Where do the dentist work?

It depends on the practice. I think the biggest influence on working conditions is the volume of patients you see in a given time. It is a very hard job, both mentally and physically. You may think it is easy, but it is actually quite a difficult occupation.

From a physical point of view, dentistry is very hard on your eyes, neck and back. Dentists also may have repetitive injury type of problems (carpal tunnel syndrome) due to the nature of the work and motions involved. I often go home very tired - I used to work as a carpenter before I went to college, and I think I feel just as tired after a day of doing dentistry.

From a mental point of view, you have to be able to concentrate and work on very small objects (teeth), and complete procedures that have a very small tolerance for error. And you have to do this on a living, breathing, feeling, and sometimes moving patient. You are under a bit of pressure, because unlike hair, teeth don't grow back if you cut them too short - there is very little room for mistakes. The patient may also be nervous/scared, and sometimes we have to do things to patients that we know are going to to be uncomfortable. You have to be very aware of the medical conditions of patients -- even though we are usually just working on teeth, they are attached to a patient.

Dentistry requires a lot of patience to deal with the wide variety of people that walk in the door and their myriad of problems and personalities.

And you must be very, very careful - we deal with sharp instruments, blades, and needles all day - and it only takes one needle stick with a contaminated instrument to ruin your day.

So why do this? It is rewarding in the end, and you are actually helping people. The income is higher than average, and for the most part it is "bankers hours". In the end, do it because you like this sort of work, otherwise you may not be happy regardless of the conditions in the practice you end up in.