What does a dentist do?
Dentists are physicians specializing in oral health. The main responsibilities of dentists are to diagnose oral diseases and treat them with the help of different equipment and technologies. They manage to provide several services like tooth repair, cavities removal, teeth whitening, fillings, crowns, bridges, and even surgical procedures. They also help promote oral care by participating in community outreach and awareness programs. Sometimes, they would also conduct lectures and seminars for preventive education.
Dentist responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real dentist resumes:
- Manage HMO and indemnity dental insurances.
- Manage early and moderate periodontal disease, evaluate the results of periodontal treatment and establish maintenance program.
- Experience with Medicaid, HMO, and PPO dental insurance plans.
- Shadow Dr. Victor Avis, DDS in all dental procedures and assist in routine and surgical oral surgeries.
- Provide dental service mostly to Medicaid patient.
- Full mouth prophyllaxis, assisting flap surgery, frenectomy.
- Provide expertise in all cases of dentistry and done simple cases of orthodontics.
- Experience using E4D CAD/CAM for crown fabrication with over 200 E4D crowns deliver.
- Experience with iTero digital impression, laser dentistry, Cerec and CAD/CAM restorations.
- Work under direct supervision of a DDS mentor with over 30 years' surgical experience.
- Supervise auxiliary and ancillary staff with OSHA management, tool count and provide input for their performance evaluation.
- Perform routine periodic check up, prepare and fill cavities, fit bridges and take impressions for crown and dentures.
- General dentistry and orthodontics procedures.
- Sterilize all instruments according to OSHA regulations.
- Fabricate temporary / permanent dentures and night guards and provide in-office whitening.
Dentist skills and personality traits
We calculated that 27% of Dentists are proficient in Patients, Diagnosis, and DDS. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Detail oriented, and Dexterity.
We break down the percentage of Dentists that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patients, 27%
Participated in dental awareness programs to provide treatment including extractions, prophylaxis & demonstrated basic oral hygiene procedures to under-represented patients.
- Diagnosis, 9%
Provided oral diagnosis and treatment services to the San Lucas community, implemented oral health prevention activities
- DDS, 8%
Shadowed Dr. Victor Avis, DDS in all dental procedures and assisted in routine and surgical oral surgeries.
- Work Ethic, 8%
Maintained a great work ethics, productivity and attitude
- Dentures, 4%
Fabricated temporary / permanent dentures and night guards and provided in-office whitening.
- Treatment Planning, 4%
Conduct treatment planning, periodontal procedures and restorative dentistry for pediatric patients.
Common skills that a dentist uses to do their job include "patients," "diagnosis," and "dds." You can find details on the most important dentist responsibilities below.
Communication skills. The most essential soft skill for a dentist to carry out their responsibilities is communication skills. This skill is important for the role because "dentists must communicate effectively with patients, dental hygienists, dental assistants, and receptionists." Additionally, a dentist resume shows how their duties depend on communication skills: "key accomplishments: provided outstanding communication to/with customers, delivering excellent customer service while performing necessary dental services. "
Detail oriented. Another essential skill to perform dentist duties is detail oriented. Dentists responsibilities require that "dentists must pay attention to the shape and color of teeth and to the space between them." Dentists also use detail oriented in their role according to a real resume snippet: "examine teeth and gum with appropriate dentalinstruments, x-rays, and other diagnostic equipment.detailed achievements:prescribed medicine for patients. "
Dexterity. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of dentists is dexterity. This skill is critical to many everyday dentist duties, as "dentists must be good with their hands." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "assisted various procedures in the dental clinic assisted in surgeries including implant placements/sinus lifting, third molar impactions and tori removal. "
Leadership skills. For certain dentist responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "leadership skills." The day-to-day duties of a dentist rely on this skill, as "dentists, especially those with their own practices, may need to manage staff or mentor other dentists." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what dentists do: "performed & assisted with extractions and operative dentistry for patients in rural kentucky one of region's largest mobile clinics leadership experience. "
Patience. A commonly-found skill in dentist job descriptions, "patience" is essential to what dentists do. Dentist responsibilities rely on this skill because "dentists may work for long periods with patients who need special attention, including children and those with a fear of dental work." You can also see how dentist duties rely on patience in this resume example: "performed surgical procedures with confidence and a high degree of skill and patience including implants and surgical extractions. "
Problem-solving skills. While "problem-solving skills" is last on this skills list, don't underestimate its importance to dentist responsibilities. Much of what a dentist does relies on this skill, seeing as "dentists must evaluate patients’ symptoms and choose the appropriate treatment." Here is a resume example of how this skill is used in the everyday duties of dentists: "offered affordable solutions to dental problems of patients in need. "
The three companies that hire the most dentists are:
- Aspen Dental798 dentists jobs
- Benevis
467 dentists jobs
- Great Expressions Dental Centers150 dentists jobs
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Compare different dentists
Dentist vs. Associate dentist
An Associate Dentist helps the dentist carry out dental duties effectively and efficiently. They also help design plans for the treatment of the patients, provide anesthesia, and schedule patients appointments.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between dentists and associate dentist. For instance, dentist responsibilities require skills such as "work ethic," "treatment planning," "infection control," and "extraction." Whereas a associate dentist is skilled in "oral health," "ppo," "restorative dentistry," and "comprehensive treatment planning." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Associate dentists really shine in the health care industry with an average salary of $143,089. Comparatively, dentists tend to make the most money in the health care industry with an average salary of $142,407.On average, associate dentists reach similar levels of education than dentists. Associate dentists are 1.9% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 9.5% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Dentist vs. Cosmetic dentist
The primary job of general dentists is to diagnose, treat, and manage patients' oral health care needs, including root canals, fillings, and gum care. They are considered as the main dental care providers for both children and adults. General dentists typically perform a few tasks, including performing regular dental examinations and teeth cleanings, ensuring patients receive an appropriate and timely treatment for their dental issues and performing cosmetic procedures such as teeth whitening and cosmetic bonding.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real dentist resumes. While dentist responsibilities can utilize skills like "patients," "diagnosis," "work ethic," and "infection control," cosmetic dentists use skills like "front desk," "ffs," "blood pressure," and "digital x-rays."
In general, cosmetic dentists achieve similar levels of education than dentists. They're 1.4% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 9.5% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for dentists in the next 3-5 years?
Dr. Katie Dinh
Assistant Dean of Curriculum and Assessment, Associate Professor of Restorative Dentistry, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine
Dentist vs. General dentist
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from dentist resumes include skills like "dds," "work ethic," "direct patient care," and "taking care," whereas a general dentist is more likely to list skills in "patient care," "ppo," "group practice," and "medicaid. "
General dentists earn the highest salary when working in the professional industry, where they receive an average salary of $145,654. Comparatively, dentists have the highest earning potential in the health care industry, with an average salary of $142,407.general dentists typically earn similar educational levels compared to dentists. Specifically, they're 1.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 10.9% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Dentist vs. Family dentist
Types of dentist
Updated January 8, 2025
