Orthodontist

Orthodontics

Duties and Responsibilities:

 A specialty within the dental profession, involves straightening teeth and correcting bites. As an orthodontist, you are responsible for locating problems with the positioning of patients' teeth and with their oral development. You might use x-rays or plaster molds of your patients' teeth to do this. You will then use dental appliances, such as braces, retainers and space maintainers, to correct these problems for the purpose of providing better function, appearance and facial development. You will also be responsible for planning custom treatment plans that are tailored to treat each individual patient based on his or her dental records and specific anomalies.

Salary:

$186,320

Education:

 You need to graduate from dental school with a Doctor of Dental Surgery or Doctor of Dental Medicine. However, you'll first need to earn a bachelor's degree in most cases. It doesn't matter what major you choose, but you'll need to take certain prerequisite courses, such as chemistry, biology, physics and organic chemistry. You'll need to take the Dental Acceptance Test during your junior year of your undergraduate studies.