How is dentistry a rewarding yet challenging career?

This is a great opportunity to showcase what you have learned in your work experience. It's important to recognise that dentistry is a rewarding career because you help people who are in pain and who may not like their smile, however this comes with its challenges. Interviewers want to see if you have thought about the downsides as much as the good parts.

Here are some examples of how dentistry can be a rewarding career:

• Ease patients out of pain
• Oversee treatment start to finish and get to be on this journey with the patient
• Help patients make better choices regarding their oral health

Here are some downsides to the profession:

• Physically demanding career- many dentists complain of back pain
• Patients will not always be happy with your work
• Patients 'hate the dentist'
• Managing workload

While answering this question try to back your points with what you have seen in your work experience. You want to answer the question in a way that makes it clear that you know what you are getting into, but don't end on a bad note. Reflect on how you can handle the downsides of dentistry, showing your resilience.

Suggested structure for this answer

• Mention what you find rewarding about dentistry and back up with what you have seen in your work experience
• Mention a downside to dentistry and back up with what you have seen in your work experience
• Explain how you plan to handle difficult situations that you may face as a dentist
• Compare with how you have dealt with difficult situations in the past
• Reassure the interviewer that you are acknowledge both positives and negatives to dentistry, but you will manage the hard times, showing dedication