Cannot decide on a speciality

[toof14]

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Hello everyone. Rising d4 here. Kind of in a mini crisis and would love some opinions. I recently applied to endo residency, but have recently had a lot of surgery experience (37 extractions) and realized that I both love it and good at it. I can see myself doing this every single day tbh. a lot of my letters of rec show my interest in endo although I have a pretty balanced CV and application. If I don't get into endo, should I full send some perio apps and test my luck or maybe spend my d4 year studying for the cbse and trying omfs? i still love endo but honestly equally, if not more, love omfs. maybe do a gpr to figure my life out? idk, what do yall think? I could also do GP but tbh would rather specialize becaue I like to be really good at one thing

 

[JacquesVallee]

Practice general dentistry first and then decide. It sounds like you really don't know what you want to do. Practicing dentistry will help you discern and strengthen your app for endo or perio (OMFS would rather you do an internship).

 

[Wisetoothshucker]

The first part of your dilemma seems to be whether you want to do Endo or something else, and you're currently applying. Your doubts in endo seem to be significant. It's up to you to figure that out, all 3 fields you mentioned are great, it's personal preference.

As for GPR, I'd hold off on that. If you decide you don't want Endo (first thing you should figure out), then start studying for the CBSE, take it Feb or July of D4 year, and do a Non-cat. Skip the GPR.

For Perio, I'm assuming shadowing, LORs, should be good to keep that door open.

First figure out if you want endo or not. The vibe is telling me you want OMFS. So just tell endo no thanks, crush the Feb/July CBSE, do a non-cat and you'll be set

 

[gigachadomfs]

Sounds like you're pretty unsure still, and i think a hospital-based GPR would be able to give you a full scope experience and be the answer to your questions

 

[TheToothinator]

As someone who decided to pursue OMFS in the fall of D4 year, I'd highly recommend during an externship at an OMFS program. It's the best way to see the full scope of the specialty and get first-hand insight into what the residency will entail. If you end up going for surgery, you'll have to start prepping for CBSE as soon as you can, while trying to secure a non-cat spot for next year. If you want anymore insight, feel free to PM me.

 

[Undecided__]

I was in a similar situation as you, but was stuck between endo and ortho. I ultimately decided on ortho because I didn't want to do root canals all day.

Since you've already applied to endo, then that means you must've liked it. I'll see how endo goes, and then go from there. If you get into endo, definitely do endo. If not, then explore other options if you want.

 

[Gustavo dos Santos]

It’s ok to take a step back and see what you want to do. To one of the earlier comments, it’s ok to work as a general dentist and then apply to a specialty after youve figured things out

 

[schmoob]

Hello everyone. Rising d4 here. Kind of in a mini crisis and would love some opinions. I recently applied to endo residency, but have recently had a lot of surgery experience (37 extractions) and realized that I both love it and good at it. I can see myself doing this every single day tbh. a lot of my letters of rec show my interest in endo although I have a pretty balanced CV and application. If I don't get into endo, should I full send some perio apps and test my luck or maybe spend my d4 year studying for the cbse and trying omfs? i still love endo but honestly equally, if not more, love omfs. maybe do a gpr to figure my life out? idk, what do yall think? I could also do GP but tbh would rather specialize becaue I like to be really good at one thing

37 extractions is not a lot. And it is also not an accurate representation of OMFS as a specialty. And if you can’t decide between endodontia and exodontia then I don’t think you’re quite ready to specialize.
I’m a GP and I do tons of extractions and RCT’s. I also do implants. If it’s too complex then it’s not worth my time and I refer.
And don’t underestimate the profitability of crown and bridge. A core buildup and crown takes 15 minutes. My assistant is packing cord if necessary and scanning the final prep while I’m already working on my next patient that I numbed before I started the crown prep.

Do a GPR or practice general dentistry if you want more money for a little. Or both. You will have a much better understanding of what each specialty is really like.

 

[jk5177]

When I was a D4; I didn't know what I want to do either. Post-match landed me in a Hospital-based GPR at St. Barnabas. Afterwards, i worked as a gp, then realized I like the blood and like the endos. Applied for endo, and the rest was history.
My surgical skills... say extracting wisdom teeth are still useful to this day. Sometimes, I'll do apico on second mandibular molars, intentional replantation, and apicoectomy on palatal roots.