Dentist vs. Physician.. Thoughts?

[Dgeorg6]

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The Great Debate continues..
Yes I know, This question has been brought up a few times, and yes i did search. All of the threads I have found were outdated by a few years
and many events have occured in the world since then. So, as you can see, i have decided to bring up the question yet again.
Dentist vs. Physician.

What are the Pro's and con's of each field?

Which would be considered to be harder?

Which has the better lifestyle?

Which makes more money?

Do Dentist pretty much have to own a practice to be successful?

Chances of specializing in both fields?

Which is more rewarding?

Which has less stress?

Any thoughts would be helpful.

-Thanks.

 

[sacapuntas]

For me, the decision came down to the following factors:

I have a fairly strong business background, and being a dentist provides far more opportunity to own your own business.

I really enjoy working with my hands, be that fixing a car, restoring metal projects, or drawing among other things.

I want the ability to travel abroad to provide services for those in need. As a family practice physician, the opportunities are limited compared to that of a dentist.

I would like to spend more time with my patients than a physician is generally able to, and I would like to see them regularly for years. I realize this is possible as a physician, but much easier as a dentist.

I want to be in control of my income, as a dentist you are more directly responsible for what you make (assuming private practice).

I believe I will enjoy the H.R. duties that come with running a practice, and the marketing challenges I will face.

I have experienced great oral care in my own life, which began to spark the interest in dentistry for me. I have had significant pain alleviated by a dentist.


Hope this helps you think through the decision.

 

[SoulPower]

you do realize most of those questions are extremely subjective. You're best bet would be to shadow some doctors/dentists and ask them these questions as us predents or dental students will not be able to sufficiently answer such questions.

Questions that can be somewhat answered:

Specializing. Doctors probably have it easier because there are a lot more specialties and a lot more programs. In dental school if you want a competitive specialty, like pedo, it's hard. You must be ~ the top 10-20% of your class.

Having a practice, if money is your means of being successful, is probably the best way to be "successful." Otherwise there is academia, military, or health clinics. I have also contemplated working for a dental company, i.e. Crest or a company that makes dental tools. I have no idea what the prospects of that is but I do find it an interesting idea.

 

[Double Bonded]

You do realize most of those questions are extremely subjective. You're best bet would be to shadow some doctors/dentists and ask them these questions as us predents or dental students will not be able to sufficiently answer such questions.

This.
Go out and shadow both physicians and dentists. Talk to actual practitioners and see first hand what the pros and cons are so that you can see which one best suits you.

You're asking the right questions...just not in the right place.

 

[Doc Smile]

 

[therock21]

According to this guy's math Dentists make almost twice as much an hour over their careers compared to an MD.

http://benbrownmd.wordpress.com/

 

[Jackson-Ave-Dental]

The Great Debate continues..
Yes I know, This question has been brought up a few times, and yes i did search. All of the threads I have found were outdated by a few years
and many events have occured in the world since then. So, as you can see, i have decided to bring up the question yet again.
Dentist vs. Physician.

What are the Pro's and con's of each field?

Which would be considered to be harder?

Which has the better lifestyle?

Which makes more money?

Do Dentist pretty much have to own a practice to be successful?

Chances of specializing in both fields?

Which is more rewarding?

Which has less stress?

Any thoughts would be helpful.

-Thanks.

You didn't give a reason for bringing up this useless debate.

Also, if you can't answer all of those questions then you haven't explored either fields enough to begin with.

 

[Dgeorg6]

You didn't give a reason for bringing up this useless debate.

Also, if you can't answer all of those questions then you haven't explored either fields enough to begin with.

I figured the reason was obvious, my mistake. I am wondering which field i would like to join and came to this site for some insight.

And I have had all of these questions answered many times, but i trust the knowledge of this site over most others. And i would rather have multiple people give me suggestions than just one person say something and me take it to heart as true. Sorry if this offended you.

 

[Jackson-Ave-Dental]

I figured the reason was obvious, my mistake. I am wondering which field i would like to join and came to this site for some insight.

And I have had all of these questions answered many times, but i trust the knowledge of this site over most others. And i would rather have multiple people give me suggestions than just one person say something and me take it to heart as true. Sorry if this offended you.

Honestly... I think its pretty useless trying to make a decision based upon what other people tell you. You'll get answers from all over the place depending on who you ask. My employer loves what she does but if she had to do it all over again, she would go into alternative medicine... My endodontist keeps telling me to be an anesthesiologist because they apparently have THE best life style. No post-operative responsibilities and stable work hours.

Although if you want my opinion. I say do whatever the hell you want. I could careless what anyone else says and how their life turned out. Life is what YOU make it out to be. Just be sure to make whatever you choose the best that it could be and as enjoyable as possible.

 

[Dgeorg6]

Honestly... I think its pretty useless trying to make a decision based upon what other people tell you. You'll get answers from all over the place depending on who you ask. My employer loves what she does but if she had to do it all over again, she would go into alternative medicine... My endodontist keeps telling me to be an anesthesiologist because they apparently have THE best life style. No post-operative responsibilities and stable work hours.

Although if you want my opinion. I say do whatever the hell you want. I could careless what anyone else says and how their life turned out. Life is what YOU make it out to be. Just be sure to make whatever you choose the best that it could be and as enjoyable as possible.

Yes I understand completely. Obviously I'm not going to let some people on an online forum make my life decisions for me. I just like advice, and wisdom from those who have been there before. Thanks for you oponion as well. It's funny you bring up something about anesthesia because that was my first choice. Then i did some research and it turns out their lifestyle isn't quite as desirable as some think.

 

[Dr. Dai Phan]

According to this guy's math Dentists make almost twice as much an hour over their careers compared to an MD.

http://benbrownmd.wordpress.com/

Hello all,

The calculation is misleading because he compares high end medical specialties with general dentists who do not always do a post graduate residency. To be fair, he should compare dental GP with MD GP or dental specialists with medical specialists who both have to complete many years of residency. DP