Dentist

Purpose of the Job: Examine, diagnose, and treat diseases, injuries and malformations of teeth and gums. Treat diseases of nerve, pulp, and other dental tissues affecting oral hygiene and retention of teeth. Prescribe and fit dental prosthetics.

Tasks

1. Examine teeth, gums, and related tissues, using dental instruments, x-rays, or other diagnostic equipment

2. Diagnose and treat diseases, injuries, or malformations of teeth, gums, or related oral structures and provide preventive or corrective services

3. Analyze or evaluate dental needs to determine changes or trends in patterns of dental disease

4. Formulate plan of treatment for patients’ teeth and mouth tissue

5. Advise and instruct patients regarding preventive dental care, the causes and treatment of dental problems, and oral health care services

6. Administer anesthetics to limit the amount of pain experienced by patients during dental procedures

7. Perform oral or periodontal surgical procedures using surgical instruments

8. Remove diseased dental/oral tissue using surgical instruments

9. Fill removed dental tissue with appropriate materials (e.g., amalgam/porcelain fillings)

10. Eliminate irritating margins of fillings and correct obstructions using dental instruments

11. Treat exposure of pulp by pulp capping, removal of pulp from pulp chamber or root canal

12. Fill pulp chamber and canal with endodontic materials

13. Write prescriptions for antibiotics or other medications

14. Write fabrication instructions or prescriptions for dental prosthetics or appliances, such as bridges and dentures

15. Fit dental prosthetics/ appliances

16. Use air turbine and hand instruments, dental appliances and surgical implements

17. Provide clinical supervision to the Registered Dental Hygienists.

18. Provide after-hours telephone coverage on a rotating basis.

19. Participate in quality improvement activities, including development of clinical forms and protocols and attendance at quality assurance/quality improvement meetings.

20. Occasionally, other appropriate duties and responsibilities may be assigned by the supervisor.

Qualities

This job requires:

1. Concern for Others, i.e., being sensitive to others’ needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job

2. Integrity, i.e., being honest and ethical

3. Organization, i.e., approaching tasks in a logical and sequential manner, minimizing confusion, and avoiding inconsistencies

4. Dependability, i.e., being reliable, responsible, and dependable in fulfilling obligations

5. Self-Control, i.e., maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior—even in difficult situations

6. Stress Tolerance, i.e., accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations

7. Achievement, i.e., establishing and maintaining personally challenging goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks

8. Attention to Detail, i.e., being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks

9. Adaptability/Flexibility, i.e., being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace

10. Cooperation, i.e., being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude

11. Social Orientation, i.e., preferring to work with others rather than alone, and being personally connected with others on the job

Abilities

This job requires:

Oral Expression, i.e., communicating information and ideas through speech so others will understand

Oral Comprehension, i.e., listening and understanding information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences

Speech Clarity, i.e., speaking clearly so others can understand

Speech Recognition, i.e., identifying and understand the speech of another person

Written Comprehension, i.e., reading and understanding information and ideas presented in writing

Written Expression, i.e., communicating information and ideas in writing so others will understand

Problem Sensitivity, i.e., telling when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong—it does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem

Deductive Reasoning, i.e., applying general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense

Inductive Reasoning, i.e., combining pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (including finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events)

Near Vision, i.e., seeing details at close range (within a few feet of the observer)

Manual Dexterity, i.e., moving your hand quickly, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects

Finger Dexterity, i.e., making precisely coordinate movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects

Work Context

This job requires:

Frequent use of computers, electronic databases, electronic mail, and telephones

High level of accuracy, with the consequence of error being very serious

High level of responsibility for the health and safety of others

Moderate level of structure, with high level of independent decision-making

High frequency of decision-making
Substantial time pressures (e.g., deadlines)

Low level of competitive pressure

Moderate responsibility for the work of others

Continuous contact with patients, co-workers, and outside parties

Frequent face-to-face discussion with individuals and groups

Infrequent conflict situations or possibility of having to deal with unpleasant/angry people

Performing tasks in close proximity to other people

Regular and consistent wear/use of personal protective equipment

Spending the majority of work time indoors, in environmentally controlled conditions

Equal amounts of work time moving around, standing up, and sitting down

Education: Doctoral degree from an accredited university/ college in dental surgery (DDS) or dental medicine (DMD)

Training: Satisfactory completion of professional education clinical rotations

Work Experience: None

Licenses: Current and unrestricted license to practice dentistry in North Carolina