Advice and or insight for pediatric dentistry residency

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Churrobeans

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Hey fellow dentists!

I'm new to SDN. I've known about it for years, but I never really participated or looked into it as I currently am now since I've just applied to a pediatric residency ( I know, I've really missed out)
A little about myself... I graduated from dental school in 2012, and since then, I have been treating primarily children and teens in the lower income communities in and around the Phoenix valley. The majority of my patients and their parents are Medicaid recipients. My office is part of a smaller company of 4 offices, and I am currently the lead dentist in our office. When I was in school, I didn't really think much about specializing, and I didn't particularly have an interest in children's dentistry, though I wasn't opposed to it either. I took an associate position in a large corporate company in Tucson in my first year out, and it was the first experience I had in treating primarily children. Over the years, I've become incredibly passionate about pediatric dentistry, I've taken multiple pediatric-focused CE courses to keep me up tp speed, and I've been providing oral conscious sedation for the more apprehensive children for the last 3 years.
Why do I "want to go back to school"? I've realized that there is so much more dentistry to be provided to children in various clinical settings. I come across a very diverse population of children, several of whom are either medically compromised, are special needs, and/or who have some form of behavioral condition that does not allow for proper treatment in a traditional office setting. Many also require some form of interceptive orthodontics or limited ortho treatment. Rather than referring these kids out, I would love nothing more than to have the ability to provide this wider range of services.
As far as my "numbers" go, I would say I was more of the average dental student when I was in school. My GPA was decent ( I think it as 3.6 ), my class rank was right in the middle, and my board scores were nothing spectacular. I've been reading though all the pediatric dental forums, and I have to admit that I am a bit intimidated by all you smart, top-notch dental students who have also applied to the programs.
In your honest opinions, would someone like myself even stand a chance at getting matched to a program?
I didn't apply to any of the Lutheran programs (Missed that deadline!), but I did apply to a mix of combined university based and hospital based programs. I turned my applications in at the end of August.... hoping that wasn't too late!

any insight would be appreciated, and I wish all of you luck in this cycle!

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I don't have any particular insights into specialty residency admissions, but I would think (hope) that real world experience and maturity would be highly valued by program directors. Somebody who has been practicing for several years will have more insight and put more thought into their career choice than a 3rd-4th year dental student.
 
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Hey fellow dentists!

I'm new to SDN. I've known about it for years, but I never really participated or looked into it as I currently am now since I've just applied to a pediatric residency ( I know, I've really missed out)
A little about myself... I graduated from dental school in 2012, and since then, I have been treating primarily children and teens in the lower income communities in and around the Phoenix valley. The majority of my patients and their parents are Medicaid recipients. My office is part of a smaller company of 4 offices, and I am currently the lead dentist in our office. When I was in school, I didn't really think much about specializing, and I didn't particularly have an interest in children's dentistry, though I wasn't opposed to it either. I took an associate position in a large corporate company in Tucson in my first year out, and it was the first experience I had in treating primarily children. Over the years, I've become incredibly passionate about pediatric dentistry, I've taken multiple pediatric-focused CE courses to keep me up tp speed, and I've been providing oral conscious sedation for the more apprehensive children for the last 3 years.
Why do I "want to go back to school"? I've realized that there is so much more dentistry to be provided to children in various clinical settings. I come across a very diverse population of children, several of whom are either medically compromised, are special needs, and/or who have some form of behavioral condition that does not allow for proper treatment in a traditional office setting. Many also require some form of interceptive orthodontics or limited ortho treatment. Rather than referring these kids out, I would love nothing more than to have the ability to provide this wider range of services.
As far as my "numbers" go, I would say I was more of the average dental student when I was in school. My GPA was decent ( I think it as 3.6 ), my class rank was right in the middle, and my board scores were nothing spectacular. I've been reading though all the pediatric dental forums, and I have to admit that I am a bit intimidated by all you smart, top-notch dental students who have also applied to the programs.
In your honest opinions, would someone like myself even stand a chance at getting matched to a program?
I didn't apply to any of the Lutheran programs (Missed that deadline!), but I did apply to a mix of combined university based and hospital based programs. I turned my applications in at the end of August.... hoping that wasn't too late!

any insight would be appreciated, and I wish all of you luck in this cycle!
 
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