Trying to understand pre-dental students?

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I just want to make my question brief. Why do students choose to go into dentistry? Personal stories are appreciated. I'm just trying to get some insight.

Originally Posted by davidbm95

I just want to make my question brief. Why do students choose to go into dentistry? Personal stories are appreciated. I'm just trying to get some insight.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=913383

Not in any order, but some reasons that are important to me.

Autonomy, hands on work, income potential, helping those in need, having a 'hard' skill, opportunities to serve overseas, interactions with lots of people, getting new tools/toys in the office, challenge, interest in the sciences and probably other reasons if I thought about it longer.

Originally Posted by davidbm95

I just want to make my question brief. Why do students choose to go into dentistry? Personal stories are appreciated. I'm just trying to get some insight.

I'm in it for the money, the 9-5 work schedule, the independence/business aspect, ability to practice right after graduation, artistic nature of the profession, and I find other parts of the body much more repulsive than the mouth.

Originally Posted by MoralDecay

I'm in it for the money, the 9-5 work schedule, the independence/business aspect, ability to practice right after graduation, artistic nature of the profession, and I find other parts of the body much more repulsive than the mouth.

I'm working in an office of 5 colo-rectal surgeons right now waiting for school to start. I'm positive which end I prefer.

Originally Posted by sacapuntas

Not in any order, but some reasons that are important to me.

Autonomy, hands on work, income potential, helping those in need, having a 'hard' skill, opportunities to serve overseas, interactions with lots of people, getting new tools/toys in the office, challenge, interest in the sciences and probably other reasons if I thought about it longer.

But why not become a doctor?

I'm in it for the money, the 9-5 work schedule, the independence/business aspect, ability to practice right after graduation, artistic nature of the profession, and I find other parts of the body much more repulsive than the mouth.

It almost seems that dentists choose to be dentists for the lifestyle. Do people actually like looking through mouths?

Originally Posted by davidbm95

But why not become a doctor?



It almost seems that dentists choose to be dentists for the lifestyle. Do people actually like looking through mouths?

Lifestyle is a huge part of it. Becoming a medical doctor takes way too long - I don't want to have to do a residency afterwards, unless it's a specialty that will make me more money. I actually want a family one day, and don't want to be on call/working 12 hour days. Looking at mouths isn't my absolute favorite thing to do, but I find it really fascinating to reconstruct and repair teeth. I'm narcissistic in the sense that I like to see how great I am after my work is complete. I'd much rather look at a bombed out mouth than a bombed out rectum or take care of an oozing rash on someone's crotch.

I wasn't a big fan of my shadowing experiences in hospitals/GP offices; it was a lot of prescribing drugs and asking questions, to which they were always not 100% sure of the answer. I like the fact that dentistry - most of the time -- is a little more definite: there's a cavity, now fill it. That needs a root canal, so drill it.

Originally Posted by davidbm95

But why not become a doctor?

While being a medical doctor is my backup career in case I lose my hands in a freak accident, it is a distant second to my interest in being a dentist.

See bolded portions of my previous reply. Additionally, I will work 3 years sooner, I will work business hours and have weekends off (more time w/ family), I will not have to worry about insurance near to the extent of a MD, I will run my own business and the challenges and benefits that provides, I will use my mechanical abilities every day.

Why would you want to be a medical doctor and not a dentist?

Originally Posted by sacapuntas

Autonomy, hands on work, income potential, helping those in need, having a 'hard' skill, opportunities to serve overseas, interactions with lots of people, getting new tools/toys in the office, challenge, interest in the sciences and probably other reasons if I thought about it longer.

Originally Posted by davidbm95

It almost seems that dentists choose to be dentists for the lifestyle. Do people actually like looking through mouths?

Would that be wrong?

Originally Posted by MoralDecay

I'd much rather look at a bombed out mouth than a bombed out rectum or take care of an oozing rash on someone's crotch.

Lol I can understand that.

Would that be wrong?

Not wrong but usually it is best to do a career you are attracted to and love. So if dentistry gives you a great lifestyle but you are miserable doing it are you going to be ok with your decision to go into dentistry?

Why would you want to be a medical doctor and not a dentist?

Well before I answer this question I just want to state that I wouldn't mind working 90 hours a week and delay having a family if needed. I choose medicine because I love surgery... that's my simple answer. Dentistry procedures don't interest me.

It's a matter of personal preference. For example, my mother, an OB-GYN, asks me and challenges me with this question almost once a month. I reply to her:

Lifestyle is a huge thing for me. As a girl, I want to be married and have a family soon enough and spend time with them. I have seen my mom be on calls and not be home most of the day. She is great mother, but I personally Want to be home for dinner, not get called at 3:00 a.m., and spend time with my future family and enjoy vacations. P.S. I LOVE traveling. lol My mother on the other hand, LOVES the thrill of her profession.

Secondly, I like that I can interact with my patients one-on-one. Moreover, I see my patients not only when they need a big treatment, but also small, regular things like cleanings, etc. Since I want to be a general dentist, I like that I can see all age ranges and various procedures to do.

Third, I am a physically active person. I need to be on my feet, hands-on, exercising most of the day. I HATE sitting around. So, I have seen my dentists moving from one place to another most of the day that they are physically tired and burning calories. perfect for me.

I can come up with many more, including financial security, running own business, being a leader/the boss, etc.

Originally Posted by davidbm95

Lol I can understand that.



Not wrong but usually it is best to do a career you are attracted to and love. So if dentistry gives you a great lifestyle but you are miserable doing it are you going to be ok with your decision to go into dentistry?



Well before I answer this question I just want to state that I wouldn't mind working 90 hours a week and delay having a family if needed. I choose medicine because I love surgery... that's my simple answer. Dentistry procedures don't interest me.

This isn't all bleaching trays and fillings. There's some pretty legit surgery going on...even in the office of a general dentist.

I knew I wanted a focused discipline of medicine. I explored options and this just clicked and I've never looked back. So it was just preference. I'm not going to say I love teeth or anything, but I think the oral region is kind of cool. Even down to the embryonic development. I can have an impact on eating, sleeping, breathing, social interaction, etc. That's a good time. The more people who think it's disgusting the better for me.

Thanks for these posts. It was good to get some insight from pre-dental and dental students. Thanks. Back to pre-med forums.

I am a mechanic, I work part time rebuilding off road UTVs and I have been rebuilding motorcycles all my life and the clearances on a motorcycle/UTVS are so tight that being a MD is not specific enough. I want to work with small area to work on and be very precise. Idk is dentistry is something I will do my whole life?! I want to open a MX track and dentistry can get me there!

To add on the the stuff already mentioned (autonomy, hands on work, financial security, cool tech, skills that helps others, etc), I love how it forces you to eventually be the leader of a small team of people. I've always dreamed of leading a small team of diverse, quirky personalities with different roles (assistance, office manager, rover, hygienists). From personal experience, I've found that a small firm offers a much better working environment than the corporate world with it's constant feuding and politicking.

Running a dental clinic is similar to living a Joss Whedon show: being Captain Malcolm Reynolds IRL.

Originally Posted by davidbm95

But why not become a doctor?



It almost seems that dentists choose to be dentists for the lifestyle. Do people actually like looking through mouths?

In my opinion, looking through mouths is much more appealing than quite a few of the MD alternatives. Can you really place an accurate value on having the time to do whatever you want? Or, if you have a family, be there for their baseball games, dance recitals, or just sitting at home watching a good movie with them? The dentistry lifestyle alone is worth its weight in gold. However, this is coming from someone who sees these fields as just a job, a means to be put food at the table and have some extra $$$ to play with.