Merits and demerits of being an orthodontist Orthodontics is one of the branches in the dental field which concerns with the patient's esthetic appearance directly. It depends on teeth and jaw alignment, so in many cases it is considered a life changing field. Being an orthodontist has its merits and demerits as any other medical field, let's know some of them. Merits : 1- If you're an orthodontist, that's mean you have the highest paid profession between the different dental branches. 2- There is no emergency appointments which may enforce you to cut off your holidays or precious moments ; Unlike the other dental branches and medical fields as well. 3- It is considered a life changing profession because of its direct relation with the patient's esthetic appearance and consequently patient's self confidence and relationships. I mean an orthodontist can change people's lives. 4- It is a very delicate profession with almost no need to spend a lot of time working ;Unlike other dental branches, so you can practice your work even if you reached 60s. 5- Most of your patients will be young which means better discipline then better treatment outcomes. Demerits : 1- The cost to be an orthodontist is very expensive . You will spend too much money during your journey to study Orthodontics after your graduation from college. 2- To be a licensed, trusted orthodontist, you have to spend at least 3 years of learning and training after graduation. 3- The period of time to treat one case is somehow long ; it ranges between 1 to 3 years which may bring stresses to the orthodontist who concerns with treatment outcomes. 4- Repetitive work flow with almost no challenging cases.
