Pediatric dentists in America have experienced increased employment in the past few years, and it is estimated that their employment rate would grow nearly 18% soon. Pediatric dental professionals are similar to regular dentists, but they interact with children and have to be more patient with their clients.

Job description

As any dentist, a pediatric dentist performs a similar set of duties, but a children dentist needs to know how to handle kids and needs to be very patient.

When dealing with small children, they need to know how to perform necessary treatments such as filling of cavities, extraction of a milk tooth, and so on. They need to deal with worried parents and provide them with advice regarding the oral hygiene and dental care of their child. Since children are usually not calm and may get nervous seeing the equipment, the children dentist needs to be prepared to calm the children down and make them feel safe. They need to have a lot of focus and still hands to avoid any mishap.

How to become a pediatric dentist?

As far as education is concerned, as per the American Association of Pediatric Dentists, a children’s dentist goes through the following stages:

• A high school Diploma
• A bachelor’s degree in medicine
• A Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) or a Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry (DMD) degree from a dental school
• Career outlook

In recent years, pediatric dentists have gained significant recognition. Parents want the best care for their children and thus seek the attention of a specialist. This has led to an increase in the salary for children dentist. As per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, at an average, a dentist earns around $180,000 annually. Growth in this salary is expected in the coming years which makes this a good career choice for those pursuing dental medicine.

Dealing with children on a daily basis adds a fun element to this job. You have to be creative with the methods of regular check-ups with kids and make everything entertaining for them. So, if you have that hidden talent of interacting with kids and are pursuing medicine, you should consider this as a career option.