Are You Cut Out to Become a Dentist?

Have you ever thought about becoming a dentist? Are you one of those people who have dreamed of entering this profession since you were in elementary school? Well you made a good choice.

Before actively pursuing your dream job, however, you must realize that not everyone is suitable or able for this particular job. While it may look good and doable on paper or from the outside, there are some things these professionals have to deal with on a daily basis that not everyone can handle. So before you pursue this career thoroughly or more aggressively, there are a few things to think about or consider.

The first thing you need to do is deal with the sight of blood. Many people think that the only people who need to worry about blood are surgeons, paramedics, and police officers. The truth is, there are many instances where a dentist performs a regular exam or some other, more invasive procedure and a patient's gums begin to bleed. 

Sometimes there can be a lot of blood and other times it can be quite minimal. If you can't handle any of these cases, you might want to change your career goal. That's because no matter how hard you try or want to avoid it, you will be faced with the sight of blood very often throughout your career and probably every day.

Another thing you need to do as a dentist is settle for looking into people's mouths for most of the day. Well, of course, some might say that this is a no-brainer because everyone knows that a dentist does that. However, what some people don't realize is that this is at least 90 percent of their job. A lot of people think they can handle it, but it's not until they're faced with the situation that they can really judge if they can handle it or not.

Take a moment and imagine you've spent your entire work shift looking in someone else's mouth. If the thought disgusts you, or if you consider yourself germphobic, this may not be the career for you.