Does Michigan offer good clinic experience or is it too wrapped up in research??

[Livineasi]

I finally just decided to attend Michigan instead of Western University and then I read a thread about how Michigan is super research based and I might not get as good experience in the clinic.

I have no urge to do any research. I just want to become the best general practitioner I can be.

So - if I go to Michigan do I have to do research? Will I get a lot of experience with patients??

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[LuckiLeigh]

I am in undergrad at Michigan and haven spoken to quite a few dental students there. I know starting in June after your 2nd year you will be doing procedures (other than cleanings and stuff) in the clinic. Also, they have a pretty solid pre-clinic. I shadowed dental students at U of M and a couple days a week they have 4 hour pre-clinic sessions in their first year. Research is by no means mandatory but there are plenty of opportunities to get involved if you choose. And for the record, I think you made the right decision!

GO BLUE!

 

[HupHolland]

I'm not a student at Michigan but I think pre-dents get too wrapped up in "research-based" and "clinical-based" dental schools. There is no such thing as a research-based dental school or a clinical-based dental school. There are opportunities to do research at every dental school. No school is too wrapped up in research to the point where they consistently pump out incompetent dentists.

If you want to get an idea of how much funding dental schools get from the NIDCR, check this out. You'll be surprised where so called "research" schools are ranked. Schools like UConn and UPenn aren't even in the top 20. Columbia isn't even on this list.

Just wanted to pound home the message that you'll be doing dentistry wherever you go. Research is optional. I'll hop off my soap box...

Hup

 

[gatormichigan]

I am in undergrad at Michigan and haven spoken to quite a few dental students there. I know starting in June after your 2nd year you will be doing procedures (other than cleanings and stuff) in the clinic. Also, they have a pretty solid pre-clinic. I shadowed dental students at U of M and a couple days a week they have 4 hour pre-clinic sessions in their first year. Research is by no means mandatory but there are plenty of opportunities to get involved if you choose. And for the record, I think you made the right decision!

GO BLUE!

I'm a dental student at Michigan...

We start doing cleanings on patients our D1 year. In August of our D2 year we start operative/restorative. The following summer we are clinics full time.

During our first year in the fall we have 11 hours a week of pre-clinic. In the winter semester, we have 6 hours a week.

 

[PlaqueAttack]

I'm a 4th year and I've been very happy with the clinical education. I've done 6 or 7 RPDs, ~8-10 complete dentures, 2 bridges, lots of simple operative, a good number of crowns (all-ceramic, PFM, full-gold) and too many prophies to count AND 1 GOLD FOIL which was cool. If there are weak areas its endo (only 6 canals to graduate) and esthetic cases which are hit or miss. I haven't done a veneer on an actual patient (though you have advanced operative classes were you do them on typodonts) and you have access to all of the AEGD equipment = CEREC, lasers, etc... if you want to pursue that. You go out on rotation 4th year and do a lot of EXTs and operative at various clinics throughout michigan. You get a pretty solid OS experience. Not much perio surgery. But if I had to say anything I would say its WHAT YOU MAKE IT, if you want to work hard and do lots of things you can, but there are people in my class that haven't done nearly as much as i have because they aren't in clinic everyday. And I think its pretty mmuch that way wherever you go, you can work hard and learn as much as possible or you can just fill the requirements, it all depends on what you want

 

[sks2286]

I'm a 4th year and I've been very happy with the clinical education. I've done 6 or 7 RPDs, ~8-10 complete dentures, 2 bridges, lots of simple operative, a good number of crowns (all-ceramic, PFM, full-gold) and too many prophies to count AND 1 GOLD FOIL which was cool. If there are weak areas its endo (only 6 canals to graduate) and esthetic cases which are hit or miss. I haven't done a veneer on an actual patient (though you have advanced operative classes were you do them on typodonts) and you have access to all of the AEGD equipment = CEREC, lasers, etc... if you want to pursue that. You go out on rotation 4th year and do a lot of EXTs and operative at various clinics throughout michigan. You get a pretty solid OS experience. Not much perio surgery. But if I had to say anything I would say its WHAT YOU MAKE IT, if you want to work hard and do lots of things you can, but there are people in my class that haven't done nearly as much as i have because they aren't in clinic everyday. And I think its pretty mmuch that way wherever you go, you can work hard and learn as much as possible or you can just fill the requirements, it all depends on what you want

Exactly why I am choosing to go to Michigan.

 

[texas_dds]

michigan turns out solid dentists - dont worry