Difficulty of dental school if not specializing?

[leehrat]

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I have a question for all the current dental students: how difficult is dental school if you are going in solely with the intention of doing the bare minimum to pass and be a competent dentist? from my readings on dentaltown it seems like gp's can still do very well financially as long as they have a reasonable degree of clinical competence and good business acumen. i hear a lot of people here talking about how difficult it is but i feel that these complaints are coming from those who want to specialize or at least keep that option available. is this true?

and a second question: how difficult is it to learn to work with your hands to the extent necessary for a competent dentist? i've never been artistically inclined or anything but i do feel like i have good fine motor skills and i enjoy things like computer repairs and car repair/tweaking. would this be enough background? thanks

 

[Biogirl361]

you're not a dentist i want working on my teeth if you want to have only "reasonable clinical competence" but a "good business acumen", and are already talking about just trying to pass at a bare minimum!

that said, i am not trying to specialize, just want to be the best gp i can be, but dental school is still a huge amount of work and sometimes even passing some exams isn't that easy. Thats just my experience though, plenty of people on here will probably tell you its a piece of cake, it really depends on the school and the individual as to how hard they perceive it to be.

 

[Rezdawg]

I dont think trying to do the bare minimun is a good idea. But, if you must, then dental school is not too bad. You still have to study, because there is too much information to try and wing it, but I'd say that you could definitely go out 3 or 4 nights a week and still get by.

 

[Rube]

I have a question for all the current dental students: how difficult is dental school if you are going in solely with the intention of doing the bare minimum to pass and be a competent dentist? from my readings on dentaltown it seems like gp's can still do very well financially as long as they have a reasonable degree of clinical competence and good business acumen. i hear a lot of people here talking about how difficult it is but i feel that these complaints are coming from those who want to specialize or at least keep that option available. is this true?

and a second question: how difficult is it to learn to work with your hands to the extent necessary for a competent dentist? i've never been artistically inclined or anything but i do feel like i have good fine motor skills and i enjoy things like computer repairs and car repair/tweaking. would this be enough background? thanks

Dental school is hard only in this regard: they work you.

Hand skills all depend on how much time you're willing to put in. Some people arrive at dental school at different levels but mostly it comes down to how hard you work at it.

Most GPs on dentaltown are not worried about academic work anymore so their perspective is different. However, you will be a better GP for getting Bs than getting Cs. Future income has almost nothing to do with your GPA. Money comes from speed, competence, business skills, people skills and attitude.

 

[seablaster]

I definitely agree with the last two responses. Tarheel, not to rehash this a third time, but I would be very wary of entering dental school with that attitude. I've heard the expression "Cs and Ds make D.M.D.s" multiple times. The truth is Cs and Ds make incompetent dentists. At my school they stress the fact that once you graduate you will be a competent, *entry-level* dentist. A very steep learning curve will be encountered as soon as you start practice and dental school is only one phase of your education. My feeling is that you should have enough personal pride to be successful in your endeavor. For example, at times professors have posted exam results and the the average is say 85. I always see a few people at 50, 60, whatever. It is one thing if you can't understand the material, but a whole different thing if you are too lazy to learn the minimum amount of material to be average. The professors know who these individuals are and they should be embarrassed by their performance. How much personal pride would you take in your profession if you know you are doctor who is mediocre at best in all aspects of your clinical skills. One of the most humbling experiences I have ever had in my life was when an professor/mentor of mine sat down with me and went over oral pathology slides. I have been successful in dental school thus far, but at that moment I realized how limited our knowledge is and how crucial it is to keep learning so our patients receive the best possible care. Okay, I'll step off my soap box now. 😀

 

[zenith]

The truth is Cs and Ds make incompetent dentists.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but my understanding was that C's are passes. If your dental school is awarding C's and therefore passes to incompetent dentists then that is pretty disgraceful. My advice would be transfer or something, because when those incompetent dentists make negligent errors, and those get tracked back to your dental school then its going to disgrace you and all your fellow competent graduates through no fault of their own.

No dental school, or medical school, or electrician school for that matter, should be allowing incompetent personnel to graduate.

 

[Rezdawg]

I dont think C's make incompetent dentists at all. You still have to have a pretty solid base of knowledge to pull a C. There is such a fine line between someone with a B and someone with a C...A question here and a question there. Now, if you are getting into the D range, then that should be a red flag. I dont think any dental schools graduate D students...usually its a 2.0 gpa and up.

 

[seablaster]

I dont think C's make incompetent dentists at all. You still have to have a pretty solid base of knowledge to pull a C. There is such a fine line between someone with a B and someone with a C...A question here and a question there. Now, if you are getting into the D range, then that should be a red flag. I dont think any dental schools graduate D students...usually its a 2.0 gpa and up.

I was just making a generalization...which I'll admit was somewhat harsh after reading it. I will admit that it depends on the course and the delination between a B, C, whatever. I definitely agree that the D range is a red flag. In response to your post zenith, I think transferring schools would be pretty drastic. I feel the training my school provides is excellent to those who desire it. A few individuals I know feel like they have worked hard enough to get into dental school and have allowed themselves to really coast during the last few years. If the original poster is planning on doing this, I think both of you will agree this is not the best way to go.

"No dental school, or medical school, or electrician school for that matter, should be allowing incompetent personnel to graduate."

I believe in this whole-heartedly as well, however I feel that it is somewhat different in reality. We all know people from high school etc that entered some amazing professional career say to ourselves "I'd never let him work on my dog much less me." It shouldn't happen, but people that are somewhat less than adequate will always graduate from dental/medical schools. Just to reiterate, this is only my opinion...I appreciate the discussion. 😍

 

[adamlc18]

I definitely agree with the last two responses. Tarheel, not to rehash this a third time, but I would be very wary of entering dental school with that attitude. I've heard the expression "Cs and Ds make D.M.D.s" multiple times. The truth is Cs and Ds make incompetent dentists. At my school they stress the fact that once you graduate you will be a competent, *entry-level* dentist. A very steep learning curve will be encountered as soon as you start practice and dental school is only one phase of your education. My feeling is that you should have enough personal pride to be successful in your endeavor. For example, at times professors have posted exam results and the the average is say 85. I always see a few people at 50, 60, whatever. It is one thing if you can't understand the material, but a whole different thing if you are too lazy to learn the minimum amount of material to be average. The professors know who these individuals are and they should be embarrassed by their performance. How much personal pride would you take in your profession if you know you are doctor who is mediocre at best in all aspects of your clinical skills. One of the most humbling experiences I have ever had in my life was when an professor/mentor of mine sat down with me and went over oral pathology slides. I have been successful in dental school thus far, but at that moment I realized how limited our knowledge is and how crucial it is to keep learning so our patients receive the best possible care. Okay, I'll step off my soap box now. 😀

I also wanted to add that it depends on where you go to school. Most of the classes at the school I attend are on a 7 point scale, meaning 93 is the cutoff for an A and 85 is the cutoff for a B. With a class average of 85, almost half your class would be getting a C or lower on a 7 point scale. So you can't always judge a "C" the same from every institution.

 

[OMFSCardsFan]

I have a question for all the current dental students: how difficult is dental school if you are going in solely with the intention of doing the bare minimum to pass and be a competent dentist? from my readings on dentaltown it seems like gp's can still do very well financially as long as they have a reasonable degree of clinical competence and good business acumen. i hear a lot of people here talking about how difficult it is but i feel that these complaints are coming from those who want to specialize or at least keep that option available. is this true?

and a second question: how difficult is it to learn to work with your hands to the extent necessary for a competent dentist? i've never been artistically inclined or anything but i do feel like i have good fine motor skills and i enjoy things like computer repairs and car repair/tweaking. would this be enough background? thanks

I specialized, and I still didn't think dental school was nearly as hard as everyone makes it out to be. I can't even imagine how little work I would have done to "just pass."

Keep in mind when you're taking these classes that the work that you put in along the way will help you when it comes time to take the NDBs. If you get a good grasp during the classes when you take them, you'll have a much easier time studying for the boards. But, if you get a good grasp of the material during the classes, you'll probably do much better than a "C" anyway.

 

[OMFSCardsFan]

I have a question for all the current dental students: how difficult is dental school if you are going in solely with the intention of doing the bare minimum to pass and be a competent dentist? from my readings on dentaltown it seems like gp's can still do very well financially as long as they have a reasonable degree of clinical competence and good business acumen. i hear a lot of people here talking about how difficult it is but i feel that these complaints are coming from those who want to specialize or at least keep that option available. is this true?

and a second question: how difficult is it to learn to work with your hands to the extent necessary for a competent dentist? i've never been artistically inclined or anything but i do feel like i have good fine motor skills and i enjoy things like computer repairs and car repair/tweaking. would this be enough background? thanks

I specialized, and I still didn't think dental school was nearly as hard as everyone makes it out to be. I can't even imagine how little work I would have done to "just pass."

Keep in mind when you're taking these classes that the work that you put in along the way will help you when it comes time to take the NDBs. If you get a good grasp during the classes when you take them, you'll have a much easier time studying for the boards. But, if you get a good grasp of the material during the classes, you'll probably do much better than a "C" anyway.

 

[OMFSCardsFan]

I have a question for all the current dental students: how difficult is dental school if you are going in solely with the intention of doing the bare minimum to pass and be a competent dentist? from my readings on dentaltown it seems like gp's can still do very well financially as long as they have a reasonable degree of clinical competence and good business acumen. i hear a lot of people here talking about how difficult it is but i feel that these complaints are coming from those who want to specialize or at least keep that option available. is this true?

and a second question: how difficult is it to learn to work with your hands to the extent necessary for a competent dentist? i've never been artistically inclined or anything but i do feel like i have good fine motor skills and i enjoy things like computer repairs and car repair/tweaking. would this be enough background? thanks

I specialized, and I still didn't think dental school was nearly as hard as everyone makes it out to be. I can't even imagine how little work I would have done to "just pass."

Keep in mind when you're taking these classes that the work that you put in along the way will help you when it comes time to take the NDBs. If you get a good grasp during the classes when you take them, you'll have a much easier time studying for the boards. But, if you get a good grasp of the material during the classes, you'll probably do much better than a "C" anyway.

 

[HuyetKiem]

Dental school is not that hard. My secret: don't read page after page of textbooks or notes, just scan over and read only the important paragraphs, bold typed words and diagrams. I've spent only 3-4 hrs of studying every week and a little bit more during exam time and haven't missed any prime time TV show everyday in the last 1.5 yrs. I don't plan to specialize yet but will decide later after retaking Part 1 this summer. Don't stress out too much, just have some fun in dental school 😀 😀

 

[ItsGavinC]

Dental school can be very laid-back, moreso than undergrad.

 

[ItsGavinC]

I also wanted to add that it depends on where you go to school. Most of the classes at the school I attend are on a 7 point scale, meaning 93 is the cutoff for an A and 85 is the cutoff for a B. With a class average of 85, almost half your class would be getting a C or lower on a 7 point scale. So you can't always judge a "C" the same from every institution.

Agreed. Further, it depends on the course. Not knowing the Krebs cycle doesn't make you an incompetent dentist.

Botching PFM preps, not knowing how to make dentures, etc., means you are largely incompetent. Who cares if you don't remember all arteries in the lower extremeties?

 

[ktcook83]

FWIW....

In my opinion I don't think a high GPA necessarily means a competent dentist. In fact, in some instances the opposite can be true. At times here at Michigan, I feel that I have to sacrifice practicing my clinical and hand skills in order to focus on the didactics because they are worth twice as much credit-wise. Memorizing crap about histo slides and memorizing neuroanatomical pathways is never something you'll use as a dentist. Ask any dentist what they remember from their didactic classes...

I heard someone say a while ago on here "While you're struggling with the science, I'm mastering the art." I really know where this person is coming from. I am at school to become the best clinician I can be (GP) so I'm willing to take a hit in the grades department from time to time if it means attending a great CE course or practicing my operative skills, etc.