What's the most common path to landing an endodontics residency?

[bob1]

I've heard that it's very difficult to get one straight after dental school, so I'm wondering what most people have to do to get it. Work after school for a bit, then apply? Pursue an AEGD residency first?

Please excuse my ignorance as I am unfamiliar with the process.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[MrWilson]

The few that I know:
One person with killer stats got in straight-out. (from what I'm told, this is a rarity)
Two other persons went into private practice for a few years then applied and were accepted first time around. (this seems to be more common)

 

[sokrman14]

Do a ton of canals in school. By a ton I mean 50 or so.

 

[the toothfairy]

I've heard that it's very difficult to get one straight after dental school, so I'm wondering what most people have to do to get it. Work after school for a bit, then apply? Pursue an AEGD residency first?

Please excuse my ignorance as I am unfamiliar with the process.

I agree with the last comment. Do a ton of endo in school and let an instructor know your feelings.

I was asked to be in endo residency since I did so many. I even did a 4 canal lower molar which use to be done by a post grad.

I just could not see doing endo all the time. As a GP I can do as many as I want but still have the variety.

 

[Hawk2thDoc]

The number of canals you do in school will not factor into getting into endo. If you look at the applications for all the programs, not one will ask how many canals/teeth you have done. There are many things that factor into getting into endo, but those things will have very different weights at different programs. Some programs only want 4.0 students that were at the top of the class, other programs place more weight on experience. The faculty at your school will know what schools look for what, and can guide you on where to apply based on your strengths. Endo overall does have a lot more residents with post-grad experience compared to other specialties, which makes sense for endo. For OS and ortho, your career is so different from general dentistry, experience really doesn't matter, but for endo it does as endodontists need to know if a tooth is restorable or not, etc. But on the other hand, if you have good grades, board scores, and class rank, you can easily get in right out of school. Some people will need a GPR/AEGD/private practice experience to make up for slightly lower grades/class rank.

 

[DrReo]

The number of canals you do in school will not factor into getting into endo. If you look at the applications for all the programs, not one will ask how many canals/teeth you have done. There are many things that factor into getting into endo, but those things will have very different weights at different programs. Some programs only want 4.0 students that were at the top of the class, other programs place more weight on experience. The faculty at your school will know what schools look for what, and can guide you on where to apply based on your strengths. Endo overall does have a lot more residents with post-grad experience compared to other specialties, which makes sense for endo. For OS and ortho, your career is so different from general dentistry, experience really doesn't matter, but for endo it does as endodontists need to know if a tooth is restorable or not, etc. But on the other hand, if you have good grades, board scores, and class rank, you can easily get in right out of school. Some people will need a GPR/AEGD/private practice experience to make up for slightly lower grades/class rank.

What's a slightly lower rank?

 

[setdoc7]

Several of my GPR's have gone on to endo programs, some directly out of GPR, some after a year or two of private practice.

 

[billythekid]

resurrection

 

[NotPennysBoat]

Bump. Can people in the know elaborate on this. Thanks everybody.

 

[Contach]

Several people in my class got in with board scores in the mid-80s and what I assume to be about average (like middle of the pack) to slightly above-average dental school grades (unranked at my school). I believe 4 people applied and all 4 got in. Most of them did a bit of research here and there.

 

[rustyshark]

Could anyone share their experience into being accepted in to a grad endo program?
I'm graduating in May and I have recently become very interested in endo. I am just an average applicant who is planning to work for 1-2 years after graduating to gain experience so that I may apply to endo. What else can I do during that time period to help build my resume and make me a more competitive applicant? Thank you

 

[Cold Front]

I've heard that it's very difficult to get one straight after dental school, so I'm wondering what most people have to do to get it. Work after school for a bit, then apply? Pursue an AEGD residency first?

Please excuse my ignorance as I am unfamiliar with the process.

Buy WaveOne, and save yourself the extra debt and time.

Endo is dying, and by that I mean, by the time you finish residency.

 

[lwen5]

Buy WaveOne, and save yourself the extra debt and time.

Endo is dying, and by that I mean, by the time you finish residency.

Could you explain why and how it is dying?

 

[Cold Front]

Could you explain why and how it is dying?

As a GP, I don't refer 95% of endo my patients need, the other 5% are very complex and may be extremely challenging to endodontists.

Endo instruments and rotary systems are evolving very fast, and revolutionary ideas that make endo easier for GP's are already here, with very small learning curve, making endo simple and fast for the general dentist.

Endodontists are losing the battle against technology, and they are trying to find something to make up for the loss of referrals (by learning how to do implants), or go to rural areas where there are no endodontists and GP's.

It will be a matter of time, that the new systems and technologies are widely accepted, even at some dental schools, that may limit the practice of endodontics to GP's.

 

[lwen5]

I personally don't think Endo is going anywhere for a long time. I truly do respect your opinion and believe it will hold more weight (as you are a practicing dentist, and i'm a first year), but I have several (3) relatives who are endodontists and know many others, and if their practices are any indication of where endo is heading, it has a VERY promising future. They all make a great income, and don't have any problems finding referrals. I see what you are saying with more dentists keeping their own endo, but that is how it has always been and I don't think the numbers are changing enough to definitively say endo is a dying specialty. There are always going to be GP's that don't have any confidence in their ability to treat root canals, and there are always going to be procedures that are too complex for GP's to do regardless of the state of endodontic technology. I have talked to many endodontists about this topic specifically, and everyone I talk to says that this is absolute speculation, and it really isn't a problem that they ever think about.

Just my two cents, I don't want to start an argument and again I respect your opinion, I just think that those pursuing an endo residency should have both sides.

Thanks for your input Swoops. I value your opinion and Cold Front's opinion.

I have been hearing for quite some time that endo was dying and that implants were going to pose a threat to them. People said that as technology and advances progress, the success rate of implants will go up and the costs will go down. What did your relatives think about implants affecting endo? Also, another trend I seem to have noticed is that a lot of the older GP dentists don't really explore the full scope as much as some of the new GP dentists. A lot of the older GPs seem to not want to delve into a lot of this high tech stuff and don't want to take all these new CE classes that these new GPs are taking. Seems that the older GPs seem fine on bread and butter dentistry. Could it be that because your relatives may have been of a different generation of endos whose steady,reliable referral sources were from these slightly older GPs who didn't indulge in the full scope? Just wonderin

Thanks.

 

[periopocket]

Bump! How competitive is it to get into endodontics? What can I be doing my freshman year besides striving for high grades?

 

[yappy]

Dentistry is still in its "Wild West" phase. As soon as the complication rate is made public, and the mal practice premiums increase to account for the costs and frequency of complications, the field will adjust on its own and/or further lic laws will cause further specialization in dentistry similar to what happened to medicine. It's only a matter of time.

 

[EtchNRinse]

Dentistry is still in its "Wild West" phase. As soon as the complication rate is made public, and the mal practice premiums increase to account for the costs and frequency of complications, the field will adjust on its own and/or further lic laws will cause further specialization in dentistry similar to what happened to medicine. It's only a matter of time.

How does this pertain to the original poster's question? What "complication rate" are you referring? Care to explain the "Wild West" comment?

 

[ncamc]

back to the question, please. does anyone have any input?

 

[NotPennysBoat]

Endo residencies like experience. The most common path is probably a year of GPR or AEGD before starting residency. Any time in private practice or public health after that is just bonus for your application. The least common path is definitely getting in to residency straight from dental school.

Just realized this thread is over a year old.