• Dentists diagnose and treat problems with teeth and tissues in the mouth, along with giving advice and administering care to help prevent future problems.
• They provide instruction on diet, brushing, flossing, the use of fluorides, and other aspects of dental care.
• They remove tooth decay, fill cavities, examine x rays, place protective plastic sealants on children's teeth, straighten teeth, and repair fractured teeth.
• They also perform corrective surgery on gums and supporting bones to treat gum diseases.
• Dentists extract teeth and make models and measurements for dentures to replace missing teeth.
• They also administer anesthetics and write prescriptions for antibiotics and other medications.
• Dentists use a variety of equipment, including x-ray machines, drills, mouth mirrors, probes, forceps, brushes, and scalpels.
• Lasers, digital scanners, and other computer technologies also may be used. Dentists wear masks, gloves, and safety glasses to protect themselves and their patients from infectious diseases.
• Dentists in private practice oversee a variety of administrative tasks, including bookkeeping and the buying of equipment and supplies.
• They may employ and supervise dental hygienists, dental assistants, dental laboratory technicians and receptionists.
• Most dentists are general practitioners, handling a variety of dental needs.
• Other dentists practice in any of nine specialty areas.
  • Orthodontists, the largest group of specialists, straighten teeth by applying pressure to the teeth with braces or other appliances.
  • The next largest group, oral and maxillofacial surgeons, operates on the mouth, jaws, teeth, gums, neck, and head.
  • The remainder may specialize as pediatric dentists (focusing on dentistry for children and special-needs patients);
  • periodontists (treating gums and bone supporting the teeth);
  • prosthodontists (replacing missing teeth with permanent fixtures, such as crowns and bridges, or with removable fixtures such as dentures);
  • endodontists (performing root-canal therapy);
  • oral pathologists (diagnosing oral diseases);
  • oral and maxillofacial radiologists (diagnosing diseases in the head and neck through the use of imaging technologies); or
  • dental public health specialists (promoting good dental health and preventing dental diseases within the community).

• The demand for dental services is expected to continue to increase.
• Many members of the baby-boom generation will need complicated dental work.
• In addition, elderly people are more likely to retain their teeth than were their predecessors, so they will require much more care than in the past.
• The younger generation will continue to need preventive checkups despite an overall increase in the dental health of the public over the last few decades.
• Recently, some private insurance providers have increased their dental coverage.
• If this trend continues, people with new or expanded dental insurance will be more likely to visit a dentist than in the past.
• Also, although they are currently a small proportion of dental expenditures, cosmetic dental services, such as providing teeth-whitening treatments, will become increasingly popular.
• This trend is expected to continue as new technologies allow these procedures to take less time and be much less invasive.
• However, employment of dentists is not expected to keep pace with the increased demand for dental services.
• Productivity increases from new technology, as well as the tendency to assign more tasks to dental hygienists and assistants, will allow dentists to perform more work than they have in the past.
• As their practices expand, dentists are likely to hire more hygienists and dental assistants to handle routine services.
• Dentists will increasingly provide care and instruction aimed at preventing the loss of teeth, rather than simply providing treatments such as fillings.
• Improvements in dental technology also will allow dentists to offer more effective and less painful treatment to their patients.
• The number of applicants to, and graduates from, dental schools has increased in recent years.
• Job prospects should be good, because younger dentists will be able to take over the work of older dentists who retire or cut back on hours, as well as provide dental services to accommodate the growing demand.
• Demand for dental services tends to follow the business cycle, primarily because these services usually are paid for either by the patient or by private insurance companies.
• As a result, during slow times in the economy, demand for dental services can decrease; consequently, dentists may have difficulty finding employment, or if already in an established practice, they may work fewer hours because of reduced demand.

Dentists examine, diagnose, prevent, and treat diseases and abnormalities. Other workers who perform similar tasks include Chiropractors; Optometrists; Physicians and surgeons; Podiatrists; Veterinarians;

• Doctor of Dental Medicine