Feeling discouraged about dexterity! Anyone in the same position?

[XEric CartmanX]

Hello Everyone,

I need some feedback from those of you how were/are in the same position. I'm applying to dental schools this June. I'm a senior in university, majoring in Human Biology. I love dentistry and I have some good credentials like high GPA (4.0) and a good DAT score. I also have shadowing/volunteering experience, and I'm a licensed dental x-ray tech. My problem is that I DON"T have an artistic side to me. I've never been involved in ANY art-related activities. I don't draw or paint. I don't play any musical instruments. And when I was a little kid, it was really hard for me to color within the lines in my coloring book. Till this day, I can't use the scissors to cut a straight, good-looking line. I don't have shaky hands; I just suck at art completely.

I'm feeling afraid and hesitant. Some people told me not to worry about it, and that dentistry school will teach me everything I know, and that I'll become good with practice. But others have just discouraged me and told me to switch to medicine.

What do you guys think? Is it possible for me to be a good dentist?

any feedback is appreciated. Thanks in advance!

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[Greyangel6]

Hopefully after you hear about me then you'd find out that your worry is unnessesary. My father can play almost all musical instruments well and proficiently. Suffice to say, being in an Asian family and all, I had to learn all of that. I can confidently say I can't play any musical instruments well for the life of me (and I'm probably scarred for the rest of my life because of the pressure). I don't draw or paint either. What I can do though, is I fix/maintain my own beat-up car. It's an art for me because I can work hands-on, and the results can vary depending on how well a job I did.

My point is, you're a dental tech, you are working with your hands (assuming that you are, correct me otherwise ), the results can also vary depending on your performance. So my point is, art is in the eye of the beholder. Don't let it get to you. You already have the manual dexterity somewhere within you. Just be confident and run with it. Good luck!

 

[XEric CartmanX]

Hopefully after you hear about me then you'd find out that your worry is unnessesary. My father can play almost all musical instruments well and proficiently. Suffice to say, being in an Asian family and all, I had to learn all of that. I can confidently say I can't play any musical instruments well for the life of me (and I'm probably scarred for the rest of my life because of the pressure). I don't draw or paint either. What I can do though, is I fix/maintain my own beat-up car. It's an art for me because I can work hands-on, and the results can vary depending on how well a job I did.

My point is, you're a dental tech, you are working with your hands (assuming that you are, correct me otherwise ), the results can also vary depending on your performance. So my point is, art is in the eye of the beholder. Don't let it get to you. You already have the manual dexterity somewhere within you. Just be confident and run with it. Good luck!

Thanks, Greyangel6. I honestly mean it. It's very frustrating to think that I'm the only applicant that doesn't draw or play musical instruments. I'm glad I'm not alone

 

[sjv]

Don't worry, you will be surprised at what you can do.

 

[Proxybrush15]

From what my dentist told me, the dexterity will come. Have you truly tested your dexterity? How do you know that you need to work on it. And from what my dentist told me, you can DEVELOP dexterity. Dental school is the place to do so.

 

[XEric CartmanX]

From what my dentist told me, the dexterity will come. Have you truly tested your dexterity? How do you know that you need to work on it. And from what my dentist told me, you can DEVELOP dexterity. Dental school is the place to do so.

Yes, my dentist said the same thing. I just haunts me for some reason. I hope you guys are right.

 

[PAyankee]

Yes, my dentist said the same thing. I just haunts me for some reason. I hope you guys are right.

Yes, my dentist said the same thing. I just haunts me for some reason. I hope you guys are right.

Dexterity can improve a bit but if you feel you lack good hand skills dental school can be extremely frustrating and anxiety provoking. If this is enough of a concern already for you I would recommend a healthcare track with more options like med school or PA school. From your other post it seems like part of what attracts you to dentistry is the lifestyle and flexibility of such a career. There are options outside of dentistry thathave generally good lifestyle that are not super competitive like psychiatry. If you haven't already post these same questions on dental town. Most of the dentists on there will probably tell you not to apply as the potential struggles might outweigh the potential rewards.

 

[XEric CartmanX]

Dexterity can improve a bit but if you feel you lack good hand skills dental school can be extremely frustrating and anxiety provoking. If this is enough of a concern already for you I would recommend a healthcare track with more options like med school or PA school. From your other post it seems like part of what attracts you to dentistry is the lifestyle and flexibility of such a career. There are options outside of dentistry thathave generally good lifestyle that are not super competitive like psychiatry. If you haven't already post these same questions on dental town. Most of the dentists on there will probably tell you not to apply as the potential struggles might outweigh the potential rewards.

Yes, but there's a philosophy that I firmly believe in: "Doubt kills more dreams than failure."

I'll take my chances, and if I didn't work, then I'll know that I gave it a try at least. Maybe I won't be a problem afterall.

 

[PAyankee]

Yes, but there's a philosophy that I firmly believe in: "Doubt kills more dreams than failure."

I'll take my chances, and if I didn't work, then I'll know that I gave it a try at least. Maybe I won't be a problem afterall.

If it doesn't work out you will be hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt forced to do something you don't enjoy for the rest of your life or be financially insolvent. Do yourself a favor and create an account on dentaltown and ask these same questions there. You will be getting a much more realistic perspective. Most of the responses you get on sdn are from students with a limited perspective, most dentists are unwilling to admit the difficulties they face in real life talking to you as doing so implies failure and is bad PR for their practice.You can make your own choices but at least take this gamble knowing the difficult odds you face.

 

[arkenstone]

I always thought the dexterity thing was overblown because I'm not a big believer in many skills being portable to other areas of life just in general...

What I mean is, I went to school for guitar scholarship. So my resume is going to look great for dexterity, right? Well take that guitar and turn it around so I'm playing it left handed. I'm as bad as the first day I played guitar. So if playing guitar right handed doesn't even help me play guitar left handed, how the hell is it supposed to help me drill teeth?

Your hands will be learning alongside every else's in lab. And personally, thinking back to my sculpture class, I think it has less to do with hands and more to do with attention and patience.

But then again, I haven't done dental labs so I could be wrong

 

[Cackalacky]

I'm a second year dds student, that was in the same boat as the original poster, with zero artistic skills and no real manual dexterity background prior to dental school.

From observation, those in my class who do have the artistic background, do pick up a lot of the hands-on tasks a lot easier and quicker. Those talented individuals also do not need to spend near the time practicing as I do. However, I still make the same grades as them on practicals, it just takes a lot more time in lab to become quick with quality and also the acceptance that you will never finish early.

Do not let people deter you from your dream. The manual dexterity is a muscle that you have to train, it will come as long as you put the effort into it.

 

[XEric CartmanX]

I'm a second year dds student, that was in the same boat as the original poster, with zero artistic skills and no real manual dexterity background prior to dental school.

From observation, those in my class who do have the artistic background, do pick up a lot of the hands-on tasks a lot easier and quicker. Those talented individuals also do not need to spend near the time practicing as I do. However, I still make the same grades as them on practicals, it just takes a lot more time in lab to become quick with quality and also the acceptance that you will never finish early.

Do not let people deter you from your dream. The manual dexterity is a muscle that you have to train, it will come as long as you put the effort into it.

You, my friend, are exactly what I was looking for when I posted this. I just needed an opinion of a dental student that is/was in a similar position to mine. Thank you for replying!

I'm more than willing to put the extra time and effort to improve my dexterity. I just needed to know that it wasn't impossible.

Good luck with school, my friend