Due to recent changes in legislation and an ongoing shortage of dentists that work with children, demand for children’s dentistry is soaring. For dentists who love working with children, this is a savvy career choice with a promising future. Here’s why…
Modern dentistry has changed greatly in the past three centuries, but the advancements in the profession don’t come solely from developments in technology, materials and research. The smile is now synonymous with joy and excitement, and many people are willing to go to great lengths to have the perfect smile. Yet throughout history, the smile was analogous to foolishness, irrational emotion, and deceit. It’s no surprise that words smile and smirk in the English language share the same Old Norse origin.
However, it wasn’t until the 19th and 20th century that smiling became a widespread, popular cultural phenomenon. According to historian Colin Jones, a professor of art history at Queen Mary University of London, the point of inflection regarding the public opinion of smiling came about with a controversial self-portrait of Madame Elisabeth-Louise Vigée Le Brun, a French artist. In her painting, Le Brun, a young mother, portrays herself smiling ever so slightly, showing the incisal edges of her maxillary incisors.
Many of us know someone who has undergone jaw surgery. However, most people question their motives. To the general population, orthognathic surgery can be seen as a cosmetic procedure done to satisfy our vanity. The truth is that the majority of orthognathic patients seek treatment due to an inability to properly chew food, speak or smile. The physical, psychological and physiological turmoil takes a major toll on the patients’ quality of life.
In the wake of the tragic loss of ASDA Past President Jiwon Lee in 2014, an association-wide wellness initiative was launched. ASDA has identified and/or created several resources to help its members maintain physical and emotional health, and mental well-being. Here are a few you should check out and share with classmates.
That’s the amount of student loan debt the average dental student graduates with.
As I point out to students, should you become disabled and can’t complete dental school, it’s likely you’ll still have to repay your student loans. And that can be tough—especially if you already have a family or other financial obligations.
That’s why it’s smart to have disability insurance now, since it can help serve as debt protection. Life insurance is equally as important: to help ensure your family is taken care of, to serve as practice loan collateral and to protect your future insurability.
As a benefit of your ADA student membership, you have access to ADA-sponsored Student Members Term Life and Disability Insurance at no-cost!
When you graduate dental school and begin working, you may incur costs that relate to your practice. If you use a non-dental accountant to do your tax return(s), it is quite possible that they may not even inquire about certain expenses that you incurred during dental school which can be used to your advantage once you start practicing. Books, journals and instruments you acquire during dental school are known for tax purposes as a “professional library” and can be expensed as depreciation over several years’ tax returns. This, in turn, lowers your taxable income, which is a good thing!
Believing that dentistry was my dream job, I knew that I needed to discipline myself to maintain a healthy lifestyle by training my mind and body. Staying fit wasn’t just about succeeding in dental school. I viewed every workout session as a personal battle and challenge to endure, persevere and test my limits. As I began to improve and see results, I wanted to challenge myself further. I decided to try out for American Ninja Warrior.
