There’s More to Dentistry

The vast majority of dentists work in private practice. These practices range from single provider offices to large, multi-specialty group practices. Private practices have been effectively taking care of the oral health needs of a large portion of the population. But there are other significant areas of dentistry that are not effectively addressed by them. Many patients do not have the means to pay for the dental procedures they need. Some, due to immobility, are physically incapable of entering a dental office. Soldiers overseas, on the seas, and even stateside on bases, need dental care. Policies must be made, and actions taken, at the government level regarding oral health. And dental materials and hardware must continually improve, or dentistry will remain stuck in 2024. All these needs are being addressed by pathways outside of private practice.

The purpose of this collection is to inform the readers about areas of dentistry outside their usual experience. This journal is read by dentists, dental hygienists, dental assistants, students of those roles, front-office staff, and more. This information is actionable for all of them.

After reading through this collection, some students or recent graduates may find themselves considering full-time work in areas that they never considered before. Even some who are well-established may find themselves interested in shifting their career to a new pathway; some feel they have seen and done all that there is to do in private practice and are ready to try something new.

Others may not want to change their career, but may want to add to their career. Most academic positions are part-time, and most dentists do not work five days a week in private practice, so a part-time faculty role can be added without a reduction in the private practice schedule. Dental industry also involves dentists as consultants, advisors, testers, or educators of emerging technology to colleagues; the time commitments of these roles are flexible for the busy practitioner.

Simply adding a pathway to an existing private practice career will grow an individual personally and professionally. New skills are learned when entering a new field, as most learning occurs on the job, often in the form of new challenges that stretch a person. For example, given the number of topics taught in a dental school compared to the number of faculty and availability, instructors themselves sometimes have to learn a topic to teach it. Personal and professional growth also happens as a person gains a more comprehensive understanding of, and involvement in, the scope of dentistry.

Some of the pathways covered in this collection give opportunities to work even beyond the reaches of dentistry itself. Community clinics and academics may involve connections with the practitioners in medicine, mental health, pharmacy, physical therapy, and public health. Dental industry may involve working directly with scientists, engineers (biochemical, physics, software, electrical and hardware, industrial, mechanical), and marketing. New pathways also offer new collegiality – new colleagues, more colleagues, colleagues with different approaches to challenges, and colleagues from non-dental fields.

Some in private practice want to participate in research, which is challenging to do. Academic and public health settings, and sometimes community clinics, are more conducive to research. The types of research available vary greatly, which increases the likelihood that individuals will find one that fits their interests, abilities, and schedule. In-vitro research is done in laboratories, and thus are usually done in academic or industry settings. They may involve animals, cell cultures, or extracted teeth, for example. Clinical research may involve testing materials or medicines on patients and following them through time, or tabulating past data pulled from chart reviews. Surveys are used to find correlations. Reviews (systematic or non-systematic), which are summaries of published research, and case reports, do not actually require a research setting. In all the above cases, research settings not only allow research to be done, but they also have experienced researchers who can be mentors and collaborators for discovery and publication.

Many of the pathways are also a way to give back to society. Graduates often feel grateful to those who taught them, and return to help their school teach the next generation. Teaching is a force multiplier, where clinicians can indirectly impart their clinical interventions on multiple patients by training students to do those interventions. Community clinics are nonprofits, and like mobile dentistry, they serve those who are traditionally underserved. Military dentistry serves those who give their lives in service to our nation. Dental public health and policy, as one of its purposes, monitors and addresses the oral health of society. And dental industry creates the tools to do so.

But entering a new pathway can be challenging. A career change is highly disruptive, and can be financially risky. Small changes are less so, and can guide thinking regarding a possibly more extensive, permanent decision. Regardless of the level of how this collection resonates with each individual reader, the hope is that it will be practically informative.