Going to the dentist has always been a nerve-wracking process for people of all ages. For children, especially, the dentist must be patient and have strong interpersonal skills to calm the patient. The branch of dentistry that deals specifically with children is referred to as Pedodontics.
This specialized branch of medical dentistry is offered at the postgraduate level at different medical colleges. Mansarovar Dental from Bhopal is a popular choice for many dentists for Pedodontics. The admissions process and the Mansarovar Dental College Bhopal fees structure is available online for interested students.
Let us explore what is pedodontics and what the career outlook can be like for graduates in pediatric dentistry.
What is Pedodontics?
Pedodontics is a branch of dentistry that specializes in working with babies and adolescents. All the general oral care treatments and procedures are also done here. The goal is to help children have a set of healthy teeth. The pedodontics professional will check and diagnose oral issues and come up with a long-term plan to correct them.
Pedodontics Jobs
A pedodontics graduate will primarily work as a pedodontics dentist or pedodontist. There are, however, many other roles open to dental students. Some of such roles are as below.
Pedodontist: A Pedodontist or Paediatric Dentist is a dentist that works exclusively with children. Specifically, this branch of dentistry deals with children from birth to adolescence. Generally, pedodontists have a dentistry degree and an MDS degree in Pedodontics where they receive specialized training. Most of the treatments these dentists do are cleaning, cavity filling, and applying fluoride. Pediatric dentists need to take special care when working with their patients. These dentists are also trained to make their patients comfortable enough for their treatment. On average Paediatric Dentists earn around INR 4,00,000 LPA. With more experience, the average salary can be INR 40,00,000 LPA.
Dental Assistant: Graduates from some of the best dental college in India work as Dental Assistants. These are professionals who can perform all basic dentistry procedures and administrative duties as well. Their main responsibility is to assist the main dentist. The Dental Assistant will prepare injections and the equipment before each patient and take out x-rays of teeth. After the procedures are done, the dental assistant will clean and sanitize the equipment. Dental assistants must have good communication and interpersonal skills to succeed in their roles. The average pay most dental offices offer their assistants is INR 2,01,286 LPA.
Dental Product Consultant: Consultants are professionals who do not work on a full-time basis with any clinic or hospital. They are specialized individuals who work in research or on a part-time basis with hospitals. Companies that manufacture dentures or pharmaceuticals also require Dental Product Consultants. Once the project or the contract is over, the individual moves over to the next project. The salary for Dental Consultants differs greatly as each project will be different based on the work. However, the average salary is around INR 15,000 monthly.
Professor: One career choice that is common not only at BDS college in Bhopal but also in other professions is that of a professor. Choosing to be an educator and working as a professor is a noble profession. Medical colleges are always hiring experienced candidates to teach their students. However, one must have prior work experience or even be working full-time to work as a medical professor. The salary for medical professors will vary greatly depending on if the college is private or Government managed. In the case of the latter, the average pay for a Government Medical College Associate Professor is INR 13,10,000 LPA.
Dental Surgeon: There is, in truth, not much difference between a traditional dentist and a dental surgeon. However, the major difference is that Dental Surgeons specialise in dental surgeries. Dentists, on the other hand, could do checkups and treatments like root canals. This is a more specialised branch of dentistry involving more advanced dental procedures or surgeries. From general dental prosthetics to removing and working on the bone structure, all fall under the responsibility of the dental surgeon. In terms of a range, Dental Surgeons earn around INR 40,000 to INR 6,50,000 LPA. The average pay in this range is INR 3,00,000 LPA.
Dental Technician: A more technical job role in dentistry is that of a Dental Technician. These professionals help in the design of crowns, bridges, dentures and braces. Also known as Dental Technologists, they aim to make the life of patients more aesthetically pleasing and have good oral health. This is a demanding job role as no two teeth are the same, for the same patient and each piece has to be carefully made. There are different types of Dental Technicians depending on which part of dentistry they specialise in. Dental Technicians, per online reports, earn around INR 3,00,000 LPA.
Pedodontics Future Scope
Pedodontists already have a master’s degree. In terms of future scope, these individuals can go on to earn a doctoral degree and venture into research. Alternatively, there are competitive examinations too that can be taken up. A brief description of both is as below.
Doctorate Degree: The first obvious choice for the future scope of a pedodontist is to keep learning. As pedodontics is a specialised branch and requires pursuing a master’s degree to practice, the next option for higher education is a doctorate degree. The best BDS college in MP and India offer PhD degrees in a range of dentistry specialisations. Admissions are typically through an entrance examination and personal interviews. Over the course of four years, the candidate will conduct research on a given topic before preparing and submitting a thesis on the same.
Competitive Examinations: India has several competitive examinations that are taken up to work in the Government sector jobs. For example, SSC CGL, and IPSC. Admittedly, this would mean a career change for Pedodontics graduates. Competition is hard and preparation takes time for these examinations. The jobs these exams open up to are secure and sustainable with assured salary increments.
Pedodontics is a popular dentistry branch. Working with children and making their discomfort go away is quite rewarding. Thankfully, pedodontics has several job options besides the traditional dentist role. There are also chances to advance the career and earn a Ph.D. later on.
