Why dentistry?

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Why dentistry?

  • Humanitarianism

    Votes: 47 14.0%

  • Income

    Votes: 114 33.9%

  • Prestige/respect

    Votes: 52 15.5%

  • "I can't imagine doing anything else" (aptitude)

    Votes: 81 24.1%

  • Other (reply below)

    Votes: 42 12.5%
  • Total voters
    336
DoeAdeer

DoeAdeer

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An anonymous poll on prime motivation behind entering the field of dentistry
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I think you forgot a response. Where is the "my gpa wasn't high enough for med school/dat is easier than the mcat" option?

...and no, I am not trolling. Have heard this from people who made it all the way through dental school.
 
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ineed2stpsmurfn said:
I think you forgot a response. Where is the "my gpa wasn't high enough for med school/dat is easier than the mcat" option?

...and no, I am not trolling. Have heard this from people who made it all the way through dental school.
Click to expand...

DAT is not that much easier, and if people truly were passionate about becoming physicians they could go the D.O. route, which accepts students with lower GPAs/MCAT scores but has an equal scope of practice (meaning they are allowed to do all the same things and work at all the same places and make the same amount of money, I am not comparing MD schools to DO schools, DO NOT want to start that war)
 
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DocHolliday1982 said:
DAT is not that much easier, and if people truly were passionate about becoming physicians they could go the D.O. route, which accepts students with lower GPAs/MCAT scores but has an equal scope of practice (meaning they are allowed to do all the same things and work at all the same places and make the same amount of money, I am not comparing MD schools to DO schools, DO NOT want to start that war)
Click to expand...
I think DAT is alot easier than the MCAT (material / preparing / and types of questions). Where they are similar is in the curve, example: a half-ass preparation job with an average intelligence individual will earn you bellow average on both tests.
 
I really hope that this poll doesn't turn into another medicine vs. dentistry or MCAT vs. DAT disputes. :scared:
 
dentalWorks said:
I think DAT is alot easier than the MCAT (material / preparing / and types of questions). Where they are similar is in the curve, example: a half-ass preparation job with an average intelligence individual will earn you bellow average on both tests.
Click to expand...

.....
 
DoeAdeer said:
I really hope that this poll doesn't turn into another medicine vs. dentistry or MCAT vs. DAT disputes. :scared:
Click to expand...

Deleting my response to Dentalworks, will PM him instead, do not want to highjack your thread :D
 
You should of added an option for a combo of humanitarianism income and prestige
 
MOUTHLOVER said:
You should of added an option for a combo of humanitarianism income and prestige
Click to expand...

Or made it multiple votes allowed. ;)

I wish we had more dentists actually give their input in these pre-dent threads. Would be nice to see what they think now that they're really doing it, and not just studying it, or getting ready for it.

Edit: I did vote, so I gave my "prime" reason. But I have to wonder, if income wasn't your prime reason, and the prospective income of a dentist was on par with a gas station attendant, would that have any impact on your pursuing dentistry. Does income play a strong role in prestige/respect? Seems difficult to separate the two.
 
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Prime motivation for me is humanitarianism, but there are many other reasons for choosing dentistry of course.
If this dream doesn't work out I would love to be a teacher or a farmer back in my native country.
 
Good poll...I don't think multiple options were needed...look forward to further responses. I was kinda shocked to see the poll so even, I definitely thought it would be leaning towards 2 or 3 things before i voted...Guess everyone's hearts are in different places in their lives
 
I posted this a few days ago in a thread that got deleted, so I will retype the gist of it here.

Why Bereno wants to be a dentist:

I want to help people... so this brings me to pretty much any service based job.
I'm a smart guy. I'm no genius, but I can hold my own in a thought intensive situation... This brings me to the medical field.
I have an educational background in business so and naturally want to manage, operate, and grow my own business... This brings me to a small list of medical based specialties.
I have many hobbies that are all hands on. I want to perform my own procedures... This brings me to a small handful of medical specialties.
I don't want to be on call, or work horrible hours. As a matter of fact, I don't even want to work 40 hours a week if I don't have to (I'm willing to take the pay cut). This leads me to podiatry, optometry, dentistry, etc.
I am slightly colorblond, and I don't like feet, so... This leads me to dentistry. :)

Essentially, I believe dentistry is the career that best suits me.. Simple as that. :thumbup:
 
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"I can't imagine myself doing anything else"

Although I consider that term loosely... it's not that I can't imagine myself doing anything else, it's that I can see myself doing it everyday. Coupled with everything else on that list, plus a few more factors, and you have my reasons for dentistry!
 
Can't just choose one.

I feel that I have the potential to be a good general dentist and can help the public by doing my job. Simultaneously I look forward to earning a living in which I can comfortably support a family. The respect / prestige is an added bonus but is not one of my primary reasons.
 
I am shocked that so many say prestige and respect. I never knew that a career made the man. I have never given someone respect because of their job....a-holes come in all professions I always thought that respect was earned not given based on a title.

my 2 cents- just thought it was a little weird
 
MrSummerlin said:
I am shocked that so many say prestige and respect. I never knew that a career made the man. I have never given someone respect because of their job....a-holes come in all professions I always thought that respect was earned not given based on a title.

my 2 cents- just thought it was a little weird
Click to expand...

It's not that weird..... it's not my reason for going into dentistry either..... But it's a component of the thought process when heading into a career as a Dentist or Physician.......
 
DocHolliday1982 said:
It's not that weird..... it's not my reason for going into dentistry either..... But it's a component of the thought process when heading into a career as a Dentist or Physician.......
Click to expand...

True. It just never crossed my mind, i guess. But ok.
 
Don't forget to reply if you choose "other." :)
 
I'm not surprised that "Income" is winning this battle.

Let's be honest here, everyone knows a rich dentist who owns a mansion, a vacation house in Florida and 2 live-in goddesses.
 
For me it's mainly the subject material... That's pretty lame but I grew up around it so it makes sense to me.

Of course, most of the reasons given in this thread just add to it.
 
AlbinoPolarBear said:
I'm not surprised that "Income" is winning this battle.

Let's be honest here, everyone knows a rich dentist who owns a mansion, a vacation house in Florida and 2 live-in goddesses.
Click to expand...

It's going to be a shame for those expecting top dollar when reality kicks in. But that's life I guess.
 
Lifestyle/being your own boss/helping relieve pain

In that order
 
A mixture of a lot of those. Plus I grew up with a low self esteem of my appearance growing up and I don't want people to feel that way with theirs.
 
AlbinoPolarBear said:
But for those who do get top dollar, reality will be amazing!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53hXBg-U-ac
Click to expand...

lol Gotta love Chris rock.


Still though, the vast majority of dentists will not be as successful as this fictional one. Yet, I feel like this is what everyone here is hoping for. It'll just suck for them when the current imbalances are corrected and we return to the normal state of being poor relations to doctors.
 
both my wife an I have been recipients of some larger than "normal" (used rather loosely) dental care. I can attest to the importance of have a great, or at least not hideous smile. I think that others should have the same opportunity. I guess this is under humanitarianism but thought deserved an explanation.:D
 
DMDWANNABEE said:
lol Gotta love Chris rock.


Still though, the vast majority of dentists will not be as successful as this fictional one. Yet, I feel like this is what everyone here is hoping for. It'll just suck for them when the current imbalances are corrected and we return to the normal state of being poor relations to doctors.
Click to expand...

Huh?
 
Has every predent on here voted?
 
To me its because of job security, income and lifestyle. Also the fact that I'm Lebanese and I could make tons of money opening up a dental office in Beirut, people over there think of an american educated doctor as a GOD. :cool:
 
There wasn't a box for "to meet women," so I chose income. Pretty much the same thing.
 
opportunity to set my own hours
opportunity to perform a valuable service
opportunity to get paid well doing it

i'd be stupid not to do it
 
Interesting poll. OP posted the same one for medicine and pharmacy.
 
DMDWANNABEE said:
It's going to be a shame for those expecting top dollar when reality kicks in. But that's life I guess.
Click to expand...

:thumbup:. Just like in any field, there's people who make a lot and others who don't so well. You're pretty much guaranteed 90-100K a year as a dentist though.

However for the dentists not making the big big bucks, with 300K+ loans making 90-100K a year, are you really making more than the newly hired college grad netting 50-60K a year with essentially no debt? Just saying.

I will point out a positive of being a dentist is that job security is very good in health professions and the newly hired college grad might have trouble getting a job.
 
iralex801 said:
However for the dentists not making the big big bucks, with 300K+ loans making 90-100K a year, are you really making more than the newly hired college grad netting 50-60K a year with essentially no debt? Just saying.

I will point out a positive of being a dentist is that job security is very good in health professions and the newly hired college grad might have trouble getting a job.
Click to expand...

You're right. I was a newly graduated college graduate with top grades (summa cum laude) in Chemistry. I had zero debt. The biopharm companies aren't hiring many of us. Economy goes sour and the first thing the biopharm companies cut is R&D. When there are jobs available, everything is great. When there aren't any, It SUCKS. Man, it REALLY REALLY SUCKS. Going back to live with the folks after you have your degree really SUCKS.

Some of my friends are doing a Masters or PhD to improve their chances of getting hired, but there's no guarantee that they'll get in. I'd rather take on some debt and get a guaranteed job with lots of income potential.

Minimum wage for a dentist is 90-100k? That seems like a good deal.
 
.
 
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In dentistry you are actually able to FIX your patients, unlike the other surgical specialties that I am interested in. There is virtually zero rehab responsibility for the patient. You fix the problem, and the patient is cured!
 
My dentist told me his reason for dentistry was that "it's the only job that legally allows me(him) to tell my(his) wife when to open and when to shut her mouth."
 
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Bereno said:
I posted this a few days ago in a thread that got deleted, so I will retype the gist of it here.

Why Bereno wants to be a dentist:

I want to help people... so this brings me to pretty much any service based job.
I'm a smart guy. I'm no genius, but I can hold my own in a thought intensive situation... This brings me to the medical field.
I have an educational background in business so and naturally want to manage, operate, and grow my own business... This brings me to a small list of medical based specialties.
I have many hobbies that are all hands on. I want to perform my own procedures... This brings me to a small handful of medical specialties.
I don't want to be on call, or work horrible hours. As a matter of fact, I don't even want to work 40 hours a week if I don't have to (I'm willing to take the pay cut). This leads me to podiatry, optometry, dentistry, etc.
I am slightly colorblond, and I don't like feet, so... This leads me to dentistry. :)

Essentially, I believe dentistry is the career that best suits me.. Simple as that. :thumbup:
Click to expand...
.
 
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