dentist vs. doctor

[need_help_now98]

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I was wondering if it is better to be a dentist or a doctor. It seems like being a dentist is less stressful and the hours are better. Everyone keeps on telling me that it is better to be a doctor though. I personally have no preference, but I have to decide soon. Can you guys tell me why you picked dentistry over being a doctor please? Thank-you

 

[Yah-E]

Dentist = "Doctor"

You meant to say "Dentists vs Physicians"

 

[Frank Cavitation]

There are all sorts of medical specialties that aren't stressful like on TV shows... if you can't decide, I'd say go into medical school and find out what you like. If you become a dentist, you can't do arms and legs and guts and whatnot 😛

 

[NileBDS]

You need to get your hands dirty and go do some shadowing or volunteering. I hope you are not going to make your mind up based on recommendations from total strangers ... you would really hate us later on, at some point in your life.
Take control. Go into some offices, speak with some doctors/dentists. Do some research and make sure to explore all your post grad options, ie; specialities.
This is probably the most sincere piece of advice you will ever get here.
PS: You chose the DENTAL threads to ask whether to become a physician or dentist ?

I was wondering if it is better to be a dentist or a doctor. It seems like being a dentist is less stressful and the hours are better. Everyone keeps on telling me that it is better to be a doctor though. I personally have no preference, but I have to decide soon. Can you guys tell me why you picked dentistry over being a doctor please? Thank-you

 

[kkbouche]

Niles hit the nail right on the head--the only way you will know is by shadowing/volunteering. But don't limit yourself to just the health profession...have you considered other professional programs? Optometry, pharmacy, law? Deciding what you will do for the rest of your life is bar none the most important decision you will make in your life--don't go at it lazily...do research into many things. Find out what you are good at--during my Masters I shadowed dentists, doctors, talked to lawyers, optometrists....you can't go on the recommendation of us...especially since we are a little bias 🙂

You need to get your hands dirty and go do some shadowing or volunteering. I hope you are not going to make your mind up based on recommendations from total strangers ... you would really hate us later on, at some point in your life.
Take control. Go into some offices, speak with some doctors/dentists. Do some research and make sure to explore all your post grad options, ie; specialities.
This is probably the most sincere piece of advice you will ever get here.
PS: You chose the DENTAL threads to ask whether to become a physician or dentist ?

 

[aggie-master]

I agree with the two posters above.

You need to do as much research into each field and make a decision based on what you would prefer after seeing what it is like to work in those fields.

I let other people choose my career in my second year in college based on their recommendations and now I'm applying to dental school right now when I could have been graduating from dental school this month if I had made the decision on my own.

 

[LarryBobDDS]

It is very accurate what all of these posters are saying and important to follow there advice. As far as why I chose dentistry, I'll give you several reasons. I've always been interested in it number one. I also talked to several physicians who said to steer away from medicine due to the state of affairs it is in with insurance, malpractice, etc. I have also found some statistics that say the average Dentist makes about 25% more than the average Physician, while working an average of 32.5 hours a week as opposed to the average Physician who works 52 hours a week. Now these numbers, if i recall correctly, are across the board all dental specialties including General Dentist vs. all Medical Specialties including Family Practitioner. Also Dental school has a built in residency, and malpractice insurance is a good deal less expensive in most cases. These are just a few of the reasons for me, and I could go on and on, but you have to decide where you fit in. It's all about what you'll be happy doing, but I for one love being a Dentist.