Career advice: dentistry

[Wecanworkitout]

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Hello, I need advice on how to get started in pursuing a career in dentistry. I'm in community college and not close to leaving for a university, but my biggest concern is my lack of a scientific background. My appointment with my councilor is next Wednesday, but I want to know what I can do today to get started. My desire to be a dentist is just fresh and I may change my mind in the future, but any advice I receive here will be invaluable to me as this is the first time in my life I have seriously thought about my future and had a gut feeling about it.

Thank you for time.

 

[Wecanworkitout]

I accidently posted this thread multiple times as there was no "proceed to checkout" after clicking create thread.

 

[sgv]

Go shadow a dentist and see if you think you might like what they do. It can be easy to hate this job if you had the options of other great careers and hated the aspect of customer service, hand skills, educational investment, and effort required to be a successful dentist. People do drop out of dental school because they find out that they hate the level of hand skills required of them. You can never know for sure but make sure you're at least open to working at the millimeter scale with indirect vision. The other reason why people have to repeat a year of dental school is because of work ethic. Find the motivation you need to study biology, chemistry, biochemistry, physics and then anatomy & physiology, pharmacology, microbiology, and etc. The more you're interested in these subjects, the less of a strain it is to motivate yourself to study. If you don't have an interest in this but still want to be a dentist, try to find a way to make youself enjoy these subjects.

You can find out everything you need to know by searching Google. You really wouldn't need to post here to find that out and you most certainly don't need a counselor who knows ziltch about dental school telling you what to do. At most, they can tell you how to transfer to a university. You'll have to figure out which credits will transfer through and what classes you need to take before applying to dental school. But shadow a dentist first.

 

[Ionz]

I accidently posted this thread multiple times as there was no "proceed to checkout" after clicking create thread.

???

 

[Wecanworkitout]

Yes, about shadowing a dentist: I feel I won't know for sure until I get behind that chair with an actual dentist. Very insightful, about motivation and work ethic. What I haven't been about to find on Google is this: there are many subjects dental students need to know before going to dental school (biology, physics, etc.) How can I know which ones to study first?

Your response was eye-opening. Thank you for your time.

 

[Wecanworkitout]

When I clicked creat thread, it stayed on the same screen: there was no indication that my thread was posted. I'm new to forums, so everything is new (for example, in my response to sgv, I saw in the space provided for reply, sgv's resply to my question was in there, which was below sgv's reply he just posted!

???

 

[Wecanworkitout]

When I clicked creat thread, it stayed on the same screen: there was no indication that my thread was posted. I'm new to forums, so everything is new (for example, in my response to sgv, I saw in the space provided for reply, sgv's resply to my question was in there, which was below sgv's reply he just posted!

I don't know what you want. Maybe you see something I don't, but thank you for your obervation. I will try to figure this thing out.

 

[sgv]

Yes, about shadowing a dentist: I feel I won't know for sure until I get behind that chair with an actual dentist. Very insightful, about motivation and work ethic. What I haven't been about to find on Google is this: there are many subjects dental students need to know before going to dental school (biology, physics, etc.) How can I know which ones to study first?

Your response was eye-opening. Thank you for your time.

Go google it. I'm 100% sure the internet knows. You need to learn how to use a search engine for your own sake. If I just told you, I'd be breeding laziness.

 

[Wecanworkitout]

You are absolutely right. I will never forget you. Thank you for your time.

Go google it. I'm 100% sure the internet knows. You need to learn how to use a search engine for your own sake. If I just tell, I'd be breeding laziness.

 

[doc toothache]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/2013-guide-mini-guide-to-dental-school-admission.942453/

 

[amhunt]

I was just accepted into dental school and remember how you feel just getting started. Dentistry is a great profession and i'm excited about it. I just put up a blog about how I got in if you're interested.

http://alexhuntdentalstudent.com

 

[sampler]

Go shadow a dentist and see if you think you might like what they do. It can be easy to hate this job if you had the options of other great careers and hated the aspect of customer service, hand skills, educational investment, and effort required to be a successful dentist. People do drop out of dental school because they find out that they hate the level of hand skills required of them. You can never know for sure but make sure you're at least open to working at the millimeter scale with indirect vision. The other reason why people have to repeat a year of dental school is because of work ethic. Find the motivation you need to study biology, chemistry, biochemistry, physics and then anatomy & physiology, pharmacology, microbiology, and etc. The more you're interested in these subjects, the less of a strain it is to motivate yourself to study. If you don't have an interest in this but still want to be a dentist, try to find a way to make youself enjoy these subjects.

You can find out everything you need to know by searching Google. You really wouldn't need to post here to find that out and you most certainly don't need a counselor who knows ziltch about dental school telling you what to do. At most, they can tell you how to transfer to a university. You'll have to figure out which credits will transfer through and what classes you need to take before applying to dental school. But shadow a dentist first.

Hi, I am also someone considering dent but what you mention is my biggest worry...I have no doubt that I can learn the basic sciences in dent school, but I know someone who is very smart and did fine in the sciences in dent school but then he failed out of dent school because he could not succeed at the hand skills, making models, etc. aspects. How can I know if this may happen to me? The thought of taking as much as $100,000/yr in loans for a year or two and then failing out of dent school is petrifying, and this worry is the reason I have not just gone ahead and chosen dent (I am agonizing over dent and med, and to a lesser extent opto and pod). I know I can handle the sciences because I know how smart I am, but it is maddening that there is no way to know if I will fail out because of the hand skills. Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated

 

[Silent Cool]

Hi, I am also someone considering dent but what you mention is my biggest worry...I have no doubt that I can learn the basic sciences in dent school, but I know someone who is very smart and did fine in the sciences in dent school but then he failed out of dent school because he could not succeed at the hand skills, making models, etc. aspects. How can I know if this may happen to me? The thought of taking as much as $100,000/yr in loans for a year or two and then failing out of dent school is petrifying, and this worry is the reason I have not just gone ahead and chosen dent (I am agonizing over dent and med, and to a lesser extent opto and pod). I know I can handle the sciences because I know how smart I am, but it is maddening that there is no way to know if I will fail out because of the hand skills. Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated

It is HIGHLY unlikely that you will fail because of handskills (or lack thereof). I know of some pretty bad dental clinicians out practicing. Seriously. I wouldn't worry too much about it. If your skills really suck, you can go for something like Ortho or Perio, or oral radiology, where your handskills won't be as important as general, or endo, or pedo.

 

[Screwtape]

Hi, I am also someone considering dent but what you mention is my biggest worry...I have no doubt that I can learn the basic sciences in dent school, but I know someone who is very smart and did fine in the sciences in dent school but then he failed out of dent school because he could not succeed at the hand skills, making models, etc. aspects. How can I know if this may happen to me? The thought of taking as much as $100,000/yr in loans for a year or two and then failing out of dent school is petrifying, and this worry is the reason I have not just gone ahead and chosen dent (I am agonizing over dent and med, and to a lesser extent opto and pod). I know I can handle the sciences because I know how smart I am, but it is maddening that there is no way to know if I will fail out because of the hand skills. Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated

There is a learning curve with hand skills. Some people have it naturally while others need to practice practice practice. Is there a particular reason you are worried? There were a few people in my class that started behind in hand skills, but with practice they all got up to clinical competence. I would dare to say unless you have a legitimate psychomotor disorder, anyone can learn the hand skills to be competent in dentistry. Yes some people will be naturally gifted, but the old saying "where there is a will there is a way" holds true for dental school. In my opinion, the people with the most problems are those who get super nervous and can't steady their hands during practicals. Again that comes with practice. Don't let this aspect deter you from dental school.

 

[sgv]

Hi, I am also someone considering dent but what you mention is my biggest worry...I have no doubt that I can learn the basic sciences in dent school, but I know someone who is very smart and did fine in the sciences in dent school but then he failed out of dent school because he could not succeed at the hand skills, making models, etc. aspects. How can I know if this may happen to me? The thought of taking as much as $100,000/yr in loans for a year or two and then failing out of dent school is petrifying, and this worry is the reason I have not just gone ahead and chosen dent (I am agonizing over dent and med, and to a lesser extent opto and pod). I know I can handle the sciences because I know how smart I am, but it is maddening that there is no way to know if I will fail out because of the hand skills. Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated

Dentistry is a learned skill. You don't need to be gifted or love everything about dentistry. For example, 95% of students in my class absolutely abhor wax ups. Also dental school is 4 years and you'll end up paying $100,000 a year only if you had bad grades and had no option other than a new private school.