case study
A man who had amalgam fillings in the majority of his posterior teeth took a visit to the dentist. His dentist discovered some decay located in the posterior teeth and recommended that the man change his previous fillings to Tooth Colored Restorations. These new fillings were supposed to be esthetically satisfying and toxin free compared to the amalgam fillings. The patient then swapped out all of his amalgam fillings for the new, seemingly better, ones. After he received the new fillings he discovered that they were less durable and reliant than his previous fillings were and that during the switch some of his healthy tooth structure was removed.
another outcome?
I think that the dentist should be punished for wrongly advising the patient. Also the makers of the product should recall the Tooth Colored Restorations because they are ineffective and harmful. The patient could have also taken some responsibility and researched the product before he decided to redo the fillings. He also could have only done one filling with the new technology to try it out instead of just doing all of them at once.
cons:
Biomedical engineering is an extremely complicated field, so there are many challenges that come with it. These challenges include a sometimes hazardous work environment, working overtime, many years of schooling, a small job pool, and it is a difficult subject to understand. Due to the lab work biomedical engineers perform there may sometimes be toxic fumes or radiation that can damage their health. In addition to health risks, they do not have good hours and may sometimes have to work overtime. Another downside is the amount of schooling involved with this degree and getting a high enough degree to be applicable for some jobs. Many companies prefer a graduates degree, which is about six years of college. Once they get out of college it is hard to find companies that hire biomedical engineers because they are not in all states and many must move to work. Lastly, biomedical engineering is a highly difficult degree and comes with a decent amount of challenging classes. These classes includes biochemistry, physics, circuits, and biomaterials.
pros:
There are many advantages to being a biomedical engineer such as high earnings, it's a growing industry, has many different work enviorments, different specializations to go into, and many industries to work in. Biomedical engineers earn an average of $85,000 annually, and most of the time higher. Because biotechnology itself is a growing industry, biomedical engineering is expanding rapidly as well with an estimated 62% growth between the years 2010-2020. This field also offers a variety of work environments including universities, research labs, and hospitals. Not only are there different work environments but there are different industries to go into like manufacturing and medical. Finally, biomedical engineers can specialize in a variety of things from a biomechanic to a biotechnician.
do the pros outweigh the cons?
In my opinion, the pros outweigh the cons if the student is interested enough in the field and has the discipline to do well in the classes. I believe that this field has so much to offer and is going to change the way we look at medical care. Already they have built artificial organs and limbs to help bring hope back to those who had lost it. I think they are the key to advancing the human race as a whole and saving millions of lives. Biomedical engineering is a very unique job with outcomes that will change our world in a small amount of time.
works cited:
- Negatives of Biomedical Engineers. (n.d.). Work. Retrieved June 16, 2014, from http://work.chron.com/negatives-biomedical-engineers-23894.html
- Pros and Cons of Becoming a Biomedical Engineer. (n.d.). . Retrieved June 16, 2014, from http://diplomaguide.com/articles/Biomedical_Engineer_Career_Profile.html
- Foo, J. Y. (2013). Ethics for biomedical engineers. New York: Springer.