if you have ANY doubts whatsoever about dentistry, then I can assure you right now, you WILL have problems when you deal with real patients....
Dentistry is like many other medical fields, you have to deal with "disgusting" things (the way the public views it) and enjoy dealing with them. If you have any doubts whatsoever, then medicine is not for you....
Fair response. When shadowing my dentist, orthodontist, and oral surgeon, I didn't find any aspect of their work "disgusting." I thoroughly enjoyed everything I saw and my interaction with the patients. When I actually got to assist the orthodontist and the oral surgeon, I thought it was the greatest thing ever. Those moments made me happy with the decision I have made to pursue this profession.
I just don't think anyone can be 100% when they say that any career is for them until they really get into the training/profession. That's why so many people change majors, change careers, etc. They come to realize that such and such profession is not all they thought it would be. All we can do as pre-dents is shadow professionals, research the field, and other activities that are mostly hands-off. And as pmantz was saying, this is a lifelong decision. I think it would be naive not to take a step back and examine the big picture.
Who knows what will happen when we're "inflicting" pain on people? While not disgusting, some people won't be able to handle that aspect of treating people. The orthodontist I worked for hated hurting people and said he would've quit dentistry if he didn't get into an orthodontic program.
I guess we'll have to agree to disagree here. I have no problem with the disgusting stuff and through extensive shadowing I'm certain that I can deal with causing momentary discomfort with treatment as the final goal. I'm as confident as can be that this is the right decision for me...even if I have a concern or two. Believe me, if I didn't think this was for me, I wouldn't be wasting thousands of dollars and a couple years of my life "testing the waters" hoping that this is what I want to do...all the "testing" is what undergrad, shadowing, working at offices, etc are for.