Dentist shadowing, and question about DH, and extracurriculars.

[dli1112]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Hey guys well im just finished up my first year of Undergrad studies, and i was wondering if you guys could help me out. i would like to know when starting to shadow a dentist and other dentistry specialists would be a good idea,also how many hours are sufficient. Next there is a Dental hygiene program at my school, would entering this program be beneficial, i ultimately want to become a dentist, i dont know if this would interfere with my undergrad studies for dentistry. And lastly what type of extracurricular activities can i get involved in i dont have many community service hours or or extracurricular activities, besides working part time. Well im sorry for the long post i just hope i can get some input im very stressed over this.

Any other advice on what i have to prepare befor applying to DS would be appreciated thanks guys.

 

[eilrahcmi]

Hey guys well im just finished up my first year of Undergrad studies, and i was wondering if you guys could help me out. i would like to know when starting to shadow a dentist and other dentistry specialists would be a good idea,also how many hours are sufficient. Next there is a Dental hygiene program at my school, would entering this program be beneficial, i ultimately want to become a dentist, i dont know if this would interfere with my undergrad studies for dentistry. And lastly what type of extracurricular activities can i get involved in i dont have many community service hours or or extracurricular activities, besides working part time. Well im sorry for the long post i just hope i can get some input im very stressed over this.

Yo, no need to stress out this early.

-start shadowing a dentist whenever you feel you have spare time to do so, whether it's now or in a year or two from now (just so long as it is before you apply)
-there is no specific number of hours that you need, this can vary from school to school. check out school websites that you are interested in to find such numbers
-i'm sure the hygiene program would look nice, but it might look better if you skipped out on that and just focused on getting as many A's as possible in your other courses
-if your school has a predental club, join that. most clubs will offer many opportunities to participate in community service work

 

[dli1112]

anyone else

 

[lovelyinpink11]

- I'd shadow soon when you have time. The more variety and hours of exposure you get, the better.
- For me personally, I really wish I would've started doing more community service and extracurriculars earlier, when my classes were easier and I had more spare time. As for extracurriculars, like the post of above me said, a pre-dental club would be good (do you have ASDA on your campus?) Just join a club you're interested in.
- As for a dental hygiene program, I think you should just focus on getting good grades instead.

 

[Master Pain]

Skip the DH and go for the gusto. DH involves all sorts of fun things like National boards/regional boards for licensure and you'll rack up a fabulous bill if its a BS in DH. It can bump you off track if you aren't careful. Focus on Chem and bio courses that will beef you up for the DAT and ultimately for the dental shcool curriculum. This also lets the dental schools you know exactly what you want, and it is not DH. Work hard, get involved in school activities/cumminity service, keep up your grades, have fun at the dental office and ejoy your science courses!
Dan
Oh yah, I'm a DH. 🙂

 

[alexamasan]

As everyone has said, doesn't really matter when you get your dental experience, but as long as you do before you apply. However, though some schools very, some require at least 100 hours, and some recommend 150 hours. So in my opinion, it's best to try and get 100 hours of experience, whether it would be shadowing a dentist, volunteering at a dental clinic, or working as a dental assistant (and make sure this is general dentistry experience you're getting, dental schools to care as much for specialties like orthodontists or oral surgeons).

It doesn't really matter what club and activities you join (though a pre-dental club would be a good idea), just do thing you're interested in just to show you have some personality.

 

[305602]

(and make sure this is general dentistry experience you're getting, dental schools to care as much for specialties like orthodontists or oral surgeons)./QUOTE]

Is this true? I saw you say this in another post and I question its validity.

 

[SeattleRDH]

I don't see the point in going straight from a DH degree to dental school. When applying to dental school the real benefit you get from being a dental hygienist is your work experience.

If you want to take a few years off between your undergrad and dental school then get the RDH. Just don't tell the hygiene admissions commitee that you plan on continuing to dental school. They want to train people who will stay in the profession.

I never wanted to be a dentist until I worked as a hygienist for a few years. Since you already know you want to go for the DDS don't waste your time (and money) like I did.

 

[nze82]

Hey guys well im just finished up my first year of Undergrad studies, and i was wondering if you guys could help me out. i would like to know when starting to shadow a dentist and other dentistry specialists would be a good idea,also how many hours are sufficient. Next there is a Dental hygiene program at my school, would entering this program be beneficial, i ultimately want to become a dentist, i dont know if this would interfere with my undergrad studies for dentistry. And lastly what type of extracurricular activities can i get involved in i dont have many community service hours or or extracurricular activities, besides working part time. Well im sorry for the long post i just hope i can get some input im very stressed over this.

Any other advice on what i have to prepare befor applying to DS would be appreciated thanks guys.

Right now, I think you should focus on doing well at school and maintaining a high GPA. Also, certain school want certain classes taken during undergrad. Figure out which schools you're applying to and which classes they require you to take. In addition some courses will make you a better applicant (Example: Courses in human anatomy & physiology). Try to fit those courses somewhere in your coursework.
High GPA & DAT score is the main difference between the person who gets into the DS and one who doesn't. Extracurricular activities, shadowing, community work, etc. are just there to compliment your application. You can get those done, 1 year before you apply. Sacrifice your GPA for shadowing and volunteer work, on the other hand, and you've really put yourself at the bottom of the food-chain.

Let's say you've maintained a high GPA, and you want to start shadowing. Couple of months should be enough. Keep in mind that schools value shadowing, because they want to know you've been exposed to the field. Couple of months will get you more than enough exposure. You're not there to learn the procedures. So don't waste time shadowing dentist with different specialties for too long. Just enough so that you can tell the admission committee you know what goes on at a dental office.

The DH program sounds like a good choice, provided that it won't hurt your GPA.

See if your school has any pre-dental clubs, and try to become part of it. They tend to give out very useful info about different programs at different dental school, their criteria, and even interview tips.

Good luck👍