Dilemma about specializing...and in what...

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Mask667

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Hello fellow SDNers,

I have to pose this question. I am so confused even after completing dental school. I completed a GPR residency and now doing a 2nd year GPR, which also offers an extra year for Oral Medicine (if I choose to do this, I would have to opt in now). My GPA in dental school was not high, just under 3... :(
I decided to do the 2nd year partly to help me out if I eventually decide to do a specialty. Even then, given how competitive some fields are I don't know how much it would even help.
Anyway I am considering a few things and wanted your opinions on it:

Path 1: Complete GPR 2, practice + MBA (I would then eventually hope to manage multiple practices)

Path 2: Complete GPR 2, practice, perio (and then MBA) -- 3 years extra

Path 3: Complete GPR2, practice, perio/prosth (and then MBA) -- 5 years extra

Path 4: Complete GPR2, practice, OMFS [if even possible] and then MBA -- 4 to 6 years extra

Path 5: Complete Oral Med, OMFS [if even possible] and then MBA -- 4 to 6 years extra with a 1 year loss in income

Path 6: Complete GPR2, practice, Dental Anesthesia [if even possible] and then MBA -- 2 to 3 years extra

Path 7: Complete Oral Medicine, Dental Anesthesia [if even possible] and then MBA -- 2 to 3 years extra

Fields in consideration: 1)Perio, 2)Prosth/perio, 3)Dental Anesthesia 4)OMFS


I am 26 years old, single, and open to living pretty much where ever. I am financially motivated, because I consider specializing as an investment of both time/money. (By the way, I do care about my patients, even though by saying that "I am financially motivated", it may not sound like it)

So far I have heard:
1) "Do what you like, money will come"
2) "Of course specialists make more"
3) "If I could do it all over again, I would do restorative side of things" -- oral surgeon
4) "If I could go back, I would specialize"--- general dentist (this is the one that gets me the most I would not want to have regrets)

I am also somewhat frustrated that a bunch of my classmates have already started practicing and when I tell them I am doing a second year GPR and still thinking about specializing, I get "pfff dude, you'll always stay in school, go out and make some money"

I like the idea of specializing....but not sure if it would be worth the time....I am also having a hard time with "time/age"--that is it too late to start practicing when I am over 35 years of age? Physicians start around that time...

Looking for answers from all the specialties mentioned as well as from general dentists...

Thank you so very much (in advance)

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If I were you, I would finish off your 2nd year GPR and move to an area where there are major shortage of dentist and start up a practice with a long term view. You're single and presumably have no big overhead (e.g. feeding family, paying huge mortgage, getting new car every year etc.) I would live like a single student for some time (no new car, no fancy trips to Europe etc) and save, save and save. Build good will and patient base in your new community... do EVERYTHING that you feel confident in-house and refer bits and pieces out to the specialists. Once you are established, then you will be able to hire specialists working for you. You will manage them and be their boss.

Given the current economy, I now tell young dentists to consider staying on as a general practitioner, and be a good one, not just a mediocre dentist. As a specialist (ortho), I find it almost impossible to find any reasonable, ethically minded general dentist to refer patients for restorative work.
 
I strongly believe that it is worth it to specialize IF you love a certain specialty. About half of the 50-yr-old dentists out there moan and bellyache over what they don't like about what they are doing. Of course that means that the other half likes general dentistry. Would you rather spend the next 35 years trudging through your career or would you rather love going to work but only get to do it for 30 years?

I was previously an OMFS resident and later resigned. I currently practice general dentistry and am interviewing for Orthodontics this month and next. The smartest thing I ever did was ask myself how happy I would be if I stayed on the road I was traveling. Then I compared it to happy I would be, in general, if I was 50 years old working in a different field.

I am 31 so I won't start in my specialty until around 34 or 35. That means nothing to me. If you are healthy and like what you are doing, you will probably live 5-10 years longer anyway. My point, take this time in GPR to learn about yourself and what makes you tick.

If you like to have a constant variation and thrive on things changing unexpectedly during the day, then choose General Dentistry or Oral Surgery. These careers fit people who thrive on the unexpected.

If you like to plan things out and get stressed out by your day changing from what is on the books, then you may be more happy with a specialty that has highly planned procedures. Prosthodontics and Periodontics fit this mold better (and Ortho). Surgeries in Perio are less often emergency surgeries (unlike OMFS where GPs may refer someone in at the last second). In Prosth, your big cases make up a large component of your production and this means that you are planning things out carefully as compared to general dentistry where you must fix a myriad of circumstances that come through the door unexpectedly and patients want it now.

Ask yourself what works for you and be honest as you answer that question. If you are highly stressed by the unexpected, that means you will likely be stressed out on a day to day basis in your profession in a profession like general dentistry; especially if you are are very particular about your prosth. If you get bored by a predictable day schedule, then that will also be important to your plans.

Do not be afraid to go after your greatest interest.

In the case of OMFS, you would really need to do an intern year to be competitive given your GPA. As someone who was once an oral surgery resident, we don't care that much if someone was in a GPR. You earn a lot more respect by doing an OMFS internship which is brutal and will shape you a lot. Regarding the dental anesthesia thing, I was on an a General Anesthesia service for 2 months and I learned a lot. One thing I learned was that if I was ever going to be an anesthesiologist in the US, I would be a general anesthesiologist. I mean no offense to those who choose dental anesthesiology. Its just how I would go about it.

Best of luck to you!
 
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Mask667,
First of all, I am a dental student, not a dentist, but I thought I would share my thoughts anyway :) To be considering so many different specialties shows that you really enjoy doing a variety of dental procedures. With that in mind, it seems like general dentistry would be an outstanding path to pursue. Obviously you want to specialize, but I would try to figure out why you want to specialize~ it does not seem like you are passionate about a single field of dentistry. The only common thread between each of your potential paths is an MBA. Since your interests are varied, and you will have 2 years of GPR experience, I think BlueToothHunter's suggestion is makes a lot of sense. Why not do lots of CE and personal study so that you can provide many oral surgery/perio procedures while also providing complex prosth treatment to patients? IV Sedation courses/accreditation can be done as a general dentist. Also, if your goal is to run several practices, then it seems like general dentistry is the way to go. Are you really going to have a multi-practice perio operation?

Of course, this is just the opinion of a lowly dental student. Good luck in whatever career path you choose!!!!!
 
Hello fellow SDNers,

I have to pose this question. I am so confused even after completing dental school. I completed a GPR residency and now doing a 2nd year GPR, which also offers an extra year for Oral Medicine (if I choose to do this, I would have to opt in now). My GPA in dental school was not high, just under 3... :(
I decided to do the 2nd year partly to help me out if I eventually decide to do a specialty. Even then, given how competitive some fields are I don't know how much it would even help.
Anyway I am considering a few things and wanted your opinions on it:

Path 1: Complete GPR 2, practice + MBA (I would then eventually hope to manage multiple practices)

Path 2: Complete GPR 2, practice, perio (and then MBA) -- 3 years extra

Path 3: Complete GPR2, practice, perio/prosth (and then MBA) -- 5 years extra

Path 4: Complete GPR2, practice, OMFS [if even possible] and then MBA -- 4 to 6 years extra

Path 5: Complete Oral Med, OMFS [if even possible] and then MBA -- 4 to 6 years extra with a 1 year loss in income

Path 6: Complete GPR2, practice, Dental Anesthesia [if even possible] and then MBA -- 2 to 3 years extra

Path 7: Complete Oral Medicine, Dental Anesthesia [if even possible] and then MBA -- 2 to 3 years extra

Fields in consideration: 1)Perio, 2)Prosth/perio, 3)Dental Anesthesia 4)OMFS


I am 26 years old, single, and open to living pretty much where ever. I am financially motivated, because I consider specializing as an investment of both time/money. (By the way, I do care about my patients, even though by saying that "I am financially motivated", it may not sound like it)

So far I have heard:
1) "Do what you like, money will come"
2) "Of course specialists make more"
3) "If I could do it all over again, I would do restorative side of things" -- oral surgeon
4) "If I could go back, I would specialize"--- general dentist (this is the one that gets me the most I would not want to have regrets)

I am also somewhat frustrated that a bunch of my classmates have already started practicing and when I tell them I am doing a second year GPR and still thinking about specializing, I get "pfff dude, you'll always stay in school, go out and make some money"

I like the idea of specializing....but not sure if it would be worth the time....I am also having a hard time with "time/age"--that is it too late to start practicing when I am over 35 years of age? Physicians start around that time...

Looking for answers from all the specialties mentioned as well as from general dentists...

Thank you so very much (in advance)


Man, this is so confusing. Maybe you shoule go to med school and be an internist. Path 8. :bang:
 
What do you like more? Perio? Pros? OMFS? Anesthesia? After a year and a half at a GPR I would hope you'd know the answer to that. That's what you should specialize in. That's what you want to spend the rest of your life doing. Everything else is just white noise.

I would ignore the MBA. A degree doesn't make you a great businessman -- especially if you plan on being a referral-based specialist. Or if you must, get a night degree while you're working.
 
Who cares what some oral surgeon or general dentist tell you? Do what you want!

You sound like a lost soul. One of my attendings at the VA was like this.... want to hear his route?

2 years of GPR + 3 years of Prosth + 3 years of Perio + 1 year oral maxillofacial prosth

And guess what? He was unproductive, unhappy and not great with patients. Harsh, but true!

hup
 
Path 1: Complete GPR 2, practice + MBA (I would then eventually hope to manage multiple practices)

Path 2: Complete GPR 2, practice, perio (and then MBA) -- 3 years extra

Path 3: Complete GPR2, practice, perio/prosth (and then MBA) -- 5 years extra

Path 4: Complete GPR2, practice, OMFS [if even possible] and then MBA -- 4 to 6 years extra

Path 5: Complete Oral Med, OMFS [if even possible] and then MBA -- 4 to 6 years extra with a 1 year loss in income

Path 6: Complete GPR2, practice, Dental Anesthesia [if even possible] and then MBA -- 2 to 3 years extra

Path 7: Complete Oral Medicine, Dental Anesthesia [if even possible] and then MBA -- 2 to 3 years extra

Fields in consideration: 1)Perio, 2)Prosth/perio, 3)Dental Anesthesia 4)OMFS

You may want to also consider Oral Radiology, Oral Pathology, Public Health, Endo, Pedo, Law, Medicine, Space Exploration, Politics, Middle School Administration, Engineering Physics, and Accounting. There are a lot of options out there. Don't limit yourself.
 
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You may want to also consider Oral Radiology, Oral Pathology, Public Health, Endo, Pedo, Law, Medicine, Space Exploration, Politics, Middle School Administration, Engineering Physics, and Accounting. There are a lot of options out there. Don't limit yourself.

:eek: You can explore space as a dentist??? Now I'm TOTALLY bummed that I picked pros...
 
I am also somewhat frustrated that a bunch of my classmates have already started practicing and when I tell them I am doing a second year GPR and still thinking about specializing, I get "pfff dude, you'll always stay in school, go out and make some money"


This sounds harsh but...
I agree with your classmates. Its time to leave the the cozy, artificial world of academia and go out into the cold, real world and get a job.

You might just make a difference in the world by being part of the world.
 
Who cares what some oral surgeon or general dentist tell you? Do what you want!

You sound like a lost soul. One of my attendings at the VA was like this.... want to hear his route?

2 years of GPR + 3 years of Prosth + 3 years of Perio + 1 year oral maxillofacial prosth

And guess what? He was unproductive, unhappy and not great with patients. Harsh, but true!

hup

9 years of residency is unreal!! Would hate to see what the accrued interest on the deferred loans would be?! :eek:
 
:eek: You can explore space as a dentist??? Now I'm TOTALLY bummed that I picked pros...

HAHA. That's funny cause a couple weeks ago my 5 y/o son said when grows up he wants to be an Army dentist space guy!! :laugh:
True story.
 
Thank you everyone who gave a serious opinion. Still confused, but we will see. I keep getting two sides, "go out and make money" and "you are still young, specialize"....eh....anybody else wants to weigh in on this, it would be greatly appreciated, thank you.
 
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I strongly believe that it is worth it to specialize IF you love a certain specialty. About half of the 50-yr-old dentists out there moan and bellyache over what they don't like about what they are doing. Of course that means that the other half likes general dentistry. Would you rather spend the next 35 years trudging through your career or would you rather love going to work but only get to do it for 30 years?

I was previously an OMFS resident and later resigned. I currently practice general dentistry and am interviewing for Orthodontics this month and next. The smartest thing I ever did was ask myself how happy I would be if I stayed on the road I was traveling. Then I compared it to happy I would be, in general, if I was 50 years old working in a different field.

I am 31 so I won't start in my specialty until around 34 or 35. That means nothing to me. If you are healthy and like what you are doing, you will probably live 5-10 years longer anyway. My point, take this time in GPR to learn about yourself and what makes you tick.

If you like to have a constant variation and thrive on things changing unexpectedly during the day, then choose General Dentistry or Oral Surgery. These careers fit people who thrive on the unexpected.

If you like to plan things out and get stressed out by your day changing from what is on the books, then you may be more happy with a specialty that has highly planned procedures. Prosthodontics and Periodontics fit this mold better (and Ortho). Surgeries in Perio are less often emergency surgeries (unlike OMFS where GPs may refer someone in at the last second). In Prosth, your big cases make up a large component of your production and this means that you are planning things out carefully as compared to general dentistry where you must fix a myriad of circumstances that come through the door unexpectedly and patients want it now.

Ask yourself what works for you and be honest as you answer that question. If you are highly stressed by the unexpected, that means you will likely be stressed out on a day to day basis in your profession in a profession like general dentistry; especially if you are are very particular about your prosth. If you get bored by a predictable day schedule, then that will also be important to your plans.

Do not be afraid to go after your greatest interest.

In the case of OMFS, you would really need to do an intern year to be competitive given your GPA. As someone who was once an oral surgery resident, we don't care that much if someone was in a GPR. You earn a lot more respect by doing an OMFS internship which is brutal and will shape you a lot. Regarding the dental anesthesia thing, I was on an a General Anesthesia service for 2 months and I learned a lot. One thing I learned was that if I was ever going to be an anesthesiologist in the US, I would be a general anesthesiologist. I mean no offense to those who choose dental anesthesiology. Its just how I would go about it.

Best of luck to you!


If you don't mind me asking, how come you resigned from the OMFS position? what did you not like about it?

Also, would a group of OMFS not care about the 2 years of GPR instead of 1?

Thanks
 
I keep getting two sides, "go out and make money" and "you are still young, specialize"

It doesn't matter what others say, what counts is what you think/feel about specializing
or not.....
 
Also, would a group of OMFS not care about the 2 years of GPR instead of 1?

Thanks

OMFS is going to be very difficult for you to get into without doing an internship first. Your GPR years will only help you minimally in OMFS program admissions. As you mentioned above your grades are not up to par and therefore you'll need to take the NBME exam (assuming your Part I score is not stellar either?) and do an internship to prove yourself competitive. Not only is getting in a lot of work, but so is the residency so you need to be pretty dedicated.

I think the reason your not getting the responses you want here is because you're not being clear with what you want. Normally people like one field and aim for it, or like everything (or nothing!) and stick with general dentistry. From your original post you are interested in perio, OMFS, anesthesiology, prosth and money. Unfortunately being young is not a reason to do a specialty; you have to (1) really enjoy it AND/OR (2) be pretty damn smart. And no offense, but with your grades you won't be very competitive for any specialty. So you have to really love it, be committed to it, and willing to apply several times in the face of rejection. Now ask yourself which field you'd do that for.
 
OMFS is going to be very difficult for you to get into without doing an internship first. Your GPR years will only help you minimally in OMFS program admissions. As you mentioned above your grades are not up to par and therefore you'll need to take the NBME exam (assuming your Part I score is not stellar either?) and do an internship to prove yourself competitive. Not only is getting in a lot of work, but so is the residency so you need to be pretty dedicated.

I think the reason your not getting the responses you want here is because you're not being clear with what you want. Normally people like one field and aim for it, or like everything (or nothing!) and stick with general dentistry. From your original post you are interested in perio, OMFS, anesthesiology, prosth and money. Unfortunately being young is not a reason to do a specialty; you have to (1) really enjoy it AND/OR (2) be pretty damn smart. And no offense, but with your grades you won't be very competitive for any specialty. So you have to really love it, be committed to it, and willing to apply several times in the face of rejection. Now ask yourself which field you'd do that for.

THIS is an excellent post -- read it several times to make sure you understand everything CMistry is saying.

I would advise you to seriously consider your priorities. If you're looking to maximize your financial opportunities and for some reason believe that specializing is an end to this means, just get out there and start practicing dentistry. You'll be happier in the long run and there are plenty of opportunities to make good money in general dentistry. I'd say with very few exceptions (cough:oops:rtho:cough) people don't choose to specialize to chase the money or lifestyle. Especially not perio or pros. They do it because they want to focus (read: LIMIT!) their profession to the practice of one type of dentistry. I would argue that money always FOLLOWS job satisfaction - and not the other way around.
 
One of the concerns about general dentistry to me is saturation, I would like to offer something more. Another concern is that I take my time doing things, and if I spent that much time in private practice, I would not get that far...I know I don't like operative, dentures are okay, crown and bridge is a bit more enjoyable, extractions and crown lengthening I enjoy (i haven't gotten around to other perio surgeries). Last year and this year I had some OR experience and enjoyed that as well. Ortho, I haven't been exposed to that much, and I think I would find wire-bending boring. Don't like kids either.

Likes: Surgeries
OK: removable and fixed restorative (not including operative)
dislikes: operative and kids

(like to explore: dental anesthesia and ortho)
 
Mask677

If I were you, This is what I would do.

In my second year of GPR;

1-I will do my best and if applicable to do a lot of Implant cases and master them.
2-Be comfortable with Endo
3-Do a lot of cosmetic and Fixed pros.

I would only focus on cometic, implant, and easy Endo cases in my practice, and I also can hire an associate for other easy daily restorative cases.

that is just my honest opinion.
 
One of the concerns about general dentistry to me is saturation, I would like to offer something more. Another concern is that I take my time doing things, and if I spent that much time in private practice, I would not get that far...I know I don't like operative, dentures are okay, crown and bridge is a bit more enjoyable, extractions and crown lengthening I enjoy (i haven't gotten around to other perio surgeries). Last year and this year I had some OR experience and enjoyed that as well. Ortho, I haven't been exposed to that much, and I think I would find wire-bending boring. Don't like kids either.

Likes: Surgeries
OK: removable and fixed restorative (not including operative)
dislikes: operative and kids

(like to explore: dental anesthesia and ortho)
It seems like you still want to specialize. An option is to finish the GPR, do an internship at an OMFS program for a year where you pay to be there, teach at a pre-doc oral surgery clinic for a year to prove your dedication to OMFS, and then apply. That route has been proven to get people into OMFS. Also, there should be internships available for ortho and dental anesthesia that can be done for a year before applying.
 
I did dental anesthesiology because i loved it...i hope i make a lot of money from it, but even if i don't im sticking to it

You just cannot listen to other people about their profession...so few people are honest in their advice...some will say what they do is harder and theyre undercompensated...others will brag how great something is even when they dont like it

The most useful advice i can give is try to be as realistic as possible with how each route will play out...the more detail you can put into it the better...can you see yourself doing 6 years of residency and then pulling teeth all day? Can you see yourself doing 2-3 years and putting a kid to sleep and then reading a book everyday? Can you see yourself doing 5 molar endos a day?

This question is too specific to you for anyone to give you a complete answer
 
Hello fellow SDNers,

I have to pose this question. I am so confused even after completing dental school. I completed a GPR residency and now doing a 2nd year GPR, which also offers an extra year for Oral Medicine (if I choose to do this, I would have to opt in now). My GPA in dental school was not high, just under 3... :(
I decided to do the 2nd year partly to help me out if I eventually decide to do a specialty. Even then, given how competitive some fields are I don't know how much it would even help.
Anyway I am considering a few things and wanted your opinions on it:

Path 1: Complete GPR 2, practice + MBA (I would then eventually hope to manage multiple practices)

Path 2: Complete GPR 2, practice, perio (and then MBA) -- 3 years extra

Path 3: Complete GPR2, practice, perio/prosth (and then MBA) -- 5 years extra

Path 4: Complete GPR2, practice, OMFS [if even possible] and then MBA -- 4 to 6 years extra

Path 5: Complete Oral Med, OMFS [if even possible] and then MBA -- 4 to 6 years extra with a 1 year loss in income

Path 6: Complete GPR2, practice, Dental Anesthesia [if even possible] and then MBA -- 2 to 3 years extra

Path 7: Complete Oral Medicine, Dental Anesthesia [if even possible] and then MBA -- 2 to 3 years extra

Fields in consideration: 1)Perio, 2)Prosth/perio, 3)Dental Anesthesia 4)OMFS


I am 26 years old, single, and open to living pretty much where ever. I am financially motivated, because I consider specializing as an investment of both time/money. (By the way, I do care about my patients, even though by saying that "I am financially motivated", it may not sound like it)

So far I have heard:
1) "Do what you like, money will come"
2) "Of course specialists make more"
3) "If I could do it all over again, I would do restorative side of things" -- oral surgeon
4) "If I could go back, I would specialize"--- general dentist (this is the one that gets me the most I would not want to have regrets)

I am also somewhat frustrated that a bunch of my classmates have already started practicing and when I tell them I am doing a second year GPR and still thinking about specializing, I get "pfff dude, you'll always stay in school, go out and make some money"

I like the idea of specializing....but not sure if it would be worth the time....I am also having a hard time with "time/age"--that is it too late to start practicing when I am over 35 years of age? Physicians start around that time...

Looking for answers from all the specialties mentioned as well as from general dentists...

Thank you so very much (in advance)
This is such a dilemma and I'm almost in the same situation except that I'm in YR-1 AGD and expecting to do Yr-2 + MSc. I was just talking to my one of my mentors this morning about this issue. I can't agree more with the last reply that it's something highly personal. As much as ppl's opinions can give you an insight or ideas that never crossed ur mind but you can't give any opinion high importance. Opinions r like #$@^&, everybody has 1! However imho:

1) "Do what you like, money will come" true, the key word is "what u like": dig deep intside urself: what do u like?
2) "Of course specialists make more" Not necessarily, they have the advantage of less instruments/equipment and no cap on how much they charge but if ur a highly competent and confident GP who can handle complex comprehensive cases. What's going to stop u from making $$$!!

3) "If I could do it all over again, I would do restorative side of things" -- oral surgeon
I agree w/ that. Doing surgery all day n night is cool and kinda easy once u learn the tricks and foundation but u'll always miss making beautiful lustrous restorations and watching nice results.


4) "If I could go back, I would specialize"--- general dentist (this is the one that gets me the most I would not want to have regrets)
well, if there was a certain specialty he liked then yes. if he's just bitter, bored, confined to simple restorative dentistry then i understand. You are what u make of yourself. I see GPs who do a lot of implants/sinus lifts/tori removal etc.. I like that path.

Finally, I think cad-cam (cerec), Lasers, implant placement and restoration, 3rd molar surg. extractions rotary endo are what's hot and will raise your value if you learn to perfect them in addition to being IV sedation certified of course.
 
Hello fellow SDNers,

I have to pose this question. I am so confused even after completing dental school. I completed a GPR residency and now doing a 2nd year GPR, which also offers an extra year for Oral Medicine (if I choose to do this, I would have to opt in now). My GPA in dental school was not high, just under 3... :(
I decided to do the 2nd year partly to help me out if I eventually decide to do a specialty. Even then, given how competitive some fields are I don't know how much it would even help.
Anyway I am considering a few things and wanted your opinions on it:

Path 1: Complete GPR 2, practice + MBA (I would then eventually hope to manage multiple practices)

Path 2: Complete GPR 2, practice, perio (and then MBA) -- 3 years extra

Path 3: Complete GPR2, practice, perio/prosth (and then MBA) -- 5 years extra

Path 4: Complete GPR2, practice, OMFS [if even possible] and then MBA -- 4 to 6 years extra

Path 5: Complete Oral Med, OMFS [if even possible] and then MBA -- 4 to 6 years extra with a 1 year loss in income

Path 6: Complete GPR2, practice, Dental Anesthesia [if even possible] and then MBA -- 2 to 3 years extra

Path 7: Complete Oral Medicine, Dental Anesthesia [if even possible] and then MBA -- 2 to 3 years extra

Fields in consideration: 1)Perio, 2)Prosth/perio, 3)Dental Anesthesia 4)OMFS


I am 26 years old, single, and open to living pretty much where ever. I am financially motivated, because I consider specializing as an investment of both time/money. (By the way, I do care about my patients, even though by saying that "I am financially motivated", it may not sound like it)

So far I have heard:
1) "Do what you like, money will come"
2) "Of course specialists make more"
3) "If I could do it all over again, I would do restorative side of things" -- oral surgeon
4) "If I could go back, I would specialize"--- general dentist (this is the one that gets me the most I would not want to have regrets)

I am also somewhat frustrated that a bunch of my classmates have already started practicing and when I tell them I am doing a second year GPR and still thinking about specializing, I get "pfff dude, you'll always stay in school, go out and make some money"

I like the idea of specializing....but not sure if it would be worth the time....I am also having a hard time with "time/age"--that is it too late to start practicing when I am over 35 years of age? Physicians start around that time...

Looking for answers from all the specialties mentioned as well as from general dentists...

Thank you so very much (in advance)

You mentioned that your GPA is below 3.0. The more important figure is class rank. What is your class rank?
 
I havent read all the posts, but here's an advice

Obviously you are lost and undecided. You are finishing 2nd yr gpr i assume that you have good clinical skills by now.

My advice is
1- look for a job then start your own practice. Dont waste your time and money on a career you are not sure of.
The beauty of general dentistry is that you can do procedures that you like and refer treatments that you are not comfortable with.
2- spend your time and money on ce courses. Find your field of interest and take comprehensive/extensive ce, im not talking about 1 day ce's.
there are many advanced ce's out there like implants and perio surgery. They wont make you a specialist but you'll be able to do comprehensive treatments.
Private practice is different from the perfect world of residency
 
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