Any one else tired...

[AJS27]

On numerous occasions when speaking to a frustrated pre-med student they always tell me how they're thinking about dentistry because Dental school is so much easier than med school and its so much easier to get into! Im am so sick of this! it pisses me off that they think medicine is so much harder than dentistry and that many people frown upon my future career! Any one else tired?

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[mymouthsmells]

Ah who cares, just tell them how their life would be without a dentist.

 

[DDSY]

In a way, it is easier to get into a dental school than it is to get into a US MD program. However, it appears that the trend is changing and dentistry is getting to be a much harder field to get into. Also note that the healthcare system will face reforms. Medicine is likely to take a bigger hit.

On the other hand, getting into Caribbean or osteopathic schools are significantly easier than, or at least comparable as, going into dentistry.

 

[diane07]

I know plenty of people who wanted to switch from pre-med to pre-dent. And I do think the standards are higher for med vs dent. So those who do switch over tend to be pretty competitive applicants! But they have that choice, same as anyone who decided on a career change or just decided to go into dentistry for whatever reason.

I don't think the people you are talking to are "frowning on your career choice." In fact, they are wanting to do it too!

 

[drpduck]

In a way, it is easier to get into a dental school than it is to get into a US MD program. However, it appears that the trend is changing and dentistry is getting to be a much harder field to get into. Also note that the healthcare system will face reforms. Medicine is likely to take a bigger hit.

On the other hand, getting into Caribbean or osteopathic schools are significantly easier than, or at least comparable as, going into dentistry.

Very true. I had several friends apply to US MD schools, of the ones that got rejected (and really wanted to be a doc) they went to the caribbean. So if you really compare dental admissions to ANY Med school (namely the caribbean), you will have a much easier shot at getting into a med school somewhere and being able to come back to the US to practice.

Honestly the whole "oh you're just going to be a dentist" doesn't really bother me anymore, I just think about the future. I will be working 35-40 hr weeks, make a decent income, have time for family, and not really worried about the crazy high malpractice insurance doc's face. They can keep their jobs. Talk to them in 15 years, I bet they will admit you made a good choice by going to dental school (I've had several physicians tell me the same thing).

You can also remind the med students that they get the privilege of doing rectal exams, at least we get the better orifice!

 

[SugarNaCl]

I agree with above posters. When I went to voluneer at hospitals or spend my mandatory time observing in the ER and after that working with MDs in research and at the cancer hospital I'm at now, there was a common theme. They told (and still tell me) they would not have their children go into that profession. 5 out of 7 told me they wouldn't choose the profession again, including my direct boss. They are run as a business now, controlled by the HMOs and flexibility is lost as far as treatment options and time constraints. I don't want to deal with that. I have a friend with ave MCATs and a pretty low GPA that got into DO school only to have her hairdresser say (without knowing that she is in DO school) "what does DO stand for anyway? I heard 'Drop Out' from medical school. Is that true?" We aren't the only ones that have to deal with this in the medical profession. We have to be content where we are. If you have something to prove, apply to an MD program after dental school. If you do well, you will be accepted and then you can send them a letter back saying "no thanks, I'm happy with dentistry..and tell your family and friends...told you so."

 

[HeMan]

We're #2, and I'm perfectly fine with that, especially when it's really not possible to be #1. There's always going to be someone "better" and "worse" than you, so who cares. Personally, I would rather make more money (or less even), work less, and sleep while it's dark outside. The more they think they have a better gig, the less competition we have.

 

[jackbauer!]

i just kinda snicker in my head when someone kinda gives me "the look" when i tell them that i'm going to be a dentist. dentistry is such an AWESOME profession. i have never, in my entire life, met a dentist that did not think that this career was great.... that alone kinda reinforces my decision to go into dentistry. i used to work with MDs on a daily basis while in college and most were underpaid & stressed--and it showed! many a time did the MD tell me to look elsewhere when choosing a profession. just the other day i was at the orthopedic surgeon and when asking me what i was going to do, i replied, "i'm going to dental school".. his eyes kinda lit up and proceeded to talk about how i was making a smart move.

the bottom line is that as a general dentist you have the possibility of working less hours making 2,3,or 4x the amount of an family physician/internal medicing physician. you need to have a keen business sense and be very productive to make this kinda dough, but it's out there! trust me. both of my mentors produce over $1.5 million/year. this is not the average, but who wants to be average anyways

i know i sound like an arrogant POS for talking about the monetary aspects of getting into dentistry, but its what i think about when a clueless pre-med has the stigma that dentists are pre-meds that couldn't hack it. since i have some class, i always fail to tell them that i scored a 34 on the MCAT

jb!

 

[SHC1984]

Yeah, there has been a few MD that told me they hate their jobs...And I had one pharmacist told me go to Dental, avoid medical and pharmacial. lol...

Its cool that you got a 34 on the MCATS. ALOT of pre-med students told me the MCATs is a lot harder then the DAT. One guy got a 28 on the MCATs and a 24AA on the DAT... I have also read a DAT book which said itself that many students find the MCATS harder then the DAT.

i just kinda snicker in my head when someone kinda gives me "the look" when i tell them that i'm going to be a dentist. dentistry is such an AWESOME profession. i have never, in my entire life, met a dentist that did not think that this career was great.... that alone kinda reinforces my decision to go into dentistry. i used to work with MDs on a daily basis while in college and most were underpaid & stressed--and it showed! many a time did the MD tell me to look elsewhere when choosing a profession. just the other day i was at the orthopedic surgeon and when asking me what i was going to do, i replied, "i'm going to dental school".. his eyes kinda lit up and proceeded to talk about how i was making a smart move.

the bottom line is that as a general dentist you have the possibility of working less hours making 2,3,or 4x the amount of an family physician/internal medicing physician. you need to have a keen business sense and be very productive to make this kinda dough, but it's out there! trust me. both of my mentors produce over $1.5 million/year. this is not the average, but who wants to be average anyways

i know i sound like an arrogant POS for talking about the monetary aspects of getting into dentistry, but its what i think about when a clueless pre-med has the stigma that dentists are pre-meds that couldn't hack it. since i have some class, i always fail to tell them that i scored a 34 on the MCAT

jb!

 

[quartel]

the bottom line is that as a general dentist you have the possibility of working less hours making 2,3,or 4x the amount of an family physician/internal medicing physician. you need to have a keen business sense and be very productive to make this kinda dough, but it's out there! trust me. both of my mentors produce over $1.5 million/year. this is not the average, but who wants to be average anyways

This is precisely what motivated me to go into dentistry. I actually had a 15 minute discussion about this with a random GP. He told me that he regreted going becoming a MD and if he could do it all over again he would choose dentistry. All my life it's been a one way road for medicine but now I'm beginning to realize it's not what it's cracked up to be, especially here in Canada where the wages suck and you are stressed. Not to mention the MCAT is a lot harder than the DAT, that's a given. Now that I look back on it I was probably an idiot for trying so hard to get into med school. I honestly never knew dentistry was such a rewarding ($) choice for a student looking to get into a profession career.

 

[deejay]

im tired...

 

[SHC1984]

okay, I heard from some girl that works in a dental office that her general dentist makes 250K a month....Is that BS or is it possible? If its possible then why specialize?? lol....

This is precisely what motivated me to go into dentistry. I actually had a 15 minute discussion about this with a random GP. He told me that he regreted going becoming a MD and if he could do it all over again he would choose dentistry. All my life it's been a one way road for medicine but now I'm beginning to realize it's not what it's cracked up to be, especially here in Canada where the wages suck and you are stressed. Not to mention the MCAT is a lot harder than the DAT, that's a given. Now that I look back on it I was probably an idiot for trying so hard to get into med school. I honestly never knew dentistry was such a rewarding ($) choice for a student looking to get into a profession career.

 

[Drill2Fill]

That would be a total of 3 million a year, seems kinda high. Is that gross or net.

 

[xdianaax]

A month??? Seems a little off...specialists don't even make that for the most part...what area? Does he work on celebrities or something...lol

 

[SHC1984]

Yeah, I figure that girl was crazy! lol... I don't even think a gen dentist can make more then 500K a year, let alone over a million. A specialize can though..

 

[Drill2Fill]

A specialist, lol.

 

[jackbauer!]

okay, I heard from some girl that works in a dental office that her general dentist makes 250K a month....Is that BS or is it possible? If its possible then why specialize?? lol....

she's full of it. jb!

 

[jackbauer!]

Yeah, I figure that girl was crazy! lol... I don't even think a gen dentist can make more then 500K a year, let alone over a million. A specialize can though..

even that's pushing it..

 

[pacbum]

couldn't be happier that i'm not gonna be a doctor, and that i picked dentistry as a profession

sure, maybe its more competitive to get into med school, but schooling for us dentist is way harder...ask anyone

 

[armorshell]

Yeah, I figure that girl was crazy! lol... I don't even think a gen dentist can make more then 500K a year, let alone over a million. A specialize can though..

Some specialists can probably make a million a year, but they're probably about as rare as a GP that makes over 500k.

If you think mil+ specialists are common, you're in for a pretty unpleasent surprise.