Dentistry or Optometry?

[iballer]

Hello,
I am new to SDN and so glad I found this network. I'm torn between Optometry and Dentistry. I worked in the optometry field for ten years and now trying to decide if I should apply to dental or optometry school. I did some shadowing with a dentist and he's been trying to steer me to dentisry for about 6 months now. I find dentistry very interesting and I can see myself working in the field and enjoying it as well as optometry.

Can you give reasons why dentistry is better than optometry other than the financial rewards? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

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[coral2005]

Stick to optometry!!

 

[duh?]

Hello,
I am new to SDN and so glad I found this network. I'm torn between Optometry and Dentistry. I worked in the optometry field for ten years and now trying to decide if I should apply to dental or optometry school. I did some shadowing with a dentist and he's been trying to steer me to dentisry for about 6 months now. I find dentistry very interesting and I can see myself working in the field and enjoying it as well as optometry.

Can you give reasons why dentistry is better than optometry other than the financial rewards? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

It's taken him 6 months to "STEER you to dentistry?" I 2nd Coral2005. Optometry.
I hate to make this choice for you but...do you hear that? yes, it's the calling... the voice of optometry, calling...calling....

Seriously, based on your post alone, you seem more into optometry than dentistry. Either way you'd have a great career. good luck deciding.

 

[beastly115]

I agree, optometry seems like a better fit for you.

 

[Jaba]

SEEEing as your display picture is an eyeball and you have sooo much experience in opttometry i think you should stick to that..? you seem to be very into it by now and why change your mind about something you are sure about/happy with at the moment..


gl

 

[PickMe]

one thing i dont like about optometry is that there is an MD with a "higher authority" over you. also, im beginning to see more and more optometrists in crappy little offices advertised by neon lights...kinda shady. thats not to say its a bad field, but the competition between them looks kinda intense. also, as more and more people get laser eye surgery, isn't the need for optometrists going to decrease some? just my 2 cents

 

[iballer]

It's taken him 6 months to "STEER you to dentistry?" I 2nd Coral2005. Optometry.
I hate to make this choice for you but...do you hear that? yes, it's the calling... the voice of optometry, calling...calling....

Seriously, based on your post alone, you seem more into optometry than dentistry. Either way you'd have a great career. good luck deciding.

Yes it has taken him 6 months to steer me because I only see him once a month because we are both in the reserves and only talk for a bout an hour. I'm the one who approached him and started asking stuff about dentistry. I did not performed any shadowing until two weeks ago because of my work and school schedule. Each time I talk to him he only tells me that I should go into denstistry and doesn't give much reason why, just the financial benefits. That's why I'm asking this forum for reasons why choose dentistry over optometry. Thanks!

 

[polarnut]

psh. thats simple. you dont have to take physics for dentistry.

 

[iballer]

SEEEing as your display picture is an eyeball and you have sooo much experience in opttometry i think you should stick to that..? you seem to be very into it by now and why change your mind about something you are sure about/happy with at the moment..


gl

I am one of those people in the forum who's after years of working in a particular field is thinking or in the process of changing careers. I had 10 years of experience in optometry but have not worked in the field for almost 2 yrs. I do keep my optometry tech skills because of my reserve duty once a month.

As far as the eyeball, I put it when I joined SDN. I found SDN while looking for an OD forum trying to find out what applicants are like. I know it looks like I'm really into OD because of the eyeball and the handle but like I said I joined SDN because of the OD forum. I did not know at the time about the other forums in the network. And this is my first post outside of the OD forum.

 

[food4thots]

optometry is more product based, while dentistry is more service based.

 

[iballer]

one thing i dont like about optometry is that there is an MD with a "higher authority" over you. also, im beginning to see more and more optometrists in crappy little offices advertised by neon lights...kinda shady. thats not to say its a bad field, but the competition between them looks kinda intense. also, as more and more people get laser eye surgery, isn't the need for optometrists going to decrease some? just my 2 cents

Exactly the reason why I'm having second thought about optometry. I worked in a clinic where there were five ODs and an Ophthalmologist. In comparison to the optometrists in the field, they practice the full scope of their education. They see patients that will normally be seen by an OMD elsewhere. If I do pursue optometry and practice in the military, it's totally different than civilian practice. I will practice the full scope of the education. On the other hand, if I don't end up in the military, it's a totally different ballgame and what you mentioned above is what making me second guess my desire to to go OD school.

Even with laser correction everyone will always need eyeglasses as we age. Optometrist will always be needed. Most of the general population doesn't know the difference between an Optometrist and an Ophthalmologist and they will be better off with an Optometrist when it comes to refraction and eyeglasses.

Thanks for your input exactly what I was looking for. Comparing denstistry to optometry.

 

[iballer]

psh. thats simple. you dont have to take physics for dentistry.

hahahahaha too late now, I've completed two physics course 3 yrs ago. Atleast I won't have to deal with physics in DDS/DMD school, right? I also don't have to worry about physics only PAT since the DAT and OAT are exactly the same.

 

[iballer]

optometry is more product based, while dentistry is more service based.

The OD curriculum is not product based, however because of Wal-mart and other "corporate optometry" the picture of optometry has become just selling eyeglasses. It's true that a lot of optometry practice makes more money selling glasses than from the eye exam they are providing. That's why I'm trying to decide OD vs DDS/DMD.....product or service based...thanks for your input!

 

[WonderY]

dentistry vs optometry? is there really even a comparison? If you want to work with eyes, be an ophthalmologist.

However, optometry would be the easiest to get into.

 

[PickMe]

Exactly the reason why I'm having second thought about optometry. I worked in a clinic where there were five ODs and an Ophthalmologist. In comparison to the optometrists in the field, they practice the full scope of their education. They see patients that will normally be seen by an OMD elsewhere. If I do pursue optometry and practice in the military, it's totally different than civilian practice. I will practice the full scope of the education. On the other hand, if I don't end up in the military, it's a totally different ballgame and what you mentioned above is what making me second guess my desire to to go OD school.

Even with laser correction everyone will always need eyeglasses as we age. Optometrist will always be needed. Most of the general population doesn't know the difference between an Optometrist and an Ophthalmologist and they will be better off with an Optometrist when it comes to refraction and eyeglasses.

Thanks for your input exactly what I was looking for. Comparing denstistry to optometry.

true...optometrists will always be needed, but i dont think the field is growing ( i think its actually shrinking, but you would prob know better than me), which should be put into consideration. maybe look into some statistics. i think you need to do some more shadowing to make an educated decision.

 

[coreyb]

Both are great careers!

Follow your passion. If it's working with eyes, go optometry.

Pro's for dentistry:
-Dentistry is better compensated
-No 'walmart' type competitors vs. private practices
-Don't have another professional to answer to (ie. opthalmalogist)
-More 'creative/artistic' in scope (making the teeth/smile look nice)
-Most 'hands on' of the health care jobs
-Can practice anywhere (I don't know if optometry can??)
-Can specialize (are there specialties for optometry?)

 

[jdude]

You're gonna get two types of answers to a question like this.

1. People who haven't gotten into D-school are gonna tell you to stick with optometry.

2. People who have already gotten into D-school are gonna tell you to make the best decision possible based on your knowledge of both professions and yourself.

What's my take?

I think the autonomy in dentistry is pretty cool. With a DDS/DMD you are literally licensed to do anything regarding the mouth area you feel comfortable doing. If any new technology comes out, you can get it and put it to use whenever you feel like it.

However there might be more opportunities to work as a salaried optometrist than as a dental associate.

 

[Drill2Fill]

Make sure you can see yourself working in a walmart/sam's club type setting. I have a friend that just finished opt school who only wanted to work in a private practice type setting, but once out of school had very little choice. With so much student loans, and private practice unwillingness to pay the same rate, he had to work at a walmart.

 

[E. coli]

Hello,
I am new to SDN and so glad I found this network. I'm torn between Optometry and Dentistry. I worked in the optometry field for ten years and now trying to decide if I should apply to dental or optometry school. I did some shadowing with a dentist and he's been trying to steer me to dentisry for about 6 months now. I find dentistry very interesting and I can see myself working in the field and enjoying it as well as optometry.

Can you give reasons why dentistry is better than optometry other than the financial rewards? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I was once like you.....trying to decide between optometry and dentistry. I shadowed both type of practices for over a year. At the end, dentistry was clearly the better career for me.

Like others have said, as a optometrist, there is always a MD above you. Also, I don't like the direction that optometry is heading. They are heading towards medical aspects (laser eye surgery..etc.) , but then opthalmologists really should be the only qualify people doing this. Then there are the opticians, who wants to do refraction. There is a lot of confusion in the field.

Then there's the work environment, it's going toward the retail side (Walmart, Iris, LensCrafter). I also found that most of the times, optometrists (at least the one that I shadowed) only perform eye exams (refraction and contact lens) and it's nothing out of the ordinary most of the time.

 

[polarnut]

theres one thing thats attractive to optometry right now: lasik eye surgery.

that thing is a goldmine.

 

[food4thots]

theres one thing thats attractive to optometry right now: lasik eye surgery.

that thing is a goldmine.

lasik is done by opthalmologist

 

[Prelude82]

I was in the some position a year ago. I already took my OAT's did well on them and was getting ready to apply to optometry school. I've been workin for an optometrist and have shadowed dentists and feel like optometry has no potential for growth. The Money is much better as a dentist and it's also more of a challenging career. Optometry is sooo basic... Which one is better number one or two.... I'm not tryin to hate on optometrists but they really aren't even considered doctors to most ppl. Plus with walmart selling frames for sooo cheap and doing their eye exams for $39, it's hard for the private practice optometrist to build a nice volume. Optometrist also make most of their money off of frames and so it feels like you have to be more of a saleman than a doctor. In dentistry everything pretty much sells itself.

 

[Yah-E]

are there specialties for optometry?

Sure there is!! Right eye or left eye!

 

[polarnut]

Sure there is!! Right eye or left eye!

 

[50dent]

Optometry is an ok bet if you want to work in a rural area. The aoa inflates salaries because it is a self serving organization of people who went into optometry when it was in the golden years. Optometry started making more money off sales than services and now walmart has taken advantage of the publics idea of how much an exam should cost while being able to sell glasses at a rounded off refraction rate for less money. You come out of school with a huge debt and the lucky ones are those who can pull in over 90000 in private practice afterwards. Alot of optometrist will have to drive to 2 to 3 locations filling in and working part time to make their salaries. Other than working nights and weekends, Wal Mart will keep changing your contract until you either quit or are fired for not complying and there is a long line of recent grads with a huge debt willing to take your slot. The specialties aren't specialties. It is an area which you can choose to focus on but ultimately doesn't really bring in more income unless you are one of the lucky few who can pull a niche in visual therapy. Optometry Schools are continuing to open up because the aoa reports a "need" for more optometrist based on how many exams infants and the eldery "should" have. This leads to more graduates searching for jobs, walmarts lowering their salaries in the future, and the "golden years" optometrist having more canidates to hire as an associate for lower wages or to sell their practice to.

the "optometrysucks" group on yahoo has some good information both supporting and shedding light on the negativity in the career of optometry

It was one hell of a profession 20 years ago though.

Dentist work in mouths all day.

 

[iballer]

Thank you everyone for your input. I made a decision and I will be putting in my application next month when AADSAS opens. I've been performing my internship for my undergrad at a non profit organization that provide free medical screenings. They have a partnership with an optometry school and I participated with one of their events last week. OPT 1 -3 students were performing the eye exams.

Seeing the students and what they do solidify my decision to go into dentistry. Like some people posted on this topic, everything is so routine in optometry. I'm a "hands-on" type of person. I love making eyeglasses when I was working in the field. Performing eye exams is definately not so "hands-on".

I tried to see myself working late hours and on weekends and driving to different locations as an optometrist, it will not work for me. I already spent a lot of nights and weekends away from my family when I was on active duty. Dentistry is definately a better fit for me.

Thanks again everyone!!!

 

[armorshell]

I've always thought optometry would be an awesome field, mostly because you can be 40-50 years old and still work at the mall

 

[ItsGavinC]

theres one thing thats attractive to optometry right now: lasik eye surgery.

or not.