I am currently struggling very had between medicine and dental. I really feel torn. I love all of the options medicine has. However, I don't really have that "this is all I can see myself doing" type of feeling. Plus, the long, hard residency isn't very appealing, although I would work hard and definitely put my time in. On the other hand, I like dentistry as well. It seems like a great career with flexible hours, shorter school, good income etc. However, at the same time, I don't really know if I would want to look at teeth all day for 30 years (even though I know there is much more to it than that). Plus, you are restricted to the oral cavity. And one last thing, is I keep seeing articles about a vaccine called "Keep 32", which supposedly is going to prevent cavities. Should I even consider this into my decision equation? I would love for any advice/feedback with my dilemma. It has really been stressing me out, not to mention I am driving my parents + gf crazy!! Any advice ?
- Ar2
Do dentistry.
What dent does right that med doesn't:
1. Dental school actually teaches you how to be a dentist, so you can start working after you graduate. Medicine teaches you how to be a suck-up, and that primary care is a garbage job.
2. No residency unless you want to specialize. In med, the non-specialists gave themselves a name, "Family medicine", and think they're a specialty that requires a long residency. Imagine if dent had to do three extra years after dental school to do general dentistry? Ha!
3. The hours in dent are far better. An 80 hour week is unheard of in dent. Weekends? Ha!
4. The people who go into dent are far more human. Docs are predominantly either save-the-world automatons, greedy gunners, or regretful sadomasochists whose only solace in life is making other the other, less miserable people feel horrible like them. The thing is, I don't think they were like this before they started. The training is dehumanizing and soul-crushing.
5. In dent there appears to be more professional autonomy though that may be changing with the rise of dent-corps like Aspen.
6. The gubmint controls your income in medicine. Dent is a bit more immune to this.
To put it in perspective, the most competitive field by a LONG shot is dermatology. It's not because skin is uber-cool, or because you have to be a genius to be good at it. It's because it has great pay, great hours, and lots of professional autonomy. Basically, its dent.
And don't listen to anyone who thinks dentists are second-rate doctors, or that they kill themselves all the time because they regret their failure to get into medicine, etc. It's a rewarding career. In fact its far more rewarding, professionally and financially, than "family medicine".
Do dent.