You are unsure and still not certain about this decision… Are there good reasons to study cosmetic dentistry? In other words, will this specialization really add to your career as a dentist, or will it just be one more title on your résumé? The topics below will be decisive in helping you make the best decision of your professional life this new year. Read on!
1 – A Profitable Area Within Dentistry
With so many dentists available in the market, one way out is to look for competitive differentiators to become a leader in your field and make money. This is one of the reasons to study cosmetic dentistry that you will learn about in this article.
Gabriel Monte is originally from Natal and lives in São Paulo. He discovered that by offering procedures that harmonize the patient's face, he can gain more satisfied patients and increase his monthly income.
He commented on this: “The advantage of being able to work with aesthetics is that it is very profitable for the dentist. You can see fewer people and have a greater financial return”. The HOF (orofacial harmonization) course was the opportunity to specialize in this area.
2 – A Specialization in One of the Fastest-Growing Areas
Ana Flávia Simões is a dentist who, in addition to her doctorate, is also dedicated to learning more about aesthetics. In the HOF course, she saw that she could go beyond her specialty, which is Aesthetic and Restorative Dentistry.
Even so, she saw that she needed to refer her patients to other professionals because she did not have the technique or skills to perform certain procedures. That led her to choose orofacial harmonization.
“Today it is a very profitable and highly regarded area. I am adding HOF to my work routine,” she said. That is because she believes that with the new aesthetic procedures she will be able to add more value to her work.
3 – Greater Flexibility in Your Schedule
Among health professionals, long working hours are a problem. For example, on-call shifts or even those extra hours at the dental office. Specializing in aesthetics for dentists is a good idea for having more flexible hours.
Daiana Rodrigues studied dentistry at Universidade Metodista and soon after started working a shift from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. But she decided to make a change and began studying the field of aesthetics. That was when she saw her career change its tone.
In the HOF course, she learns aesthetic procedures that go beyond those dentists already perform in their offices. This way, she ensures complete patient satisfaction, contributing to their self-esteem and also creating a less intense routine.
4 – A Less Intense Work Routine
Besides being able to schedule patients around your own calendar, as we saw above, consider that another reason to study cosmetic dentistry has to do with having a less intense routine. That is, fewer working hours in a single day.
This experience is worth sharing because it is part of the lives of many people. Dreyson Motta Nicotari is a great example. He worked back-to-back shifts in the emergency room when he was a resident at Unicamp and talks about how hectic it is.
“It is 3 years of residency with a routine built around the hospital, where we are there almost all the time. We do not have fixed schedules, we sleep little, and we eat poorly.” To change that scenario, he pursued a specialization in aesthetics.
5 – A Greater Chance of Finding Solutions for Patients
In an aesthetics specialization course, dentists can offer their patients more solutions in a complete type of treatment. Livia Maria Liberali knows this and sought that competitive edge in the HOF postgraduate program.
Here is a short excerpt of what she said: “The more specific your work in the market becomes, the more time you devote to it. You have more autonomy because these are areas where you need to stay constantly up to date”.
She has experience in endodontics, with root canal treatment. However, she saw her path change for the better when she looked into orofacial rehabilitation, which includes prostheses and contact lenses. Now, more recently, she has started studying harmonization as well, with the reasons to study cosmetic dentistry in mind.
6 – Aesthetic Procedures Beyond the Intraoral Area
The last testimonial we have here, which also highlights one of the advantages of specializing in aesthetics for dentists, is from Leticia Ranghiere. She says she already works with the dental aesthetics, but only in what is called intraoral, that is, inside the mouth.
With orofacial harmonization as a specialization, she will also be able to work on other areas of the face. And she knows this very well. “We can do the whole face, removing expression lines, making the person look younger and much more”.
She also says she knows that with this postgraduate degree, her work is going to change. “From that, I can create a more beautiful smile and combine it with the face, which will be amazing for delivering the best results to patients”.
What Is This HOF Course?
Now that you know the main reasons to study cosmetic dentistry, it is time to understand what this HOF is. It is a postgraduate program for dentists. HOF stands for Orofacial and Surgical Harmonization.
In class, dentists learn hands-on about topics such as facial aesthetic surgeries, filler application, double chin liposuction, botulinum toxin, buccal fat removal (bichectomy), nonsurgical rhinoplasty (rhinomodeling), PDO threads, and more.
Among the highlights of Nepuga's HOF course are the teaching clinic, course load, and duration. In other words, professionals learn through outpatient practice, with a 500-hour course load and in a short time for such a complete course: 12 months. Learn more!
Orofacial and Surgical Harmonization|NewsIrving Malaguti
NEPUGA content team — Núcleo de Especializações Ana Carolina Puga.
