Dentists are responsible for diagnosing and treating problems with the teeth, gums, and tissue in the mouth. These doctors instruct individuals on brushing, flossing, and all other aspects of dental care. Dentists will meet with patients in their office routinely and remove tooth decay, fill cavities, repair teeth, and treat gum diseases.

Tasks:

1. Use masks, gloves and safety glasses to protect themselves and their patients from infectious diseases.
2. Administer anesthetics to limit the amount of pain experienced by patients during procedures.
3. Examine teeth, gums, and related tissues, using dental instruments, x-rays, and other diagnostic equipment, to evaluate dental health, diagnose diseases or abnormalities, and plan appropriate treatments.
4. Formulate plan of treatment for patient's teeth and mouth tissue.
5. Use air turbine and hand instruments, dental appliances and surgical implements.
6. Advise and instruct patients regarding preventive dental care, the causes and treatment of dental problems, and oral health care services.
7. Design, make, and fit prosthodontic appliances such as space maintainers, bridges, and dentures, or write fabrication instructions or prescriptions for denturists and dental technicians.
8. Diagnose and treat diseases, injuries, and malformations of teeth, gums and related oral structures, and provide preventive and corrective services.
9. Fill pulp chamber and canal with endodontic materials.
10. Write prescriptions for antibiotics and other medications.
11. Treat exposure of pulp by pulp capping, removal of pulp from pulp chamber, or root canal, using dental instruments.
12. Eliminate irritating margins of fillings and correct occlusions, using dental instruments.
13. Perform oral and periodontal surgery on the jaw or mouth.
14. Remove diseased tissue using surgical instruments.
15. Apply fluoride and sealants to teeth.
16. Bleach, clean or polish teeth to restore natural colour.

Key skills for dentist:

• Communication
• Patience
• Thorough and methodical approach
• Ability to work long hours, often under pressure
• Good ethical grounding
• Team-working skills

Average salary (2013):

The United Kingdom: £38,095 to £81,480 per year
The United States of America: $150,628 per year
Australia: AU$91,611 per year

Qualifications and training required:

No specific undergraduate major is required for students pursuing dental school; however, many dental schools require that applicants complete science courses, such as chemistry, physics, mathematics and biology. For this reason, a bachelor's degree in either biology or chemistry provides sufficient preparation for continued study in a dental program.
Some colleges and universities offer pre-dental preparation programs through their biology departments. Pre-dental programs are designed to fulfill the course requirements set by dental school admissions departments. Coursework covers topics like organic chemistry, microbiology and genetics.