DDS to MD?

[Lila08]

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I have searched and found threads about RN/phD/pharmD/PA to MD.....but nothing regarding dentists applying to medical school. Has anyone done this or know anyone who has? Since a lot of the courses overlap, can you get med school credit for courses you already took in dental school? thanks!

 

[sgtbrushes]

Since a lot of the courses overlap, can you get med school credit for courses you already took in dental school?

Except for extremely rare courses, regardless of your previous education, you will endure the full four years of med school curriculum. Some of the classes will be easier, since you have demonstrated mastery of the knowledge, but you must still take them.

Out of curiosity, are you just curious? Or are you a DDS interested in becoming an MD? I'm sure it's probably been done before, but most people established in a career with that kind of lifestyle/ income would not be interested in med school and residency.

 

[J-Rad]

School dependent. My med school (one of the D.O. schools) let you get credit for some courses if you took an equivalent graduate level course in the same subject or if you held a masters or PhD in the subject. Examples of course for which you could get credit were Histology, Biochem, and Epidemiology. There was one lady who had a masters in anatomy and was allowed to not take the course if she agreed to TA the labs. I think there was an overall limit to the number of courses you could get credit for and even if you maxed them out you would still be in for four years (it's just your first year would be a little less packed).
In the dental world there are also some gluttons for punishment who do a six year combined OMFS (a brutal surgical residency)/MD program where they are granted the MD after completing two years of medical school (the OMFS residency portion is 4 years). It's debatable what the value of this is as it really will not a particularly tangible benefit (you can do the 4 year OMFS and still be able to do all the same things) unless you're really into self-flogging and you want to do a (second) medical residency afterward.

 

[ForrestG]

I find myself frustrated with my reaction to this DDS-to-MD question.

It annoys me that someone chose 4 years of graduate study and then realize it's not what they wanted. I personally have had a 10-yr engineering career with a BSME and MBA to support it, so I feel hypocritical, but being a dentist is a lot sweeter gig than being an engineer. I STILL make <$100K after 10 years, but my dentist lives in a $500K house My dentist treats patients, sets his own hours, and can do cosmetic work that doesn't deal with insurance. Sounds pretty good to me. I assume there are research and teaching opps if you want.

I'd love it if the OP could explain to me what she would hope to get out of being an MD. Obviously there are a lot of unique medical specialties out there, and I'd love to hear what is so interesting that you'd go to another 4 yrs of school + residency to do it. I don't mean this to be rude, I'm just geniunely curious.

 

[dentist82]

Hello there,

For the person who posed the question, my situation is somehow similar. I'm a dentist but my degree is not from the U.S. so I have Bachelors of Dental Surgery (BDS) instead of DDS. I'm very interested in getting my medical degree and will be working on it (although I need 2 years of dental school to get my DDS but I wont do it) so I don't know if that helps answer your question. For my case, I contacted some medical schools and they didn't seem interested in my foreign credit, however, they told me I should take my premed (BCMPE) and MCAT and apply with my foreign bachelors, nothing about transferring credit which would be good to me since It will be all review and also my low GPA from my dental school abroad.

To Forrest G, why would a dentist want to be a medical doctor? Exactly for the things you've mentioned (it's more cosmetic than direct patient care, I worked as a dental assistant in the U.S. and to me it was sad whenever I see dentists trying to "convince" or "sale" certain type of crown or bridge treatment to the patients and discuss costs!!! I felt that I'm working in sales or corporation and I don't like that. When I went to dental school I was 18 years old and nobody told me what's the deal (We don't have career counselors or education advisors back home) so I pretty much got stuck with it.

Another thing, I don't find dentistry challenging "academically" as medicine. I'm more interested in systematic diseases and make critical decisions to save peoples lives, I didn't find that with dentistry.

I have to agree with you regarding how comfortable the dentists' life style is. Set your hours, you run your business, work less hours than a MD, you set your policies(not treating uninsured people) and I've seen it and I hated it so much!!!!! For God sakes you became a doctor or a dentist to HELP people!!! I'm sorry but I'm not gonna be part of this farce where medicare or uninsured people treated like subhumans!! I know it's there in medicine too but for my part I will do whatever it takes to help people. People think medicine or dentistry is prestigous career, I don't think so, it's very humble career. You've invested so much time and money to gain knowledge just for another human to trust his well being with you, not for you just to worry about when you gonna pay off your private jet!!!

Call me nerd, insane but I come from a country where war has devistated and destroyed. The terrorism and violence acts back home made me think deeply of who I'm and what I want to do. The look of peoples faces after car bombs when you can do nothing to save them is still haunting me, the decapitated children and their sorrowful pareints as they look down on them had impacted me so much that I just want to help the poor and needy and made my heart full of hatred to war and violence.

I'm sorry for long answer, I feel I was explaining why I chosed medicine over dentistry to an ADCOM! LOL which I think thats what I'm gonna tell them in my medical application interview.

Thank you and God Bless!

 

[ForrestG]

I'd say if you have to start over anyway and you feel more strongly about medicine, go for it. Your reasons make sense.

As for saving lives as a dentist, my dentist keeps telling me gum disease leads to heart disease. : )

 

[dentist82]

I'd say if you have to start over anyway and you feel more strongly about medicine, go for it. Your reasons make sense.

As for saving lives as a dentist, my dentist keeps telling me gum disease leads to heart disease. : )

It is true that gum diseases could cause heart problems since the fastest blood circulation in human body is in teeth pulp (nerves). It's nothing like medicine though. Dentistry is not for everyone, it's an art and science. It doesn't matter how booksmart you are, I had fellow students who got all A's in exams but didn't do well in clinical treatment because it require motor skills. By the way, periodontists (gum dentists) have some insecurity issues! lol they think their specialty is very important while really it's not as ortho or oral surgery (just an inside tip from a dentist! lol)

By the way, you don't want to be a pedodentist!!! I worked with this guy and it was very stressful. Kids screaming at the top of their voices and just make the staff's life miserable! lol

 

[ArkansasRanger]

I have searched and found threads about RN/phD/pharmD/PA to MD.....but nothing regarding dentists applying to medical school. Has anyone done this or know anyone who has? Since a lot of the courses overlap, can you get med school credit for courses you already took in dental school? thanks!

Can I have your DDS when you're done with it? 😉