Your Dentist Is a Doctor
A Dentist is a type of physician who practices in the field of dentistry. This means that dentists specialize in issues related to the mouth, teeth, gums, neck, jaw, and the salivary glands.
How To Become A Dentist
Like any other doctor, a dentist has to undergo comprehensive training and then complete an arduous credentialing process. Dentists must be fully qualified because the health of the mouth strongly correlates with the health of the rest of body. In fact, researchers are learning more every day about how issues like gum disease affect one’s overall health.
First, Go to College
If you want to become a dentist like Dr. Robson, the first thing you need to do is earn your BS degree from an accredited university. By the way, you’re going to need to get really good grades in order to get into dental school.
Getting into Dental School
Next comes those pesky dental school entrance exam. Let me warn you, it’s not easy. Your reward for passing your entrance examination is four additional years of difficult post-graduate training.
Becoming a Licensed Dentist
After graduating from dental school, a dentist still needs to earn a dental license. This requires passing a demanding test which is administered by your local licensing agency. There are 46 of them in the United States.
Dentists are Lifelong Learners
If you think this is when you’re finished with your dental training, I have bad news for you: A practicing dentist is never finished learning. You will be required to engage in continuing education throughout your career. That’s because the field is constantly evolving.
Many dentist choose to undergo extensive additional training to keep up in this rapidly-changing discipline. For example, in addition to participating in his standard ongoing dental education, Dr. Robeson completed his Doctorate in Dental Surgery at University of Michigan, where he has also served as an adjunct lecturer.
How Many Types of Dentists Are There?
Many dentists use their residency to pursue one or more dental specialty. There are nine major specialties for dentists:
- Prosthodontics—specializing in the design, manufacture and placement of artificial replacements for teeth and other parts of the mouth
- Pediatric Dentistry—providing dental care for infants and children until they reach adolescence
- Endodontics—studying and working with the dental “pulp,” the living tissue inside the tooth
- Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics—diagnosing and fixing dental and facial irregularities
- Dental Public Health—studying, supporting, and advocating for community efforts to promote dental health in the community
- Periodontics—studying and ministering to diseases involving the structures around the teeth
- Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery—diagnosing and remedying diseases and injuries in the head, face, jaws and mouth
- Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology—reading and interpreting x-rays and other technologies used to examine craniofacial, dental, and related structures
- Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology—studying, classifying, and diagnosing diseases of the mouth, teeth, and related areas
A Dentist’s Duties and Responsibilities
Robson Family Dental is a private dental practice owned by Dr. William Robson. That means Dr. Robson is a businessman and a leader of the community in addition to practicing dentistry. Like any dentist, Dr. Robson is expected to fulfill the following duties and responsibilities.
- Providing check-ups
- Cleaning teeth
- Encouraging healthy oral hygiene
- Diagnosing oral diseases
- Interpreting diagnostic tests such as x-rays
- Monitoring the development of teeth and jaws for kids and adolescents
- Performing surgical procedures such as filling cavities
Call us to Make an Appointment in Grand Rapids Today
Now that you have a better idea about what Dr. Robson does all day, we hope you will feel more confident about choosing him as your dentist. Why not give us a call today and make an appointment for a checkup?