Are you considering a career in denturism? It’s a good idea to thoroughly research a new profession before you decide to make a career change. When you do your research first, you’re able to confidently change careers.
Here are some things you should know about working as a denturist.
Denturist Job Duties
In your career as a denturist, you’ll be responsible for providing dentures and other dental prostheses to patients. You’ll need to perform visual and digital examinations of patients’ mouths. You’ll also need to take measurements of their jaws, and take impressions of their teeth and gums. During your assessments of patients, you may also have to order radiographs.
Denturists are also responsible for creating dentures. After you’ve met with patients and determined their needs, you can start designing and creating their new dentures. Once the dentures are ready, you’ll meet with your patients again to insert the dentures in their mouths.
Denturists don’t just make new dentures. They also perform repairs of patients’ existing dentures. Patients could come to you with damaged or poorly fitting dentures and ask you to make repairs. You may need to repair, reline, or rebase their dentures to get a better fit.
As a denturist, creating dentures will be your main focus. However, you may need to create other dental prostheses, too. Denturists may manufacture mouth protectors, removal prostheses on implants, or anti-snoring prostheses.
Work Environment
Denturists work in dental offices, laboratories, or their own denture clinics. They may be employees of dentists, oral surgeons, or other dental professionals. They may be employees in specialized denture clinics. Denturists can also be self-employed and own their own denture practices.
If you pursue a career in this field, you can expect to spend your time in dental treatment rooms and dental laboratories. In treatment rooms, you’ll meet with patients. In the laboratory, you’ll spend time creating dental prostheses. You’ll need good inter-personal communication skills to communicate with patients. Excellent manual dexterity and creativity are essential for creating patients’ dentures in the laboratory.
Job Prospects
If you’re considering a career change, the job prospects in your new field are likely very interesting to you. In the Toronto area, denturists have a fair employment outlook. A moderate number of denturists are expected to retire, which will open up new positions for denturism graduates. The occupation also has low levels of unemployment, which makes it a secure career choice.
Ontario’s aging population is also good news for aspiring denturists. Older people are more likely to have missing teeth and need services from denturists. Thirteen percent of adults between 65 and 74 are missing all their teeth, while 26 percent of people 75 and older are missing all their teeth.
Education and Requirements
Before you can start a new career in denturism, you’ll need to go back to college. Denturism diploma programs take a minimum of two years to complete. There are only a few career colleges that offer denturism studies.
At college, you’ll learn a lot of theoretical knowledge. You’ll learn about general anatomy, orofacial anatomy, dental histology, and other scientific topics. You’ll also get a lot of hands-on experience in creating dentures. Students learn how to make complete dentures, removable partial dentures, dentures over implants, and other prostheses. This hands-on training gives you the skills you need to become a denturist.
Denturism is regulated in Ontario, so you’ll need to pass a certification exam before you can call yourself a denturist and start seeing patients. After you’ve passed the exam and become a registered denturist, you can start your career.