Do I have a chance at a dental Residency? Pls help

[dahlia161]

Hey Everyone

I graduated from dental school in 2015.
Dental School GPA - 3.4
Class Rank- Ranked in the last 30% of the class
Undergrad GPA- 3.78
Barely any leadership or research awards.
Passed all the NBDE and NERB examinations.

In the two years I have been working, I haven't enjoyed much of it. I can't pinpoint to one reason.
I do enjoy Ortho cases. I wished I worked harder in dental school or did a GPR after school. At this point, I really wish I could do ortho because I actually enjoy it but with my stats I am not sure if I even stand a chance?

The second thing I enjoy is Perio. I do like treatment planning and placing implants. But I am not sure if I will be a big fan of gum surgeries. Honestly, I am young and I want to educate myself further. So I am asking for your opinion and any help that I can get. Do you think I may have a chance at either Ortho or Perio residency?

Thanks!

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[Big Time Hoosier]

I’d say your chances are much, much better for perio than for ortho. Really, ortho is probably a long shot. Even if you did manage to get into ortho, I’d wager it would be one of the $300,000 programs.

Big Hoss

 

[dahlia161]

I’d say your chances are much, much better for perio than for ortho. Really, ortho is probably a long shot. Even if you did manage to get into ortho, I’d wager it would be one of the $300,000 programs.

Big Hoss

Yeah I think you are right. Thanks a lot for your help!

 

[Java 55]

Perio and especially ortho programs are extremely competitive. Honestly, your GPA and rank is not competitive. Based on what limited information you have provided, I would recommend applying to a general practice residency to enhance your resume for the following application cycle. BTW-it is not too late to do a GPR. If you need additional guidance, you can respond to this post. Good Luck!

 

[InformMe123]

also take the ADAT and score as best as you can in the future if you apply

 

[hahadino2771]

Do your research. There are some perio programs that have less than 15 applicants for 3 spots a year. I was shocked when I heard this one guy from bottom 10% got into perio... but also there are sometimes overachieving gunners going for perio as well at big programs.

You will have a lot of chances for those programs
1. where most residents are foreign-trained dentists who did not do two years of advanced standing years
2. Tuition is **** high. But you will walk out with 300k+ loans without intetest.

Since a lot of perios in my areas are:
-working as a gp and doing both resto & surgery for implants
-doing second residency in ortho, prosth and endo
-traveling around GP's office to work on super difficult implant cases.

It will be tough to predict how practice and referral system will be changed in the next several years.

There are some perio gurus who produce 2 -4 million a year but they are well established docs with decades of experience. For recent grads, the biggest challenge would be getting referrals from GPs.

Will it be worth it? Go by your gut feeling

 

[dahlia161]

Perio and especially ortho programs are extremely competitive. Honestly, your GPA and rank is not competitive. Based on what limited information you have provided, I would recommend applying to a general practice residency to enhance your resume for the following application cycle. BTW-it is not too late to do a GPR. If you need additional guidance, you can respond to this post. Good Luck!

Thanks for the reply. The thing is I graduated from dental school 2 years ago. I am not sure if an experience form GPR is going to be greater than my work experience at this point. I do molar endos, crowns, extractions + bone graft, fillings, implant tx etc almost everyday. Maybe I will place more implants in GPR. But I see a lot of patients who we treatment plan for implants and I have already placed a few simple ones with the help of my boss. I rather do a two week or longer externship at a perio program and that my help my chances of acceptance.

 

[Java 55]

Thanks for the reply. The thing is I graduated from dental school 2 years ago. I am not sure if an experience form GPR is going to be greater than my work experience at this point. I do molar endos, crowns, extractions + bone graft, fillings, implant tx etc almost everyday. Maybe I will place more implants in GPR. But I see a lot of patients who we treatment plan for implants and I have already placed a few simple ones with the help of my boss. I rather do a two week or longer externship at a perio program and that my help my chances of acceptance.

Base on your initial post, you do not appear to be a stand out from dental school to apply to Ortho or Perio. Advanced training if not a GPR then a year long externship or fellowship would significantly enhance your resume. Excellent references from reputable faculty will also be helpful. Good luck in your quest!