Careers in Dentistry, Dental Education Express Solid Growth

In a struggling economic crisis, there are not many fields of endeavor which are not hard hit. Trying to decide which career path to take during economic hardships for the country can be a difficult task. Picking a career path often feels no safer than picking lottery numbers.

A career field that was booming just yesterday may be non-existent tomorrow. One area which does still show promise, however, is the dental field. Professions in dentistry, dental education, and other related fields, continue to be in high demand. The overall demand for more dentists, dental hygienists, and dental educators continues to rise.

If you are a student attempting to decide what you ought to major in, you should take a serious glance at the opportunities which occupations in dentistry, dental education, and comparable professions have to offer. These kinds of careers, in addition to often being very lucrative, tend to be fairly recession-proof. They are also not substantially affected by the changing demographics in our society.

The baby boomers are retiring. Naturally, this includes many established dentists who will need to be replaced. Occupations in dentistry, dental education, and the various related specialties (i.e., orthodontics, periodontist, dental hygienist, etc.) are set to explode as the aging population retires, leaving behind a large population with a lot fewer dental professionals to service them.

Probably the most overlooked career opportunities available is in teaching dentistry. While it’s not as lucrative as private practice, there are a number of perks involved with teaching. Knowing they have helped give to the next generation the data and skills required for careers in dentistry, dental professionals typically have a high degree of satisfaction with their vocation choice.

Normally, American colleges and universities offering a dental program are short seven full time instructional teachers. Given that fact, it almost goes without saying that there is plenty of opportunity to find secure and gainful employment teaching the next group of dentists.

Generally, when people begin careers in dentistry, dental education becomes an excellent choice for a second career. Such career options become particularly attractive when a dentist endures an injury or other condition which makes it difficult or impossible to practice dentistry.

As a dentist has to make good use of his hands and his eyes, it’s easier than you may believe to have a job ending injury or disease for dentists, making it important to keep your options open. The good news is, opportunities to teach abound, especially for experienced dentists.