Hi everyone, I recently got into a dental school and have been having some serious introspection in the mean time.. The idea of general dentistry is not at all appealing to me (atleast forever) and The only specialty I really want is OMFS, which is probably not a shocker. I'm only worried is it worth chancing it all on omfs? I'm sure I can eventually get in especially if i hit the ground running now.. but i'm more worried if for some reason I change my mind throughout the next 4 years. Is it common to? I shadowed since 2 years ago and still find it a very appealing specialty, anyone else doing / did dental solely for this? Or am i better off in medical school? Definitely raises my interest and would have multiple backup specialties, but lifestyle certainly is more of a concern this route.. Any advice is appreciated
Dental school for OMFS or Medical?
- Thread starter Mocizzle
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Yes, I had classmates who did. At least 50% went on to OMFS, one transferred to med school, and the other two ended up being GP’s once they didn’t get in the first 2x. They do 3rds and IV sedation though. The latter two, in the end, were ok with being a GP.
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Don’t go to dental school if you can’t see yourself as a general dentist should your aspirations not materialize.
Big Hoss
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Having been in your same position and about to take the CBSE, I certainly won’t counsel you against it. But you’d better know up front that a significant proportion of people who say the same thing don’t make it. If you’re extremely confident about having the self discipline and academic capability to get all or mostly all A’s and to study like crazy to do really well on the hardest test you’ll ever take, then it may not necessarily be a huge risk. The match rate is ~58%. If you can ensure you’re among the top ~50% of OMFS applicants, you should have a decent chance.
It’s not like it’s a stupid idea, but someone choosing to take that path should be totally comfortable with the idea of being another kind of dentist if it doesn’t pan out. I would much rather be a GP dentist than a lot of types of doctors, for various reasons, which is why I went to dental school with lofty goals rather than going to medical school with broad interests.
As I’ve talked to more OMFS-hopeful dental students at my and other schools and to residents, I’ve found that it’s pretty common among them to have been interested in both medicine and dentistry and that many of them chose dental school with the intent to specialize in OMFS, then made it happen by working harder and staying on top of things from the very beginning of school.
It’s not like it’s a stupid idea, but someone choosing to take that path should be totally comfortable with the idea of being another kind of dentist if it doesn’t pan out. I would much rather be a GP dentist than a lot of types of doctors, for various reasons, which is why I went to dental school with lofty goals rather than going to medical school with broad interests.
As I’ve talked to more OMFS-hopeful dental students at my and other schools and to residents, I’ve found that it’s pretty common among them to have been interested in both medicine and dentistry and that many of them chose dental school with the intent to specialize in OMFS, then made it happen by working harder and staying on top of things from the very beginning of school.
Dude i So feel this, so many OMFS guys i talked to friggin loved medicine (how i feel) and felt limited by gen dent, ive noticed other specialists genuinely only liked dental.. very interesting and refreshing to see im not alone
Why did one transfer to medical?
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Just didn’t want to even take the chance of being a GP. Was more comfortable with pursuing a medical surgical specialty whether it be general surgery, ortho, ENT, plastic etc. He was one that shouldn’t have gone to dental school. Not sure why he did honestly.
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I would hesitate to say general is limiting. Some people fall into the trap of thinking OMFS is the next step or atop a hierarchy or something when a whole ton of GPs are 110% happy being GPs. A lot of really smart, hard-working people go to dental school to get in and get out and start working and make as much or more than many specialists, and think that people like me are insane for wanting to do 4-6 more years. They're parallel, and GPs and other specialists all do some incredible stuff too. General dentists are just that, general, they can do a huuuuge range of things. That's why a big part of my decision to go to dental school with eyes on OMFS was that I was really interested in dentistry as a whole as well. If you don't feel the same way you might want to take another look at medical school still.
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What are the traits or characters of OMFS that is really appealing to you? Why? Think and reflect on this. If you feel that they are available in ortho or endo etc, then going to dental school would be worthwhile. If not, where else can you get it? WIll medical school provide those challenges and opportunities to you? If yes, pursuing medical school won't be too bad.
But, talk to as many other type of dentist as possible, shadow a few of them before you start. You still have time to think about specialties. So, think a lot about committing to something.
Do not go to dental school. At minimum you should probably be ok with being a general dentist. To be an oral surgeon you basically have to go to school with 12-14 hour days 5 days a week to be a general dentist while in your free time and breaks(which you don't get like med school) study to take "step 1". Outside of extractions most dental schools do not prepare you for oral surgery/cbse like they do with other dental specialties, you basically have to do it on your own. Everyone comes into school wanting to be "ortho" or "oral surgery," they figure out pretty soon they actually don't have as big of an ego as they thought, or are as hard working as they thought.
What you have to answer is why oral surgery? You only want to take out 3rds? Implants? You don't need to do oral surgery to do those exclusively, there are many GP's that do. If you're going for lifestyle either medical/dental(OMFS) plan to work your ever loving ass off for 10 years.
What you have to answer is why oral surgery? You only want to take out 3rds? Implants? You don't need to do oral surgery to do those exclusively, there are many GP's that do. If you're going for lifestyle either medical/dental(OMFS) plan to work your ever loving ass off for 10 years.
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I'm not going to say whether or not you should do it, but should you decide to go to dental school, download Zanki and start studying for the CBSE right now lmao. The CBSE is almost always the factor that holds people back, and if you go to a school with a class ranking, it's going to be difficult to study for your classes and the CBSE simultaneously.
This LOW key may be me in a few more days LOL
Good point, I in no way aspired for omfs due to its rigor, nor disliked GP because it seemed "Low" Tbh I kinda just got into dentistry because there's some wealthy dentists in the area, I liked science classes so gpa and DAT weren't really an issue and i did very little clinical work.. so here we are today Lol. I guess if you asked why OMFS because I don't like a lot of things about general dentistry, having to push elective procedures for the $$, lacking a comprehensive medical understanding of the body, the strong emphasis on aesthetics, etc. This was mitigated by things like implants, bone grafts, bony extractions, etc; more surgical and the goal to improve function. OMFS just seemed to answer all these issues, but now my concern is i think I am realizing that I am not passionate about dentistry as a field (which seems to be common) but at the SAME time, no one can argue the hours, eventual autonomy, lack of B.S paper work found in medicine either. So it's a very hard choice!
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It’s really early to decide general dentistry isn’t for you when you haven’t ever picked up a drill in your life.
If you really only want to be a surgeon, withdraw so someone who wants to be a dentist and would do anything to get off the waitlist to be a “GD” for the rest of their life can take your spot.
I feel like there are people who really have a true passion for OMFS and the rest are type A people who have the need to fulfill some goal of being a rich surgeon/MD/trying to be better than everyone else.
I want to specialize too just like you but I’m going to serve in the Navy and be a good general dentist first. I’m perfectly Ok with that.
Your goals and aspirations may very well change in dental school.
Also you’re most likely taking out loans for DS. If you end up hating DS and somehow graduate or drop out, you owe whatever you’ve taken out. Just ask @Big Time Hoosier how interest works. You’ll be surprised.
If you really only want to be a surgeon, withdraw so someone who wants to be a dentist and would do anything to get off the waitlist to be a “GD” for the rest of their life can take your spot.
I feel like there are people who really have a true passion for OMFS and the rest are type A people who have the need to fulfill some goal of being a rich surgeon/MD/trying to be better than everyone else.
I want to specialize too just like you but I’m going to serve in the Navy and be a good general dentist first. I’m perfectly Ok with that.
Your goals and aspirations may very well change in dental school.
Also you’re most likely taking out loans for DS. If you end up hating DS and somehow graduate or drop out, you owe whatever you’ve taken out. Just ask @Big Time Hoosier how interest works. You’ll be surprised.
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and it gets worse
if you drop out of school to go to med school, you have wasted the school's time, money, and energy educating you when there was someone that was waiting for that spot...
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100% agree with the two previous comments, but I also want to add that not everyone in dental school is super “passionate” about dentistry. I mean, what does that really even mean? There are some people that volunteered at free dental clinics and stuff since junior high and shadowed for a thousand hours, etc., but that’s not the norm. TONS of people are in dental school because they have an in to a good job because their parents or siblings are already dentists. Lots of other people did research about lots of different careers and decided that the combination of factors dentistry provides was more attractive to them than being an engineer or a teacher or a physician or whatever other job. They may (should) direct their general passion into their chosen career but that doesn’t mean they’re super “passionate about dentistry” that a lot of SDN thinks is the only thing you can write in your personal statement.
That being said, if you have major reservations about being seriously disappointed with yourself if you “end up” as a GP or something, or if you’re concerned about your capacity to perform better than most of the rest of your class in hundreds of hours of difficult lab work on top of science and other classes... then yeah, maybe you should let someone who doesn’t have those reservations take a seat they want more than anything.
That being said, if you have major reservations about being seriously disappointed with yourself if you “end up” as a GP or something, or if you’re concerned about your capacity to perform better than most of the rest of your class in hundreds of hours of difficult lab work on top of science and other classes... then yeah, maybe you should let someone who doesn’t have those reservations take a seat they want more than anything.
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I think you might be selling general dentistry a bit short. A lot of bread and butter general stuff is hygiene,fillings and crowns, which are almost never elective procedures for $$. Some people argue that implants, bone grafts, and 3rds are sometimes elective procedures for $$. Cosmetic dentistry is something very specific that not every GP is building their practices around. As for the medical understanding, there's more and more research on the oral systemic connection every year, with stuff like linkages between periodontal disease and diabetes for example. If that's what you're interested in, there's a lot of research opportunity there in dentistry.
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The real issue is you know so little about dentistry, but you expound in it as if you have been doing it for decades. If you really have doubts, give your seat to someone who wants to be a dentist. There are lots of good careers out there.
Healthcare is only one of them.
Healthcare is only one of them.
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Going to be honest here, the way you post or talk about things related to dentistry for some reason irks me. I remember you from other threads where the experienced dentists have to bring you back down to reality. You keep posting as if things are absolutes just because they seem that way in your world. Stop posting and enjoy your summer before dental school.
oh, now I remember who this guy is
he's been asking this same question on the forums for a few months now
and in this thread, he claims to have been recently accepted
but earlier, he claimed to already be a dental student
OMFS concerns
Hi guys I am a dental student right now and wanted to pursue omfs, what's bothering me is as I conduct more and more research Im noticing a lot of third molar extractions are plain unneseccary at best. From my understanding omfs private practice is predicated on chucking thirds, I have no...
forums.studentdoctor.net
dental
Hi everyone, is it a legitimate reason to reapply to dental schools, if you only got into schools that are 400k+ tuition? I understand that I shouldn't have applied to those schools in the first place, but I just want to be wary before I get into this...
forums.studentdoctor.net
Dental application rescinded advice
Hi everyone, I was recently admitted to a dental school and I indicated on my application that I would be completing some shadowing hours in the summer of 2019 (I submitted in 2018) After acceptance I began studying for the CBSE exam for oral surgery as I had a large gap of time that I wanted to...
forums.studentdoctor.net
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ah what this is all the same guy? OP, this honestly makes me feel like I shouldn't have encouraged you. Trying to make decisions about pursuing specialties when you don't seem to want to take the advice more experienced people offer you when you ask for it and repeatedly making these kinds of statements that seem totally clueless and asking the same questions multiple times really makes it seem like you don't really have a handle on reality when it comes to dental school or anything beyond it. No offense, but this kind of stuff would go over really poorly with faculty, residents, and attendings.
i'm betting he deletes his account soon
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And then comes back with a different name and makes a new post.
“It seems OMFSs only make 200k a year( from his 5 minute google search) is there any reason to want to do OMFS any more? I am a medically oriented person (has not even touched anything medical related), who doesn’t really enjoy dentistry. I haven’t even so much as made a incision or pulled a perio tooth yet but I know all about bone grafts, osteotomys, BSSOs, leforts and more. Help me make my choice guys but if you don’t tell me what I want to hear I’ll get mad and call you snarky”.
That’s basically every thread he’s written so far.
he'll be easy to spot...
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oh, now I remember who this guy is
he's been asking this same question on the forums for a few months now
and in this thread, he claims to have been recently accepted
but earlier, he claimed to already be a dental student
and previously he wanted to rescind his acceptance to an expensive schoolOMFS concerns
Hi guys I am a dental student right now and wanted to pursue omfs, what's bothering me is as I conduct more and more research Im noticing a lot of third molar extractions are plain unneseccary at best. From my understanding omfs private practice is predicated on chucking thirds, I have no...
and he also claimed he was studying for CSBE, and didn't complete his shadowing, so a school rescinded their offer to himdental
Hi everyone, is it a legitimate reason to reapply to dental schools, if you only got into schools that are 400k+ tuition? I understand that I shouldn't have applied to those schools in the first place, but I just want to be wary before I get into this...
things just don't add up here...Dental application rescinded advice
Hi everyone, I was recently admitted to a dental school and I indicated on my application that I would be completing some shadowing hours in the summer of 2019 (I submitted in 2018) After acceptance I began studying for the CBSE exam for oral surgery as I had a large gap of time that I wanted to...
Yikes.
