dentists with tattoos and ear rings

[DAT_MAN]

Is it allowed? I know dentists are held to a higher standard than the general public.

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[DDSY]

j/k

 

[DDSY]

I think they can wear long shirts and pants. As for earrings, some men wear them and they're not uncommon. Nose rings, tongue rings and other area rings are not as common.

 

[xdianaax]

It depends on what you mean by tattoo's and earrings...like one tattoo in a spot that can be covered i'm sure is fine, if you have an earring you can take out, then i'm sure that's fine as well...but if you have full blown sleeves, and 732543475 piercings, I think you may want to reconsider the field you're entering...lol...I personally have a tattoo, but noone knows it's there unless I choose to show it...so it really all depends...

 

[alphaDDS]

I personally have a tattoo, but noone knows it's there unless I choose to show it...so it really all depends...

haha... it's a tramp stamp.

D I'm kidding, I'm sure you're a sweet girl.)

OP, I want a tattoo as well... it sucks I would have to get it in a discrete spot as a health professional/business person. I would want people to see the art. Such are the sacrifices we make to do soething like dentistry.

 

[DAT_MAN]

I look like Michael Scofield from Prison Break

No, I have one tattoo on my arm of razor wire. I know if I was to wear scrubs like my dentist does, it might show the lower half. Do you think that would be allowed? I really like the scrub look... lol I've never been a big fan of white lab coats.

P.S Season 3 of Prison Break returns this fall. I Can't Wait!!!!!! Any PB fans out there?

 

[mymouthsmells]

haha... it's a tramp stamp.

D I'm kidding, I'm sure you're a sweet girl.)

OP, I want a tattoo as well... it sucks I would have to get it in a discrete spot as a health professional/business person. I would want people to see the art. Such are the sacrifices we make to do soething like dentistry.

Or you can sacrifice dentistry to get a tattoo

 

[lifeisgood]

I have a tattoo on the back of my arm, soon to be a half or quarter sleeve, no piercings. I have no qualms about getting tattoos. Like people have mentioned before, cover it up. I personally think the way you carry yourself is far more important than having a few tattoos. I have a friend who is a very successful realtor and his tagline is "Call _______, the Tattooed Realtor". He has full sleeves on both arms and he does just fine.

 

[alphaDDS]

Or you can sacrifice dentistry to get a tattoo

touche

 

[NJIrish]

Regardless of appearance, we are all entitled to and capable of persuing anything we wish. Don't allow stereotypes and our society's general belief system to hinder you from achieving your goals. The man will hold you down if you allow him to. Suggestion: If and when you interview, try to conform aesthetically, first impressions are always based upon appearance.

 

[BirkChick]

P.S Season 3 of Prison Break returns this fall. I Can't Wait!!!!!! Any PB fans out there?

I'm sooo addicted to that show -- it's better than 24 in my opinion!

 

[Fonz]

Regardless of appearance, we are all entitled to and capable of persuing anything we wish. Don't allow stereotypes and our society's general belief system to hinder you from achieving your goals. The man will hold you down if you allow him to. Suggestion: If and when you interview, try to conform aesthetically, first impressions are always based upon appearance.

Agreed. once your in you can do whatever you want

 

[t man]

Regardless of appearance, we are all entitled to and capable of persuing anything we wish. Don't allow stereotypes and our society's general belief system to hinder you from achieving your goals. The man will hold you down if you allow him to. Suggestion: If and when you interview, try to conform aesthetically, first impressions are always based upon appearance.

don't you see how your suggestion conflicts with the sentiment of your post? the irony is overwhelming.

 

[t man]

OP, i'm a firm believer that you have to stay true to yourself, and if you feel like you need/want a tattoo in order to express who you are then go for it- you already have one so i guess the decision is already made. but expect some patients to be turned off by it. that's just common sense.

 

[DDSY]

don't you see how your suggestion conflicts with the sentiment of your post? the irony is overwhelming.

Good point. Unfortunately, first impressions and/or appearances contribute significantly to how others think of you. It takes a lot more to break down someone's initial perception of you than to maintain general impressions molded from a first encounter.

But then again, you can always cover up most tattoos.

 

[t man]

true, nothing to worry about if you can cover em up.

and personally, i'd have no qualms about going to a qualified dentist with tats.

 

[Cyca24]

I think that as long as you present yourself professionally, people don't tend to comment on your piercings/tats or get turned off by them. I have my eyebrow/ears pierced and i'm an office manager/dental assistant. The dentists I've worked with never say anything, nor do the patients (maybe nobody notices the barbell?), aside from kids who just stare anyways. If it's something little like an eyebrow ring, you can always take it out and put it back at the end of the day. Sometimes people don't even notice the hole, it sort of just looks like a mark. But of course, I took it out for my interviews, and the only person who noticed anything was a student interviewer who also had gotten his eyebrow pierced. I would personally love to keep my piercings since i've had it for so long, but I expect to be taking it out regularly just to be presentable.

 

[DAT_MAN]

Regardless of appearance, we are all entitled to and capable of persuing anything we wish. Don't allow stereotypes and our society's general belief system to hinder you from achieving your goals. The man will hold you down if you allow him to. Suggestion: If and when you interview, try to conform aesthetically, first impressions are always based upon appearance.

I agree with you 100%. I've never been one to discourage other people of pursuing their goals. I see those types of people as weak and insecure. If my tattoo does show, I'll cover it up. As long as your tattoos are not of a sexual nature, I don't see how anybody could say anything to you. Now that I think about it, it would be shocking to see a dentist with a full set of sleeves. The admissions committee would never know an applicant had sleeves unless he told them or wore a tank top to an interview.

 

[Jaba]

I'm sooo addicted to that show -- it's better than 24 in my opinion!

Same.... I am hooked! That's a hell of a tattoo.

 

[fajitapita]

 

[t man]

as an office manager/dental assistant, you're not the one in charge, and patients don't place their faith in you. they trust you're competent because they trust their dentist- the one who hired you. you're not playing the role of a dentist, so you're not held to society's standards of what a dentist ought to be. my dentist's assistant showed me her bottom row covered with amalgam (something like 50 cavities). do i trust she can perform basic office tasks? yes. would i readily take her advice on oral hygeine? no. office managers are not dentists.

I agree with you 100%. I've never been one to discourage other people of pursuing their goals. I see those types of people as weak and insecure. If my tattoo does show, I'll cover it up. As long as your tattoos are not of a sexual nature, I don't see how anybody could say anything to you. Now that I think about it, it would be shocking to see a dentist with a full set of sleeves. The admissions committee would never know an applicant had sleeves unless he told them or wore a tank top to an interview.

i'm not discouraging any one from pursuing any dreams here, if that vague comment was directed at me. having a tattoo isn't the biggest obstacle to overcome... it's not even that big of a deal where you should question whether or not pursuing a career as a dentist. of course you should if the desire si there. i'm just saying that it would be foolish to think that everyone is going to be ok with their dentist having tattoos, regardless of whether or not that's right.

but you all know that... otherwise, you wouldn't care if adcoms saw your tattoos. and you would leave your piercings in during your interviews. if it was actually your belief that tats and piercing don't matter, you wouldn't hide them for fear of being judged.

 

[drcase2011]

Prison Break Rocks!!!!!! I'm curious to see how Michael will escape from that @#A$% hole of a Mexican prison.

 

[djeffreyt]

I don't know if anyone else already said this cause I don't plan to read my books too much in dental school, so I didn't read all the posts in this thread...for similar reasons.

People with visible and obvious tattoos need dentists too. I doubt that a person with a sleave on his or her upper left arm will walk into an dental office, look at the dentist with her pony tail and a little dolphin tat on the back of her neck and say to himself "well, I don't think I trust her to be my dentist."

That being said...I have tattoos in several places. Tattoos are passe today for most people in society. Whether it affects you ability to get INTO dental school, once you're in, try talking to the average 100 people on the street - your future clients - and ask them their opinions about people with tattoos and you'll find the vast majority (with some differences depending on regions of America or even within a city due to ethnic villages within larger cities) don't hold tattoos to be some kind of major indication a person's ethics, inteligence, trustworthiness, skill at a particular job, or whatever. Soccer Mom's have tattoos, Carpool dads have ear rings, and the majority of the over-65 retirement group grew up during the 1960s.

Now, if you want to be a dentist serving the population mostly from "little China" in Oakland...a facial tattoo may not be a great idea. If you think you're client base will be mostly iranian, maybe avoid the tattoo's across your knuckles in Farsi, but if you plan to serve mostly suburban, middle and upper class America in your office, I doubt that Scooby Doo tattoo on your back ankle or teh barb wire on your forearm that both ocassionally show, will greatly affect your business or your skill.

 

[DoctorHappyFeet]

Is it allowed? I know dentists are held to a higher standard than the general public.

I haven't read the other posts, but...

Sure, some conservative people will be turned off by a dentist with a bunch o' tattoos and stuff.

But I honestly think the majority of your patients will be concerned with how well you treat them, and how good of a dentist you are.

 

[armorshell]

I personally don't care what people do with their body, and my personal dentist has a tattoo, but remember that a large portion of your patient pool is coming from an era when tattoos and piercings on men were relegated to the dregs of society and tribal peoples.

While this image is rapidly changing, it is still far from being completely out of the collective conscious. So sock up, cover your tattoos and take out your piercings for work. Remember, you got those tattoos because YOU liked them, not so everyone else had to see them.

 

[OceanBlue]

very nice! but I'm wouldn't go that far maybe a medium size tattoo on my right arm

 

[benitz2]

6 tats, both ears pierced and Im not planning on covering up

 

[dr.frahj]

It was with great sadness that I removed my lip ring this semester to begin shadowing. I suppose of all places, the lip (and the tongue) would be the least unlikely for a dentist to have pierced! I do know if dentistry doesn't work out, I'll be repeircing my lip.

 

[armorshell]

For all the people who lost piercings to go into dentistry, there's a simple solution. Replace them, just make sure you get them somewhere only your friends and loved ones get to see them

 

[cocokeala]

i have my first ear piercing and my second and a cartilege. i thought that was overdoing it but i guess not. some of my friends had to dye their hair black..it was all pink and stuff before. i wasnt sure if it was some dental school rule or not but i guess its not and they are just doing it to not scare off people. people in this world get scared easily by little things like tattoos even if they ahve them themselves.

 

[pacbum]

what about plugs?

they leave huge holes (or a noticable slit) in your ear when you take them out.

 

[armorshell]

Unless you let them heal over. I had 0 gauge plugs (about the width of a sharpie) for about 6 months, and my ears look completely normal except for a small indentation