Do you have to absolutely be inlove in working with teeth to be a dentist?

[xzoticskillz]

Friend of mine is in his 2nd year of dental school and fully admits he doesn't really love working in mouths/teeth but doesn't necessarily hate it. Interested in hearing if any other students share the same outlook. I always felt one has to absolutely be passionate and certain about working in this career field if they choose to go to dental school...of course people like this exist in every profession, but interested in hearing how rampant this trend is in the field of dentistry?

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[DrJeff]

Friend of mine is in his 2nd year of dental school and fully admits he doesn't really love working in mouths/teeth but doesn't necessarily hate it. Interested in hearing if any other students share the same outlook. I always felt one has to absolutely be passionate and certain about working in this career field if they choose to go to dental school...of course people like this exist in every profession, but interested in hearing how rampant this trend is in the field of dentistry?

An option to be a case reviewer for an insurance company exists. You're in the dental field, using your education, but aren't doing "wet finger" work on patients.

Also dental clinic administrative work would be an option, you're in the field, and most clinic administrators end up spending more time running the clinic and the other dentists/assistants/hygienists than they actually spend working on patients each week.

 

[djeffreyt]

Short answer, no.

My answer, I work in mouths every day. I don't love it. There's about a hundred other jobs I'd probably love doing more than what I do every day, but I'm decently good at what I do, it's rarely horrible and sometimes fun, and I don't hate going to work by any means, I'm just not super excited each night after I get done and sit around counting the minutes til the office opens again the next day.

I mean, do you really think proctologists have to be in love with 40-90 year old men's anuses? That OBGyns love looking at 300 lb women's vaginas (I have several friends who work in county hospitals and overweight, unhealthy, and poorly hygiened bodies are the norm)?

 

[yappy]

djeffy

I'm not a dentist but I feel like you're touching on something. I had a very "exciting" job in the past but as the months went on it all became routine to me. It become a job...

 

[NTr14]

I have a feeling that most dentists don't absolutely love teeth, but to me this doesn't have to mean that they don't love their jobs. I don't love working in patients mouths, but at the end of the day I feel good about what I've done or what I will be doing for people. As a dentist, if I can go home at the end of the day feeling like I worked hard, helped people, made a decent living, didn't dislike it, and have time with family, then that's the perfect job in my book.

 

[txaggie03]

Of course you dont have to LOVE it.

But be careful, dissatisfaction can snowball like a mother trucker.

 

[HillsNayyr]

I am not completely fascinated and enamored by teeth and working in peoples mouths.
To me, it's a good paying job with high job security that I don't think I will hate going to everyday.

 

[AmpedUp]

I don't personally know anyone who says they ABSOLUTELY love teeth...However, I think there are other factors that make teeth favorable to work on such as esthetics and instant gratification for the patient--makes your job that much rewarding.

The idea of removing caries to help someone from developing a disease that might cause them to loose a tooth painfully...hey, that's pretty cool. Overall, no, you don't have to love teeth; you should, however, be passionate about what you do which can be expressed in various ways...otherwise, what's the point of becoming a dentist?

 

[bigstix808]

Friend of mine is in his 2nd year of dental school and fully admits he doesn't really love working in mouths/teeth but doesn't necessarily hate it. Interested in hearing if any other students share the same outlook. I always felt one has to absolutely be passionate and certain about working in this career field if they choose to go to dental school...of course people like this exist in every profession, but interested in hearing how rampant this trend is in the field of dentistry?

we have a couple of doc's at the school that just work in screening. all they do is take a small peek at pt's med/dent history, look inside mouth to determine what kind of tx they would need, and make neccessary referral to student/resident program, or oral med.