Did I make the wrong choice???

[unicornlove]

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Hey guys,


I REALLY NEED SOME INPUT!!!
I'm going to start dental school starting this July. I've been pre-dental for 3 years after deciding pharmacy was too boring for me.

I graduated in 2012 and since then volunteered in a clinic, shadowed a little, and worked as a dental assistant in a GP office with 3 or 4 dentists. I wasn't 100% sure I wanted to do dentistry when I applied but decided to see what happens and if I would be sure after I got more experience.

Now that a year has passed, I am still not 100% sure. I love the idea of working with my hands and being my own boss but after working in a very busy office, I realized you have to have a lot of interactions with different people (staff, patients, etc). I became very tired and didn't want to talk to people by the end of the day. If this is just as a dental assistant, I can't imagine how stressed and exhausted the dentist must be..

Another concern I have is the business aspect of things..just thinking about it scares the hell out of me.

My ideal situation would be to see only about 4 patients a day instead of like 9. I know this is not realistic with the amount of debt I will be coming out of from dental school (~430k).

The reason I keep going back and forth with this is there are still a lot of aspects I DO like about dentistry such as working with my hands, job stability, and getting to help people which I think is rewarding...my question is...Is it all worth it??? Will I be too stressed out to enjoy the fruits of my labor and be a good dentist?

Did any of you have doubts going into school? I'm seriously scared of starting school and dropping out halfway...

The only reasonable solution I see is SPECIALIZING. I say this because specialists see less patients typically, get paid more, and don't have to rely as heavily on marketing themselves to the public and the competition of general dentists. Do you think there is a niche for me in dentistry or should I give up??

You guys probably think I'm an idiot for waiting so long to ask this but it just recently became very real and scary to me. Any constructive input from new dentists and dental students would be VERY much appreciated! Thank you in advance.

 

[FutureDrM]

July, huh? Louisville perhaps?
I think this is a huge decision for you to make. Though I personally can't see dentistry as a mistake, I know that not everyone shares the same perspective as myself. If you're this unsure, perhaps you should remove yourself from this year's pool and give it up to someone who is 100% sure. HOWEVER!!! Being a dentist (from what I've heard) is completely different than being an assistant. You're right on the money about specializing giving you the answer to your woes. I would highly consider going into an endo residency if you think you only want to work with 4 patients. Also, you don't HAVE to own your own business. There are plenty of other options. You could also do the military route, you could work with a group, etc. You aren't forced to do your own business. There are options. Though, if it's people you're trying to avoid... you may want to consider being a beach bum. 😉

In the end, this is your choice and you need to weigh the options, of which, there are many. This is an expensive road to take on a whim. Though, it's highly prosperous. I am sure you wont regret going... Though, you might always wonder if you don't go.

 

[doc toothache]

The dream job; as little work as possible bringing in at least 500K.

 

[theartofzahn]

The dream job; as little work as possible bringing in at least 500K.

Bieber.

 

[acgeorge]

Where are you starting D school?

 

[Newgoalsdentdoc]

Your feelings are normal. Too funny, I started off in Pharmacy and ended up in Dentistry. So glad I made that choice. Take a deep breath and just breathe. You have not made a bad choice. There are SO many options with dentistry. Before I became a dentist, I did dental assisting, Dental Hygiene, and even worked at the front desk. Being the dentist is a whole other world. You'll love it. There's a lot involved with every day work as a dentist, but it's so rewarding YOU get to choose just how much work you want to do and how less depending on your environment.

 

[yappy]

Life is all about choices and living with the consequences of those choices. Only you can make the decision if dentistry is for you. You may love it, hate it, or most likely enjoy some aspects and dislike others. The sooner you understand yourself, and what you want out of life, the more clear your choices will become. Just remember - there is no such thing as a perfect career or life.

EDIT: I read my post and it comes across as some sort of cheesy philosophy lol... what I'm trying to say is recognize that your choices will only effect you and that other people may have different values than you. Therefore, what we think doesn't pertain to your situation.

 

[Silent Cool]

Hey guys,


I REALLY NEED SOME INPUT!!!
I'm going to start dental school starting this July. I've been pre-dental for 3 years after deciding pharmacy was too boring for me.

I graduated in 2012 and since then volunteered in a clinic, shadowed a little, and worked as a dental assistant in a GP office with 3 or 4 dentists. I wasn't 100% sure I wanted to do dentistry when I applied but decided to see what happens and if I would be sure after I got more experience.

Now that a year has passed, I am still not 100% sure. I love the idea of working with my hands and being my own boss but after working in a very busy office, I realized you have to have a lot of interactions with different people (staff, patients, etc). I became very tired and didn't want to talk to people by the end of the day. If this is just as a dental assistant, I can't imagine how stressed and exhausted the dentist must be..

Another concern I have is the business aspect of things..just thinking about it scares the hell out of me.

My ideal situation would be to see only about 4 patients a day instead of like 9. I know this is not realistic with the amount of debt I will be coming out of from dental school (~430k).

The reason I keep going back and forth with this is there are still a lot of aspects I DO like about dentistry such as working with my hands, job stability, and getting to help people which I think is rewarding...my question is...Is it all worth it??? Will I be too stressed out to enjoy the fruits of my labor and be a good dentist?

Did any of you have doubts going into school? I'm seriously scared of starting school and dropping out halfway...

The only reasonable solution I see is SPECIALIZING. I say this because specialists see less patients typically, get paid more, and don't have to rely as heavily on marketing themselves to the public and the competition of general dentists. Do you think there is a niche for me in dentistry or should I give up??

You guys probably think I'm an idiot for waiting so long to ask this but it just recently became very real and scary to me. Any constructive input from new dentists and dental students would be VERY much appreciated! Thank you in advance.

OP,

It sounds like the best field for you would be endodontics. They see relatively few patients per day, and don't have to be mr. or mrs. "animated" all the time the way a pedodontist or a general dentist might. You can just be a straight shooter. People are often in severe pain and they want you to take them out of it--end of story. No BS. Endo is also lucrative. If you are more of an introvert (which it sounds like you are), Endo would be a good field for you.

 

[Silent Cool]

Life is all about choices and living with the consequences of those choices. Only you can make the decision if dentistry is for you. You may love it, hate it, or most likely enjoy some aspects and dislike others. The sooner you understand yourself, and what you want out of life, the more clear your choices will become. Just remember - there is no such thing as a perfect career or life.

EDIT: I read my post and it comes across as some sort of cheesy philosophy lol... what I'm trying to say is recognize that your choices will only effect you and that other people may have different values than you. Therefore, what we think doesn't pertain to your situation.

+1 to the bolded above.

 

[unicornlove]

OP,

It sounds like the best field for you would be endodontics. They see relatively few patients per day, and don't have to be mr. or mrs. "animated" all the time the way a pedodontist or a general dentist might. You can just be a straight shooter. People are often in severe pain and they want you to take them out of it--end of story. No BS. Endo is also lucrative. If you are more of an introvert (which it sounds like you are), Endo would be a good field for you.

Funny you suggested endo because that's exactly what I had in mind. I've been interested in it ever since I watched my first endo procedure. I just hope I like in dental school!! 👍
Thanks for your input everyone. I realize there is no perfect career, but taking out that much in loans really makes you think twice and evaluate if there are other options, at least for me it did. I've come to the conclusion that there is a reason why I chose this profession out of all the others and try not to worry about the money so much but rather finding my niche in this profession.

Thank you!

 

[UltimateHombre]

Funny you suggested endo because that's exactly what I had in mind.

Not trying to discourage you, just trying to shoot straight with you.

Endo is incredibly competitive... having your heart set on it before even starting dental school, maybe a recipe for disaster. You may not even enjoy doing RCT all day.

Furthermore, the endos i have shadowed have always been pretty busy.... 6+ patients a day, plus they schedule an hour or more for emergency patients.

Also, if you don't like working and talking with people, you may struggle developing relationships with the GPs that will be feeding you patients.

 

[FutureDrM]

Endo is incredibly competitive... having your heart set on it before even starting dental school, maybe a recipe for disaster. You may not even enjoy doing RCT all day.

Yeah. One could say it'd be like having your heart set on dentistry before you start your undergrad....

 

[Newgoalsdentdoc]

Life is all about choices and living with the consequences of those choices. Only you can make the decision if dentistry is for you. You may love it, hate it, or most likely enjoy some aspects and dislike others. The sooner you understand yourself, and what you want out of life, the more clear your choices will become. Just remember - there is no such thing as a perfect career or life.

EDIT: I read my post and it comes across as some sort of cheesy philosophy lol... what I'm trying to say is recognize that your choices will only effect you and that other people may have different values than you. Therefore, what we think doesn't pertain to your situation.

Awesome comment!

 

[Wax n Relax]

I agree with the last 2 posts. Although it is great to shadow all areas of dentistry, WATCHING is significantly different than DOING those procedures. Plus, specialist make it look easy because that is all they do all day. It is also good to have goals, but you should be ok with being a GP just in case your plans turn out differently. Also, Endo these days seems like they will be cleaning up messes from GP's more often than they previously did due to GP's taking on more endo these days.