Introduction

What better way to beautify your teeth than dentistry! It removes bad spots from your teeth, levels them, removes germs thereby adding to the beauty of your face. Dentists also take care of gum and tooth problems. Cosmetic dentistry specially aims at keeping your teeth in shape thereby making your smile more beautiful. 

The requirements of becoming a dentist

To become a dentist one should have passed physics and chemistry in the plus two level with at least 50% marks. One has to then pass the national eligibility cum entrance test. The exam consists of 180 type objective type questions. The exam is related to Biology, Zoology & Physics. When one passes the exam one is permitted to do a four year dental course from a dental course. The dental course should have the approval of the Dental Council of India. In addition to this the State Governments also invite admissions for courses on the Bachelor of Dental Studies. After getting a dental degree, the dentist has to go through a one year internship in the fifth year. This is also an important part of the course. After doing the BDS course the student has to do a specialization course which is known as MDS (Master of Dental Surgery). There is an entrance exam for the MDS course too. There are a number of branches in the MDS. One can be an Endodontics Oral and Maxilofacial Pathologist or one can opt for Orthodontics or Periodontics.

Fees and scholarship

In Government Colleges the BDS course is for Rs One Lakh. In Private Colleges the fees for the 4 year fees is above 10 lakhs! Fot the MD course, again the fees by Government colleges is low. The course of the Private college depends on the specialized course opted for. The course fees is above 25 lakhs! In medical colleges there is a scholarship provision for some poor students. There are also concessions for SC/ST students. There is no such provision for scholarship and fees reduction in private colleges.

Job opportunities

There are many job opportunities for dentists today. There are a number of job opportunities for dentists both in Government and private hospitals. Many nursing homes and medical dispensaries also have openings for dentists. Railway hospitals and Army hospitals are also recruiting dentists. Toothpaste making companies also appoint dentists to give medical advise to the company. . If nothing works out, a dentists can also open up his or her own clinic. The BDS and MDS courses have become very popular in the country today. One can also be appointed as a lecturer in a dental college after doing the dentistry course.

Few colleges providing dentistry courses

Here is a list of a few colleges providing dental courses.

• Maulana Azad Dental College, New Delhi.
• Faculty of Dentistry, Jamamilia Islamia University.
• ESIC Dental College, Indraprastha University, Delhi.
• Army College of Dental Science, Scecundrabad.
• Dental College, Aligarh Muslim University.
• Dr R Ahmed Dental College, Calcutta.

The salary

The average starting salary of a dentist in a Government institution is Rs 50,000. As the dentist gains experience, the salary increases. When one becomes a senior dentist, the pay is above 1.5 lakhs a month. In Private hospitals the pay varies depending on the popularity of hospital. The starting salary of a dentist in a private hospital is above 1 lakh a month. But one usually has to work hard as a dentist in a private hospital.