Hi! This is Ms. Kailyn Goetz, I’m an orthodontist of KNG Orthodontists, down here located in Fort Myers, Florida. I’m here to tell you a little bit about becoming an orthodontist and how to become one and much more.  When I was 17, which seems like light years away, I was unsure of what I wanted to do for a career. I got interested in becoming an orthodontist, because my mom worked as a dental assistant and showed me some things she does. Now, before I go on about school, yes, becoming an orthodontist is a lot of work, but if I can do it, then you can too. First steps to becoming an orthodontist are to complete 4 years of high school, which is fairly easy and lots of people do. Next step is to go to 4 years of undergraduate school, which you can major in anything but it helps you major in something that will help you later. After college, you apply to 4 more years of dental school, then 2-3 years of residency doing sedation, pulp therapy, oral pathology, and hospital dentistry and much more and then you’re officially an orthodontist. I had a lot of fun and trying times in dental school, I almost thought I wouldn't pass a few times. It’s a lot of knowledge and work and you have to be organized.  But I didn't just stop there, I wanted to open my own practice, so I did. I also loved the warm air and the ocean, so it became clear to me that I needed to open a practice on the beach. 

    The pay of an orthodontist isn't bad either.  The salary of an orthodontist is around $145,681 as of October 27, 2022 in Wisconsin, which I’d say is pretty good. The average debt after dental school is around $300,000, debt after just a 4 year college is around $34,000, so I’m looking at a lot of debt after school, but it was worth it. 

I met my adult best friend here in dental school. We laughed, studied and cried over failed exams together, but now look at us, we both have our own practices and are doing what we love. 

   Something they don't teach you in dental school is how to react and treat difficult patients, or problematic people. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't have wanted to quit so many times. But the people I work with and some patients make all the years of hard work worth it. 

   Now, I’m writing this in my beach house, listening to the waves crashing against the golden grains of sand in the Bahamas doing whatever I want and it's great.   Hard work pays off, don't give up. Being an orthodontist, I’ve been able to get everything I want and more, and am doing my dream career.