Artistic ability?

[devo213]

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How much artistic ability does one need to be a successful dental student/dentist? I have virtually no innate drawing/perceptual/scultping ability to put it mildly. As an engineering student i've found i'm pretty handy with a soldering iron and can work with tools fairly decently, but my creations are always uglier than my peers by several orders of magnitude (although they *usually* work). Also, anything I created in ceramics class in high school could be classified as a sin against nature. Anyone else had the same experience and find they could (or couldn't) pick up the requisite skills along the way in the dental labs? Thanks!

 

[agutier3]

I believe that having innate artistic ability is a plus, but is not necessarily needed to get a dental degree. You at least need to meet the minimum criteria set by your clinical professor and you will pass your lab courses and eventually get the DDS or DMD. Other than that, I don't know how anyone else can quantify "how much" artistry you will need to be successful.

Remember, that just like everything else, if you practice enough, you eventually will get better at it. I have been told that the ability to work adequately with your hands can be taught to a certain degree. Since you have demonstrated that you have experience with manual dexterity, then I would not worry too much. Just my 2 cents....

 

[tinker bell]

Art in dentistry is a different kind of art. One can draw a nice looking tooth, but may not get full point.
In dentistry, you only need to reproduce the exact thing (or near to exact thing). For example, if you take off some thing in the tooth, you should be able to put back-near to identical.

I say to do this, one needs very good observation eyes. And very high concentration during lab practicing time.

I am no artist at all (you guys will believe it when you see my drawing), but my morphology teacher told me that I'm the best student he has ever had (he is a supernice guy). I usually do not talk in my morphology class. Instead, I'm looking closely and carefully at the teeth I'm working on, and try to mimic the same thing.
Reproducing is not as hard as creating. And after awhile, u get use to it and work faster, and make nicer stuff.

The most important is that you make all of the contact points they want, and reproduce what they require (grooves, cusps, etc....)

Again, practice will make everything different