Dentist or Doctor?

[PreMedHopeful]

So I'm a premed student in a special premed program that is early assurance to my college's med school....but with the current changes Obama is proposing, I am thinking really hard should I go into medicine and all the struggles like applying, residency, and stress??

If I choose dentistry, won't I be happier, less stressed, and enjoy life more with lesss struggles?

The doctors I'm shadowing all said go for dentistry, it's better since there won't be salary cuts and there's no high malpractice insurance...but I like medicine for the variety...dentistry seems so boring....God help me decide please!!!!!


The college premed program I'm in allows me to switch programs like dental in college and then I can go to dental school, but I don't know what to do to be honest....

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[Vicviper]

So I'm a premed student in a special premed program that is early assurance to my college's med school....but with the current changes Obama is proposing, I am thinking really hard should I go into medicine and all the struggles like applying, residency, and stress??

If I choose dentistry, won't I be happier, less stressed, and enjoy life more with lesss struggles?

The doctors I'm shadowing all said go for dentistry, it's better since there won't be salary cuts and there's no high malpractice insurance...but I like medicine for the variety...dentistry seems so boring....God help me decide please!!!!!


The college premed program I'm in allows me to switch programs like dental in college and then I can go to dental school, but I don't know what to do to be honest....

The best thing I can suggest for you to do is shadowing, that's really where you learn if you enjoy the profession, and that's how I fell in love with it - after I saw my first root canal I was hooked! Hehe. In my experience, dentists are more than happy to let you shadow, just call up your general dentist and tell him you're trying to decide what profession to enter. You want to pick one that you can see yourself enjoying for the rest of your life - the money for either way will be fine, and you'll live very comfortably. For me some of what you are saying is what more attracted me to dentistry, and my father, a medical doctor, was glad that I chose dentistry. As far as boring, I worked as a dental assistant in a Children's Clinic for 6 months, and it never really got boring, always lots of new cases, and our dentist was totally driven with helping the kids we treated. I hear some people find it boring after a while, but I guess that differs from person to person. I know medicine can also get repetitive as well, my dad was a specialist and say the same cases over and over again in his 40 year career - but if you enjoy doing it, it's not that bad.

Either profession will be a great choice. Consider all of your options, maybe you really want to go Vet or Pharm? And, in reference to your thread title, *COUGH* dentists are doctors as well! ;p

 

[PreMedHopeful]

hahahaa *COUGH* The hangover movie, a DENTIST IS NOT A REAL DOCTOR, I LOVE THAT JOKE BECAUSE ITS SOMEWHAT TRUE...DENTAL EDUCATION IS WAY EASIER COMPARED TO MEDICAL EDUCATION + RESIDENCY.....sorry for Caps...haha but I want to emphasize my point

 

[PreMedHopeful]

no pharmacy is too boring, I'm not going into pharm for sure, my brother is doing that and he likes it because of the pay and easy life but its boring as he** and no way I would do that since I was a pharm tech and I almost died and quit after 3 weeks....

dental does seem interesting but I only shadowed a dentist once during high school and she was not helpful in answering questions just said she loved her job because she liked the easy atmosphere, relaxing life and good pay.

 

[TedyBearSuicide]

hahahaa *COUGH* The hangover movie, a DENTIST IS NOT A REAL DOCTOR, I LOVE THAT JOKE BECAUSE ITS SOMEWHAT TRUE...DENTAL EDUCATION IS WAY EASIER COMPARED TO MEDICAL EDUCATION + RESIDENCY.....sorry for Caps...haha but I want to emphasize my point

You answered your own question. Go for medicine. I mean you already know how easy dental school is and you seem like the person who does not mind a challenge. Dentist are not real doctors for sure, and some school that do offer dual DDS/MD degrees are setting themselves up for failure, and don't even get me started on OMFS...leading to a so called "MD".......what losers!

 

[PreMedHopeful]

lol I didnt understand your degree thing at alll....I'm just so worried about MCAT that I'm considering dental....god help me...god save me:/

 

[jvelos3]

lol I didnt understand your degree thing at alll....I'm just so worried about MCAT that I'm considering dental....god help me...god save me:/

You should be...reading comprehension is very important on the mcat.

 

[PreMedHopeful]

please I prefer stand-alone questions instead of passages on mcat....why can't MCAT be easy haha I think I have completely lost it by now....

 

[TedyBearSuicide]

lol I didnt understand your degree thing at alll....I'm just so worried about MCAT that I'm considering dental....god help me...god save me:/

Don't worry about the dual degrees, our explanations will just confuse you even more. So you are willing to pass over a four hour and fifteen minute test just to settle for a mediocre career like dentistry? .......have some faith in yourself. You made it into the early assurance program, so you must be well capable of acing the MCAT.

 

[PreMedHopeful]

I have no faith in myself haha I guess I'm just worried if I bomb the MCAT, then can't I become a dentist---why are you saying its mediocre??? Aren't you predent yourself?!

I mean like how many dental schools are there in U.S. and how much will it cost if I apply to dental schools as well as MD schools only and then if I get interviews I can decide after what I want to do with my life...since clearly as of today I am confused and need to sort out the drama inside my head before I make a clear choice but I'm seriously debating about dentistry just because I don't want to be in school for next 9 years of my life including residency/step exams.....

 

[PreMedHopeful]

I have great stats and I would apply to about 10 dental schools and 10 MD schools and maybe 5 DO schools...Can I do that?

DO I have take BOTH DAT and MCAT or can I just submit all MCAT scores to all dental/medical schools....by the way I love the PREDENTS.com website, it's AWESOME compared to the MDapplicants.com....I hate that website, it wouldn't let me create a new account!

 

[vlct0ria]

I have great stats and I would apply to about 10 dental schools and 10 MD schools and maybe 5 DO schools...Can I do that?

DO I have take BOTH DAT and MCAT or can I just submit all MCAT scores to all dental/medical schools....by the way I love the PREDENTS.com website, it's AWESOME compared to the MDapplicants.com....I hate that website, it wouldn't let me create a new account!

You can take any entrance exams you want and apply to any and all types of professional schools that interest you...but I am telling you now you might find it difficult to get into ANY of them when they realize your complete lack of commitment to any single field.

 

[PreMedHopeful]

fine I'm doing medicine haha I am just being lazy and trying to take the easy way out because I'm stressed and just lazy right now....

 

[PreMedHopeful]

to be honest, I'm dedicated to medicine and serve people in that field....dentistry is awesome but in reality, I'm not passionate about it and you gotta do what you do in this world...right?

 

[vlct0ria]

to be honest, I'm dedicated to medicine and serve people in that field....dentistry is awesome but in reality, I'm not passionate about it and you gotta do what you do in this world...right?

It sounds like you already know you want to be in medicine, so stick to it...I have many friends working on the MCAT, med school apps, etc and I am very aware that its a tough process, but honestly, applying to dental school is not much easier...and I don't think being worried about the MCAT should make you change your career path. Good luck.

 

[longhornpride]

stop answering his questions. he's trolling.

 

[PreMedHopeful]

I'm not trolling, I am still thinking if I should pick dentistry, but its like a backup plan if I don't like shadowing next year and I really want to be a dentist...I have enough time to decide...dont jump to conclusions Longhorn

 

[angelnyc89]

I think you already have it in your heart to go into medicine and not dentistry. you can do it. have faith in yourself. like the thomas the train "i think i can" ... you can!

 

[NAVY DDS 2010]

I think you already have it in your heart to go into medicine and not dentistry. you can do it. have faith in yourself. like the thomas the train "i think i can" ... you can!

Actaully, it wasn't Thomas who said that. It was The Little Engine That Could.

 

[PreMedHopeful]

oh wow....Okay, we are done ...after that sentence, all my faith is restored hahahahaaha

 

[PreMedHopeful]

alright so basically this is the deal: My heart is set on medicine but my mind is telling me I'll be happier as a dentist because life will be easier and less stressful...I want to actually enjoy my life after all the education nonsense haha

 

[Svart Aske]

With the level of intelligence you are displaying you will not succeed in either profession. You will probably not get smarter but at least grow a pair.

 

[Vicviper]

It's a horrible idea to go into another profession simply because you think it will be easier. Dental school is not easy, and dentists have residency as well. Also, dental can very often be more expensive. Be dedicated to something, Adcoms really dislike people who are on the fence about what they want to do.

I thought you were asking a serious question, but clearly by your responses you're not.

 

[BiomajorPreDent]

You are all wasting your time replying to the OP. I stopped reading the threads after reading this statement.

hahahaa *COUGH* The hangover movie, a DENTIST IS NOT A REAL DOCTOR, I LOVE THAT JOKE BECAUSE ITS SOMEWHAT TRUE...DENTAL EDUCATION IS WAY EASIER COMPARED TO MEDICAL EDUCATION + RESIDENCY.....sorry for Caps...haha but I want to emphasize my point

Another immature kid on the internet. How (If) he got into any B.S/M.D program is beyond me.

 

[Svart Aske]

Look at his previous posts. All he does is whine about how hard the MCAT is. He could have been a eunuch.

 

[timwatley]

This is possibly the worst thread I have ever read. OP...you changed your career path like 3 times during this post. Straighten yourself out before you come back.

 

[icedspice]

I applaud the SDNers who actually gave him advice earlier on.
premedhopeful, you had a lucky day. usually, any premed-->predent converter is immediately crushed within two seconds... unless you have a valid reason to switch. ur lucky that SDNers give people like you benefit of the doubt... and offer their advice to u. clearly, u dont need it. u have your own thought process going on...... some things should be kept to yourself.

i was once a premed too. that was 2-3 years ago. but it was through process of elimination that i knew premed was not for me. i had my reasons listed on my personal statement to why and how dentistry is a perfect fit for me. adcoms are not stupid - they know the $$ and the easy life is a definite advantage to the life of a dentist... but can YOU list your legitimate reasons and successfully persuade adcoms that you are not as immature as you have made yourself sound to all fellow SDNers?

and seriously, have u never heard anyone say... do what you love, then u wont have to work a day in your life?

if u think dentistry is gross and disgusting, why would u even consider it? Just because you are scared of MCAT... or because of time constraints? how immature are u? Do you realize even dental schools are crazy hectic..


To answer your question, Dentist or Doctor? None. I would never want to come to you.

 

[12345a]

To answer your question, Dentist or Doctor? None. I would never want to come to you.

nicee

 

[armorshell]

I can't help but laugh every time a pre-med bashes dentistry for being "gross." I just hope the OP remembers this thread when they have to do their first pelvic exam on a 60+ year old bag lady who's lived under a bridge for the past 5 years without so much as a shower.

Yeah, mouths sure are gross

 

[PreMedHopeful]

haha do you even think I payed attention to anything you wrote, buddy?

In the end, I'm going to post anything I want because if it's a question and If I want to ask, why you care at all?

I am seriously debating about dentistry because even though I find medicine interesting...I don't know anything about dentistry since I haven't really shadowed one ever...My dentist was being weird when I wanted to shadow her, all I did was interview her since I didn't get to see any patients...so basically I have no clue as to what kind of things a dentist does besides check for cavities...I have never seen a root canal or teeth whitening procedure....

dentists can truly make a difference in someone's life and you shouldn't judge me for thinking about my future plans on SDN....you were rude and insulting and SDN should ban you for insulting other members with real questions.

Sure, I'm confused about my future, but that's why I'm on SDN because I know for a certain fact i want to work in health care....

 

[PreMedHopeful]

haha Armor, I just saw a pap smear one a 60 year old woman last week when I was shadowing a family medicine doctor...let's just say it was beyond what I thought it would be....

 

[Svart Aske]

I can't help but laugh every time a pre-med bashes dentistry for being "gross." I just hope the OP remembers this thread when they have to do their first pelvic exam on a 60+ year old bag lady who's lived under a bridge for the past 5 years without so much as a shower.

Yeah, mouths sure are gross

Assuming the OP gets to that stage. At the moment it's doubtful that he would make it past the MCAT.

 

[PreMedHopeful]

lol what I'm scared about that stupid test...I hate BIG standardized test even though in the end I know I'll be fine...it's just scary, nerve-wracking, and just plain intimidating...I have no faith in myself...I'm not confident because you can't be confident, it can make you or break you

 

[mrlantern]

If I choose dentistry, won't I be happier, less stressed, and enjoy life more with lesss struggles?

The doctors I'm shadowing all said go for dentistry, it's better since there won't be salary cuts and there's no high malpractice insurance...but I like medicine for the variety...dentistry seems so boring....God help me decide please!!!!!

The college premed program I'm in allows me to switch programs like dental in college and then I can go to dental school, but I don't know what to do to be honest....

You're in need of a good reality check.

If dentistry is boring and if you don't know what doctor you want to be, then do NOT go into dentistry. You will NOT enjoy what you will be doing. And you will NOT be easily raking in the big bucks, so it's not a good idea to become a dentist just for the money either.

You're right in some respects. Dentists won't have salary cuts but that is because most dentists are NOT salaried. Most dentists are paid on commission, which is no longer an easy task because of declining insurance fees. Often times, in dentistry, you can end up doing procedures for which you will not get reimbursed for due to certain insurance guidelines. Also, dentists, unlike physicians, are NOT compensated per patient visit and time spent. Many dentists also work longer than 8 hours/day and in the weekends, so kiss 40-hour work weeks good-bye. And yes, malpractices against dentists are not common but they aren't rare either. Even one claim against you can make your insurance premium go higher than that of an internist. Believe me, this is not an easy job to do for whatever money it seems to offer.

 

[NAVY DDS 2010]

lol what I'm scared about that stupid test...I hate BIG standardized test even though in the end I know I'll be fine...it's just scary, nerve-wracking, and just plain intimidating...I have no faith in myself...I'm not confident because you can't be confident, it can make you or break you

Just relax dude. If you are constantly freaking out about the MCAT, you will fail! Don't worry about it. If you don't do well the first time, just learn from it. If you don't do well, you'll at least know what the real thing is like for the next go round and you'll know where your weaknesses are. You really don't have anythign to lose if you go into the exam with an "I have nothing to lose" attitude. In college, my heart was in medicine. So, I did take the MCAT. I took it twice - one to learn from and the second to try to improve. The first time it was mediocre - 27 and S. The second time - 33 and R. That along with my 3.85/3.95s gpas, I knew I would get into medical school, but I chose to go into dentistry because of the family life and the schedule a dentist can make for themselves. So, I ended up taking the DAT. Totally different test. Now, both tests had their plusses and minuses. What you need to do is don't worry that the MCAT may be a test where it tests where you are a little weaker as compared to the DAT. As I said before, go into it using the first time as a learning experience and a guage of where you stand. If you do well, great! If not, learn from it and improve where you are weak.

Another thing, I have to respond to another of yoru posts. We do not mind the questions. No one is slamming you about your questinos about dentistry. That is what why SDN exists - to learn about a profession you want to pursue or are already in. What we get upset about your posts are the underlying tones that smell of "medicine is better than dentistry". You may or may not mean to come across that way, but in the end you do. My suggestion - stop making comments about medicine here. Don't ask us to compare the the professions for you. Get what info you need about dentistry from us. The ask the same question getting the equivalent answer from the medicine side from the medical forums. Tht way you are gettin info from the side that are better informed in their area of interest. Both sides are always gong to be a little more biased about their profession, so you are never going to get a 100% unbiased answer when you are asking us to compare the two professions.

 

[PreMedHopeful]

I guess I started questioning my career goals when all 3 of the doctors I am shadowing all said go into dentistry, you will live a happier life, only one of the doctors said, don't listen to them, medicine will be fine just less pros, more cons now....

That ticks me off, doctors work hard to get where they are, Obama can't just go ahead and change that and make everything positive for everyone except doctors....we deserve high salaries because of the high debt, malpractice insurance, and stressful career....that's the main reason why I'm even thinking about dentistry...and yeah the bias thing is completely true!

 

[smarttee88]

hahahaa *COUGH* The hangover movie, a DENTIST IS NOT A REAL DOCTOR, I LOVE THAT JOKE BECAUSE ITS SOMEWHAT TRUE...DENTAL EDUCATION IS WAY EASIER COMPARED TO MEDICAL EDUCATION + RESIDENCY.....sorry for Caps...haha but I want to emphasize my point

...

 

[Svart Aske]

That ticks me off, doctors work hard to get where they are, Obama can't just go ahead and change that and make everything positive for everyone except doctors....we deserve high salaries because of the high debt, malpractice insurance, and stressful career....that's the main reason why I'm even thinking about dentistry...and yeah the bias thing is completely true!

Go lobby your elected representatives then, instead of whining to people who don't really care about you. But do a little research beforehand.

 

[NAVY DDS 2010]

I guess I started questioning my career goals when all 3 of the doctors I am shadowing all said go into dentistry, you will live a happier life, only one of the doctors said, don't listen to them, medicine will be fine just less pros, more cons now....

That ticks me off, doctors work hard to get where they are, Obama can't just go ahead and change that and make everything positive for everyone except doctors....we deserve high salaries because of the high debt, malpractice insurance, and stressful career....that's the main reason why I'm even thinking about dentistry...and yeah the bias thing is completely true!

first of all, you can hate or love Obama. that still doesn't chang ethat fact that Obama had nothing to do with the current state of medicine. Physcians have been recommending to pre-meds for over a decade to go into dentistry because of HMOs and PPOs and how the insurance has effected their ability to treat people (and limited the amounts they can receive for procedures). This is another reason why dentistry is still attractive because we aren't (yet ... knock on wood) limited due to legislation and insurance.

You have your reasonings why physcians "deserve" high salaries wrong. High debt ... dentists are more in debt than phsycians for the most part. Dental school costs more than medical school. The tuition at a particular school that has a med and dent school is about the same, but we also have rental fees (or in some cases purchaing costs) for dental instruments. We also hae the costs of supplies for pre-clinical courses. The rental and supply costs alone are $18,000 for me over the 4 years and I go to a cheap dental school in Texas. Overall, dental studets expect to pay a few thousand per year more than their medical school counterparts. On top of that, the cost of purchasing or building a dental prctie by far surpasses the cost of opening up a medical office.

Malpractice insurance - physicians don't "deserve" high salaries because they pay a high malpractice isurance premium. If anything, it should be reversed. Malpractice insurance is there to cover your butt in the event that you screw up (or you are blamed and it is cheaper to settle than defend your self in court). You shouldn't make more for sub par performance. you should get paid for superior performance. The high cost of medical care has increased to pay for the malpractice costs. But the malpractice insurance hasn't limited the money that comes in - it is the insurance that has caused this.

The amount of stress ahs nothing to do with what a physician "deserves". If you feel stress is a factor in what a person makes, then the military personnel are the most underpaid people out there. I won't go into this arguement because it will lead away from what we are discussing here, but in the end the amount of stress a peson is inder should have absolutely no bearing on how much they make. I think the risks that a person must take and the training needed should be major factors that determine the pay. Stress just comes with a job.

As far as the physicians recommending one over the other - each of them has their own personal reasons why they either recommend going into dentistry or choosing medicine. The same goes for each of us here. We have our own reasons. The biggest thing to consider is where your passion lies. If you don't liek a job or are only in it for the money, then you might very well be unhappy with your career. But if you are passionate about what you do, then dealing with the negatives of the job are just small problems. in the end, if you are passionate about what your career is, then getting past certain obsticles in you r job are really that bad. they may give you a headache from time to time, but they don't make you regret your decisions. Your passion will always remind you why you really went into that profession.

 

[PreMedHopeful]

I wasn't arguing at all......I simply stated the reasons why the 3 doctors I shadowed this summer said why dentistry is better for me...in the end, I'm just a college student confused about life, uneducated about politics in healthcare, and just stressed about life in general...

all I can say is, the best thing about life is 3 words: it goes on.

 

[ToldYouSo]

a 60+ year old bag lady who's lived under a bridge for the past 5 years without so much as a shower.

rofl

 

[PreMedHopeful]

I just saw a pap smear on a middle-aged woman....and it was weird....not gonna lie, first time I ever saw that..........still it was like medical so natural I guess?

 

[nextuszerodmd]

hahahaa *COUGH* The hangover movie, a DENTIST IS NOT A REAL DOCTOR, I LOVE THAT JOKE BECAUSE ITS SOMEWHAT TRUE...DENTAL EDUCATION IS WAY EASIER COMPARED TO MEDICAL EDUCATION + RESIDENCY.....sorry for Caps...haha but I want to emphasize my point

who told you we finger painted in dental school? darn the secret is out

 

[PreMedHopeful]

well you can't deny it...dentists only focus on TEETH/MOUTH, while doctors focus on the rest of the body and all of it....so dentistry is easier, you can't lie about it, it's still hard and stressful, but you can never say medicine is easier than dentistry because that would be a lie

 

[NAVY DDS 2010]

well you can't deny it...dentists only focus on TEETH/MOUTH, while doctors focus on the rest of the body and all of it....so dentistry is easier, you can't lie about it, it's still hard and stressful, but you can never say medicine is easier than dentistry because that would be a lie

Dude, you have absolutely no clue what you are talking about. Do you actually think most physicians concentrate on the total body? I think not. They SPECIALIZE on one particular thing or area. Yes, during med school they must cocentrate on everythign because of all the rotations. But after that, they specialize. Some specialties have to know everything, but to think that all specialists concentrate on the entire body is wrong. Dentists don't just focus on the teeth and mouth. They are responsible for checking for abnormailites of the head and neck along with the oral cavity. Personally, I don't understand why dentistry isn't considered jsut another specialty like all other medical specialties and dentists go to medical shcool and do the dental portion as a residency. We have pretty much the same courses as med students. If a dentist is doing his/her job correctly, they take a complete medical history just as a physcian when treating their patients. Dentists must take EVERYTHING into consideration when treating their patients because medical treatment they may have had in the past could affect the dental treatment and dental treatment can cause problems if a patient suffers from various conditions. Just because you focus on one area of the body has no indication of the degree of difficulty.

You obviously have made your decision. Now, you are just being a troll. You have overstayed your welcome dude!

 

[plaz]

hahahaa *COUGH* The hangover movie, a DENTIST IS NOT A REAL DOCTOR, I LOVE THAT JOKE BECAUSE ITS SOMEWHAT TRUE...DENTAL EDUCATION IS WAY EASIER COMPARED TO MEDICAL EDUCATION + RESIDENCY.....

you gotta do what you do in this world...right?

lol what I'm scared about that stupid test.....

I'm not confident because you can't be confident, it can make you or break you

I just saw a pap smear on a middle-aged woman....and it was weird....not gonna lie, first time I ever saw that..........still it was like medical so natural I guess?

dentistry is easier, you can't lie about it, it's still hard and stressful, but you can never say medicine is easier than dentistry because that would be a lie

Okay... so apparently either English isn't your first language or you need to get off the caffeine right away.

why can't MCAT be easy haha I think I have completely lost it by now....

 

[244869]

.

 

[doc3232]

I can't help but laugh every time a pre-med bashes dentistry for being "gross." I just hope the OP remembers this thread when they have to do their first pelvic exam on a 60+ year old bag lady who's lived under a bridge for the past 5 years without so much as a shower.

Yeah, mouths sure are gross

 

[PreMedHopeful]

whatever, dental/pharm/medicine...in the end everyone is in health-care, its a team, life goes on....sorry about this whole thread...someone can close it now


I'm always going to be a PremedHopeful and remain weird...cuz everyone is crazy-it's all about perspective and what you want in life....you do whatever that floats your boat, right...and I will be happier as a doctor because that's my dream

 

[TedyBearSuicide]

The way you write makes you seem like someone off of mean girls.