instruments, dental appliances, or surgical implements.
- Design, make, or fit prosthodontic appliances, such as space maintainers, bridges, or dentures, or write fabrication instructions or prescriptions for denturists or dental technicians.
Skills
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Critical Thinking
- Speaking
- Social Perceptiveness
- Service Orientation
- Reading Comprehension
Who this career fits
May suit you if
- You enjoy working out why something happens, not just what happened.
- You like ending the day with a physical result you can point to.
- You are prepared for graduate-level study and a long training path.
- You are comfortable relying on judgment and decision making and critical thinking.
May not suit you if
- You lose interest when a job asks for long stretches of analysis.
- You need creative expression to be a big part of your day. Artistic rates 1.2 out of 7 here.
- You want to be working in the field within the next few years.
Interest profile
O*NET rates each occupation from 1 to 7 on six interest types. The code IRS takes the three highest, and Investigative comes first here.
Preparation
Extensive preparation. Many jobs here need graduate study, and people often spend five years or more building specialist experience.
Most-reported requirement in the O*NET survey: Doctoral Degree. This reflects what workers reported most often and is not a legal minimum. Licensing rules can differ by state or industry, so confirm what applies where you plan to work.
Also called
- DDS (Dental Surgery Doctor)
- Dentist
- DMD (Dental Medicine Doctor)
- Endodontist
- Family Dentist
Related careers
Is this your direction?
See how your interests line up with IRS and 906 other careers.
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.