Art in Dental??

[staroceanX]

I've seen people keep saying dental is a combination of science and art. I understand making teeth beautiful and clean is a major part of dentistry. But i don't know how much art is there exactly. Do you have to have strong interest and very artistic to become a dentist? Do you need some kind of artistic proves from courses or extra curriculum activities to dental admissoin?

Personally, i don't mind art, when i actually do it, i enjoy it. But i'm not a huge fan of it like i won't go around art galleries and saying "omg what an incredible painting". I just want to know how much art is needed in dentistry.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[brandiwine1160]

I've seen people keep saying dental is a combination of science and art. I understand making teeth beautiful and clean is a major part of dentistry. But i don't know how much art is there exactly. Do you have to have strong interest and very artistic to become a dentist? Do you need some kind of artistic proves from courses or extra curriculum activities to dental admissoin?

Personally, i don't mind art, when i actually do it, i enjoy it. But i'm not a huge fan of it like i won't go around art galleries and saying "omg what an incredible painting". I just want to know how much art is needed in dentistry.

To me the art in dentistry isn't making teeth beautiful and clean, it's more in the perfect crown preperation or the perfect fill of a root canal. When you consider that a dentist is working in a confined space, often looking in a mirror, and dealing in millimeters. That perfect preparation can become art. I don't think that dental schools are necessarily looking for art appreciation but more for the manual dexterity that art provides.

 

[aceking]

I've seen people keep saying dental is a combination of science and art. I understand making teeth beautiful and clean is a major part of dentistry. But i don't know how much art is there exactly. Do you have to have strong interest and very artistic to become a dentist? Do you need some kind of artistic proves from courses or extra curriculum activities to dental admissoin?

Personally, i don't mind art, when i actually do it, i enjoy it. But i'm not a huge fan of it like i won't go around art galleries and saying "omg what an incredible painting". I just want to know how much art is needed in dentistry.

People talk so much crap about cosmetic dentistry (e.g. leave the virgin teeth alone), but i think one of the most rewarding procedures in terms of money and happiness for the patient. cosmetic dentistry to me is like 100% art, but a dental tech play a huge role. i think that there are only like a good hand full of techs that can do a great job.
i think art+skills great dentist
just skills average dentist
but it is only my thought

 

[msf41]

I took an art class last semester and I definately saw similarities between art and dentistry. When I was working on a painting I would often stare at a small area for an hour at a time. Adding small bits of color here, or smoothing a line there. I learned about spacial relationships. Even when painting I had to enjoy working with my hands for long periods of time. Some people hated the art class, I really enjoyed it and I think that means I'll enjoy some of the work in dentistry.

 

[Sprgrover]

...Personally, i don't mind art, when i actually do it, i enjoy it. But i'm not a huge fan of it like i won't go around art galleries and saying "omg what an incredible painting". I just want to know how much art is needed in dentistry.

Art appreciation is not a pre-requisite for dentistry. As some of the other posters have mentioned, dentistry is both very manual but also very visual: you have to work in a confined space and your work is visible to the patient and often times the rest of the world. Dentistry is incorporating aethetics more and more into its procedures and patients are expecting not only a remedy for their problem but one that looks "perfect" or "natural" as well. Thus the 'art' in dentistry is in part successfully meeting these requirements and also having the patient satisfied and confident in you and your work.

 

[demonicr]

People talk so much crap about cosmetic dentistry (e.g. leave the virgin teeth alone), but i think one of the most rewarding procedures in terms of money and happiness for the patient. cosmetic dentistry to me is like 100% art, but a dental tech play a huge role. i think that there are only like a good hand full of techs that can do a great job.
i think art+skills great dentist
just skills average dentist
but it is only my thought

to me, cosmetic is all up to the dental lab. they are the one that makes the veneers or crowns. all the dentist do is just cut the teeth down and take the impression. you got to do the worst prepped job on earth in order for the final work to come out looking like crap considering you have a good lab. the lab is the one the pour up the models and do all the porcelain work. all the dentist do after that is make some minor neccasary adjustment and seat the veneers, crowns, bridge etc. so unless you are a prostodontics where you do most of your lab work. in my opinon you don't need to be really artistic to be a dentist, regardless of what most people would say.

 

[OliverBrooklyn]

http://www.foxmurals.com/muralproductions/stlukes.jpg- check out some of my art (murals) I am 1000x better artist than scientist but my science gpa is ok (3.4) It is too bad artist's make no money. 🙁
if you like that mural check out my whole webpage (www.foxmurals.com)

 

[Sprgrover]

http://www.foxmurals.com/muralproductions/stlukes.jpg- check out some of my art (murals) I am 1000x better artist than scientist but my science gpa is ok (3.4) It is too bad artist's make no money. 🙁
if you like that mural check out my whole webpage (www.foxmurals.com)

Great work, Oliver! I'm impressed! Enjoy your time at Pratt! 👍

 

[BeachLuvr]

Art's a pretty big part. I remember when I was doing a summer program we were required to do wax fillings on plastic teeth. I remember on one of the teeth I worked on there was this "cavity" on the buccal surface of the tooth. I filled it with wax and tried to smooth it out to blend with the surface of the rest of the tooth, and turned that thing in. The Dr. gives it back to me, saying it's way to low-filled and way to choppy. You couldn't tell this from a distance, but up close you could see that that filling had some issues. Of course, after many years this professor-dentist had the keen ability to spot perfection and non-perfection 🙂 It had nothing to do with science, it was all about an eye for aesthetics...

A sense of that, is very important, and gets better with time and practice

 

[OliverBrooklyn]

Great work, Oliver! I'm impressed! Enjoy your time at Pratt! 👍

1000x too expensive - honestly probably the biggest waist ever- the school is over rated -my advice is go to ure state school for undergrad no matter what and steer clear of art- it has caused me nothing but depression and greif -

 

[Sprgrover]

1000x too expensive - honestly probably the biggest waist ever- the school is over rated -my advice is go to ure state school for undergrad no matter what and steer clear of art- it has caused me nothing but depression and greif -

Sorry to hear that. I did go to state schools and enjoyed my time in art. I wish you the best and hang in there! 👍

 

[jessUMD]

http://www.foxmurals.com/muralproductions/stlukes.jpg- check out some of my art (murals) I am 1000x better artist than scientist but my science gpa is ok (3.4) It is too bad artist's make no money. 🙁
if you like that mural check out my whole webpage (www.foxmurals.com)

Amazing!! Awesome work

 

[demonicr]

http://www.foxmurals.com/muralproductions/stlukes.jpg- check out some of my art (murals) I am 1000x better artist than scientist but my science gpa is ok (3.4) It is too bad artist's make no money. 🙁
if you like that mural check out my whole webpage (www.foxmurals.com)

i agree with you on the fact that most artists are not getting paid for the hardwork they put out. i have a good friend who's in to ceramics. he once told me the average artist makes $3.00 and hour.

 

[psiyung]

Dentistry is more arts and crafts with a special blend of science.

 

[jheidenr]

to the OP-

I can understand what you are saying here. After taking an art class at my university, the biggest impression I got was that good craftsmanship does not always make good artistry, but most good artistry requires good craftsmanhsip. I think that some dental programs have suggested taking art classes because some of the rudimentary courses stress a lot on craftsmanship. However, I think that dentistry mostly requires craftsmanship rather than art. In a more general sense, many people bundle craftsmanship and art together when they talk about art.