Dental Health in a Rural Community

Lorna – future dentist

My goal is to find a career that I can do in a rural area. Everyone needs healthy teeth; even in a small town. So I started researching information about dentists and comparing it to other jobs in the medical field like medical doctor, eye doctor, and dental hygienist. I also visited with my dental hygienist and dentist about their jobs. Both were very informative and gave me a good idea about the job responsibilities, the amount of work that comes with their jobs, and how to become a dentist. Dentists treat problems pertaining to a person's teeth, gums, and mouth. They also give advice to their patients on how to keep their teeth healthy. To become a dentist, I must be licensed in Texas. To become licensed, I will have to obtain a doctoral degree and pass State dental exams. The doctoral degree requires eight years of college. Four years spent getting a science degree and four years at dentistry school. I also used the Occupational Outlook Handbook to find more information about being a dentist. On average dentists make $158,310 per year. The job opportunities will increase 18% from 2014 to 2024. The number of jobs available in this career was last calculated in 2014 to be about 151,500 and will increase 26,700 by 2024. Being a dentist will be a good fit for me. There will be plenty of jobs available and I can make plenty of money and work in a small town.