Does school really matter?

[n2o*]

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If I want to have a private practice would the patients care what dental school I attended? Does it matter if I choose Ivy league or a cheaper and less popular school?

 

[Mustt Mustt]

no

 

[ItsGavinC]

Patients don't care one bit.

 

[TucsonDDS]

The kind of patients you want in your practice won't care at all. The pain in the arse patients that cause 90% of your problems might.

 

[ou_jay]

I concur. The answer is NO.

Go to the school that will give you the best clinical skills. Then you will be more confident in yourself. Your patients will notice that.

 

[gatorfan99]

dental school is a new pair of pants, you should get into that you feel fits you best

LOL, no it doesn't matter.. its all about YOU, not the school when your out working

 

[toofache32]

Where did your dentist go to school? I bet you don't even know. I have never known where any of my dentists (or physicians for that matter) went to school.

 

[aphistis]

Where did your dentist go to school? I bet you don't even know. I have never known where any of my dentists (or physicians for that matter) went to school.

What he said.

 

[Lidopaine82]

Where did your dentist go to school?

Ohio State ... i think every dentist in ohio goes to OSU. or so it seems

 

[Rezdawg]

Patients only care when you F up. So go to the school that will give you a less of a chance of F'ing up.

 

[leehrat]

Patients only care when you F up. So go to the school that will give you a less of a chance of F'ing up.

based on what i've gathered from practicing dentists on dentaltown, school absolutely does matter, but not in the sense that you might think. they did not seem to think that the "prestige" of the school was important in the least. but apparently you should go to a school that (1) is at least close to the geographic region where you might like to practice and (2) does not have graduate programs present in the dental school (ortho, endo, etc) because the residents there will steal your patients and you won't be able to do much clinical work on these types of patients.

this can make a big difference once you're out. if you attend a school with a lot of endo residents you won't be doing much endo as a student, and would then have to do a gpr or something to catch up.

 

[gryffindor]

based on what i've gathered from practicing dentists on dentaltown, school absolutely does matter, but not in the sense that you might think. they did not seem to think that the "prestige" of the school was important in the least. but apparently you should go to a school that (1) is at least close to the geographic region where you might like to practice and (2) does not have graduate programs present in the dental school (ortho, endo, etc) because the residents there will steal your patients and you won't be able to do much clinical work on these types of patients.

this can make a big difference once you're out. if you attend a school with a lot of endo residents you won't be doing much endo as a student, and would then have to do a gpr or something to catch up.

It's not really a big deal. We had an endo program at our school, so students usually graduated doing 3 root canals on live people and approximately 15 on extracted teeth. My class was the last class to NOT learn rotary. I did 1 molar root canal on a real person in school and decided I hated endo, managed to do almost zero in my GPR. Then I get a job in private practice where none of the endo is referred out, and I needed the job more than I could say "I don't like endo." So what did I do? Picked up the instruments and start doing root canals. Learned rotary on the fly in the office. It sucked at first and I'm slow, but I've been getting faster with each one I do. Endo, fortunately, is one of those things you can practice on your own time if you want to - get a bunch of extracted teeth, some loupes or a scope, and start drilling and looking for those orifices.

Number of stainless steel crowns I did at my school & GPR combined: zero. At school the pedo residents got them, same at my GPR. If I want, I could do a few on some typodonts or extracted teeth to feel comfortable, but I think I will be ok if a kid shows up and needs one.

I've found that wherever my school may have been lacking in the basic stuff, I can learn it in CE, reading DT, talking to & observing more senior dentists. And my school was lacking, just like every school, because there isn't enough time to teach you everything. My GPR was lacking too - you had to be motivated to make it a good experience, it was easy to do close to nothing and still get paid.

Every dental school will only teach you enough to not kill or maim your patient as you work on them. Everything else is up to you to learn based on what your interests in dentistry are.

 

[Rezdawg]

based on what i've gathered from practicing dentists on dentaltown, school absolutely does matter, but not in the sense that you might think. they did not seem to think that the "prestige" of the school was important in the least. but apparently you should go to a school that (1) is at least close to the geographic region where you might like to practice and (2) does not have graduate programs present in the dental school (ortho, endo, etc) because the residents there will steal your patients and you won't be able to do much clinical work on these types of patients.

this can make a big difference once you're out. if you attend a school with a lot of endo residents you won't be doing much endo as a student, and would then have to do a gpr or something to catch up.

That doesnt really matter at some schools. BU has all the different departments. However, we have a comprehensive care curriculum here which means that the student performs all of the necessary oral health care for the assigned patient, with some exceptions (implants, difficult extractions, braces, etc...). Each student has his/her own patient database, so we just tend to the needs of our own patients. If the patients only need simple class I restorations, then thats what we do. If the patients need an extraction, root canal, and crown...thats what we do. Basically, the patients determine what cases we do, not the fact that BU has departments in endo, omfs, perio, prostho, pedo, etc... Also, to supplement the comprehensive care curriculum, students do clinical rotations in oral radiology, emergency dental care, oral surgery, hospital dentistry, pediatric dentistry, and a required 10 week externship located at a site outside of school.

 

[n2o*]

What about those who do not want to enter private practice? Would the "prestige" of the school come into play then? If not, does it ever matter?

 

[ItsGavinC]

Patients only care when you F up. So go to the school that will give you a less of a chance of F'ing up.

And that's not even entirely true. Patient's care when you screw up and aren't honest with them. If you screw up and are honest with them (explain what happened and what can be done to fix the situation) they will typically be chill about it.

 

[Toothavenue]

Thanks Griffin!

It's not really a big deal. We had an endo program at our school, so students usually graduated doing 3 root canals on live people and approximately 15 on extracted teeth. My class was the last class to NOT learn rotary. I did 1 molar root canal on a real person in school and decided I hated endo, managed to do almost zero in my GPR. Then I get a job in private practice where none of the endo is referred out, and I needed the job more than I could say "I don't like endo." So what did I do? Picked up the instruments and start doing root canals. Learned rotary on the fly in the office. It sucked at first and I'm slow, but I've been getting faster with each one I do. Endo, fortunately, is one of those things you can practice on your own time if you want to - get a bunch of extracted teeth, some loupes or a scope, and start drilling and looking for those orifices.

Number of stainless steel crowns I did at my school & GPR combined: zero. At school the pedo residents got them, same at my GPR. If I want, I could do a few on some typodonts or extracted teeth to feel comfortable, but I think I will be ok if a kid shows up and needs one.

I've found that wherever my school may have been lacking in the basic stuff, I can learn it in CE, reading DT, talking to & observing more senior dentists. And my school was lacking, just like every school, because there isn't enough time to teach you everything. My GPR was lacking too - you had to be motivated to make it a good experience, it was easy to do close to nothing and still get paid.

Every dental school will only teach you enough to not kill or maim your patient as you work on them. Everything else is up to you to learn based on what your interests in dentistry are.

 

[Biogirl361]

when family, friends, neighbors etc ask where i go to school, it's nice that when i tell them, they recognize it and are not like "where's that?"

 

[ysk]

Where did your dentist go to school? I bet you don't even know. I have never known where any of my dentists (or physicians for that matter) went to school.

Contrary to what most people have said, I would venture out to say, while running the risk of being excommunicated from SDN, that some patients actually do know and care what school their dentist went to. Now before I go on any further, let me first make it clear that I’m not saying this to argue that you should thus choose your school based on its reputation… absolutely not. All I’m saying is that if you think no one ever will care or even know where you went for your dental training, then you are mistaken. I personally know plenty of people who know where their dentists went for school. Many of my friends mention to me how their dentists went to this school and that school when I talk with them about how I’ll be going to dental school. They go even so far as to say that they feel more confident of their dentists because their dentists went to this particular “prestigious” school (note the quotations). Now again, am I saying that they’re correct in thinking this way? Of course not, but some people inevitably do think this way… And it’s not just my friends but also many other people that I’ve come across.

I know that what I’m saying is contrary to what a lot of people will say here and it’s a controversial topic but I just had to say that because I feel like people are repressed from saying this sorta on SDN. It’s almost like the culture here at SDN. You know… every time someone asks a somewhat naïve question, people are just kinda waiting for someone to start the pounding session and everyone else joins in for a punch. Guys, just chill a little bit. You don’t have to assume that everyone who asks these types of questions is a gold-digger who wants to enter dentistry solely for the money… Whew~ I’m taking it for the team and telling you what I think is a fair, unassuming, and objective observation from my experience.

 

[dentalman]

I see your point, but disagree with you. I think the dentist builds a trust relationship with the patient first, then the patient will come up with evidence to support why they trust them or like them. Ex: they went to a great school; they took time to explain things to me; they don't make me uncomfortable. If you don't build trust, or if they just plain don't like you, then the patients won't care what school you went to. Your personality will matter much more than the name of your school. The name is such a small piece of the puzzle.

 

[OMFSCardsFan]

Contrary to what most people have said, I would venture out to say, while running the risk of being excommunicated from SDN, that some patients actually do know and care what school their dentist went to. Now before I go on any further, let me first make it clear that I’m not saying this to argue that you should thus choose your school based on its reputation… absolutely not. All I’m saying is that if you think no one ever will care or even know where you went for your dental training, then you are mistaken. I personally know plenty of people who know where their dentists went for school. Many of my friends mention to me how their dentists went to this school and that school when I talk with them about how I’ll be going to dental school. They go even so far as to say that they feel more confident of their dentists because their dentists went to this particular “prestigious” school (note the quotations). Now again, am I saying that they’re correct in thinking this way? Of course not, but some people inevitably do think this way… And it’s not just my friends but also many other people that I’ve come across.

I know that what I’m saying is contrary to what a lot of people will say here and it’s a controversial topic but I just had to say that because I feel like people are repressed from saying this sorta on SDN. It’s almost like the culture here at SDN. You know… every time someone asks a somewhat naïve question, people are just kinda waiting for someone to start the pounding session and everyone else joins in for a punch. Guys, just chill a little bit. You don’t have to assume that everyone who asks these types of questions is a gold-digger who wants to enter dentistry solely for the money… Whew~ I’m taking it for the team and telling you what I think is a fair, unassuming, and objective observation from my experience.

I went to Marquette in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. If you tell ANYONE in Wisconsin that you go to Marquette, they respond with, "Wow, that's one of the best schools in the country!" Not that there's anything wrong with the school, they trained me well, but I would never be so arrogant to call it that. Most people just tend to think that the "best" school is the one near where they live. Now, if you're in a city (or state, I suppose) with more than one, I would imagine that there's a little more to it. That being said, if anyone ever walked of my office because I didn't go to Harvard, the loss of the patient would be worth the amusement. However, I'd have no qualms about "setting a patient straight" about their misconceptions. At that point, what's the worst that's going to happen? They leave? Darn...neeext! You're not going to ever have trouble filling the waiting room--regardless of where you go to school...

I'd make the choice of where to go purely on how I felt about each school. Personally, I think I'd fit in better with the "state school" crowd than the Ivy crowd. Even if you sacrifice a little in terms of quality of education (which in this case wouldn't be the case), 90% of your education is what YOU make of it. Take a hard worker from the sh*ttiest school in the country, and I'll let them work on my mouth before the sh*ttiest student at the best school.

One other question to throw the school's way: what percentage of students took and passed the clinical boards on the first try for the last several years? That's what's important...

 

[OMFSCardsFan]

I see your point, but disagree with you. I think the dentist builds a trust relationship with the patient first, then the patient will come up with evidence to support why they trust them or like them. Ex: they went to a great school; they took time to explain things to me; they don't make me uncomfortable. If you don't build trust, or if they just plain don't like you, then the patients won't care what school you went to. Your personality will matter much more than the name of your school. The name is such a small piece of the puzzle.

I agree, 100%...

 

[Biogirl361]

Contrary to what most people have said, I would venture out to say, while running the risk of being excommunicated from SDN, that some patients actually do know and care what school their dentist went to. Now before I go on any further, let me first make it clear that I’m not saying this to argue that you should thus choose your school based on its reputation… absolutely not. All I’m saying is that if you think no one ever will care or even know where you went for your dental training, then you are mistaken. I personally know plenty of people who know where their dentists went for school. Many of my friends mention to me how their dentists went to this school and that school when I talk with them about how I’ll be going to dental school. They go even so far as to say that they feel more confident of their dentists because their dentists went to this particular “prestigious” school (note the quotations). Now again, am I saying that they’re correct in thinking this way? Of course not, but some people inevitably do think this way… And it’s not just my friends but also many other people that I’ve come across.

I know that what I’m saying is contrary to what a lot of people will say here and it’s a controversial topic but I just had to say that because I feel like people are repressed from saying this sorta on SDN. It’s almost like the culture here at SDN. You know… every time someone asks a somewhat naïve question, people are just kinda waiting for someone to start the pounding session and everyone else joins in for a punch. Guys, just chill a little bit. You don’t have to assume that everyone who asks these types of questions is a gold-digger who wants to enter dentistry solely for the money… Whew~ I’m taking it for the team and telling you what I think is a fair, unassuming, and objective observation from my experience.

well said, and I'm glad I'm not the only one on here that thinks school does matter 🙂 Just because the school shouldn't be a patient concern doesn't mean that it won't be. As others have said it is not that the school you went to will make or break if a patient likes you (if it does you might not want that patient anyway) but it could definitly be a factor and/or a starting point in building their confidence in you. My parents (who are not dentists or anything, just your average patients) knew where both of our dentists went to school before I did and i can tell that it helped build their confidence (whether that is justified or not), so saying that none of your normal patients will ever know or care where you went to school is just not true.

 

[ysk]

well said, and I'm glad I'm not the only one on here that thinks school does matter 🙂 Just because the school shouldn't be a patient concern doesn't mean that it won't be. As others have said it is not that the school you went to will make or break if a patient likes you (if it does you might not want that patient anyway) but it could definitly be a factor and/or a starting point in building their confidence in you. My parents (who are not dentists or anything, just your average patients) knew where both of our dentists went to school before I did and i can tell that it helped build their confidence (whether that is justified or not), so saying that none of your normal patients will ever know or care where you went to school is just not true.

Exactly what she said! 🙂 You put it so nicely in such few words! Nice post.

 

[Jaws]

well said, and I'm glad I'm not the only one on here that thinks school does matter 🙂 Just because the school shouldn't be a patient concern doesn't mean that it won't be. As others have said it is not that the school you went to will make or break if a patient likes you (if it does you might not want that patient anyway) but it could definitly be a factor and/or a starting point in building their confidence in you. My parents (who are not dentists or anything, just your average patients) knew where both of our dentists went to school before I did and i can tell that it helped build their confidence (whether that is justified or not), so saying that none of your normal patients will ever know or care where you went to school is just not true.

I think that one of the reasons why they know where your dentist went to school is because you are going into dentistry. Your parents have a vested interest in dentistry, namely you, and naturally would talk about something that they have in common. The same goes for friends and family... haven't you ever talked to another person who is studying something that a friend is studying and mention "I know someone who is doing that...?" I think that that is something that is just unconscious.

 

[STARCITY]

If I want to have a private practice would the patients care what dental school I attended? Does it matter if I choose Ivy league or a cheaper and less popular school?

No

 

[STARCITY]

I went to Marquette in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. If you tell ANYONE in Wisconsin that you go to Marquette, they respond with, "Wow, that's one of the best schools in the country!" Not that there's anything wrong with the school, they trained me well, but I would never be so arrogant to call it that. Most people just tend to think that the "best" school is the one near where they live. Now, if you're in a city (or state, I suppose) with more than one, I would imagine that there's a little more to it. That being said, if anyone ever walked of my office because I didn't go to Harvard, the loss of the patient would be worth the amusement. However, I'd have no qualms about "setting a patient straight" about their misconceptions. At that point, what's the worst that's going to happen? They leave? Darn...neeext! You're not going to ever have trouble filling the waiting room--regardless of where you go to school...

I'd make the choice of where to go purely on how I felt about each school. Personally, I think I'd fit in better with the "state school" crowd than the Ivy crowd. Even if you sacrifice a little in terms of quality of education (which in this case wouldn't be the case), 90% of your education is what YOU make of it. Take a hard worker from the sh*ttiest school in the country, and I'll let them work on my mouth before the sh*ttiest student at the best school.

One other question to throw the school's way: what percentage of students took and passed the clinical boards on the first try for the last several years? That's what's important...

WVU has a higher board passing rate than Marquette. Do you think WVU is better? With their new 5 million dollar facility you may!!!

 

[Rezdawg]

As much as patients shouldnt care, Im sure there are the patients out there who would be more comfortable if their dentist went to a school with a better reputation. Thats a plus for a school like NYU, which is known around the world.

 

[OMFSCardsFan]

WVU has a higher board passing rate than Marquette. Do you think WVU is better? With their new 5 million dollar facility you may!!!

I think there are a lot of variables, and this is definitely one of them. I would definitely put this in the plus column for WVU, if I were comparing the schools side by side. To be honest, I can't really comment on WVU...I don't know ANYTHING about the school.

The other thing you have to consider is which regional board most of the students are taking. The pass rates for NERBS and CRDTS, for example, are different. If the board that one school is taking has a lower overall pass rate than another board, you have to factor that in. It's fairly well-accepted that NERBS is a harder board exam than CRDTS (I took CRDTS).

If you think that you'd be happier in WV, then I'd go to WV. There isn't going to be a dramatic difference in your training, regardless of where you go. Any dentist will tell you that they learn more in the first 6 months of private practice than all of dental school combined. I'll say it again: YOU determine the level of your education. You get out what you put in.

 

[Biogirl361]

I think that one of the reasons why they know where your dentist went to school is because you are going into dentistry. Your parents have a vested interest in dentistry, namely you, and naturally would talk about something that they have in common. The same goes for friends and family... haven't you ever talked to another person who is studying something that a friend is studying and mention "I know someone who is doing that...?" I think that that is something that is just unconscious.

what i meant was that they knew where our dentists went to school even before i was even considering dental school... sorry for the confusion 🙂

 

[Mustt Mustt]

Funny thing happened this weekend. I was playing Poker in the Detroit Casino. I had been playing for about 5 hours so got bored and people started talking about what they are doing for a living etc. Guys asked me(most of these guys had a real jobs, we were playing 3-6 hold em, so not many big gamblers on table) and I told them I am starting Dental School next year and everyone on the table was like, "that's the best schools in the country, isn't it?" and I was like I guess so. i think people only know about the schools that they live near by. Many people in this country don't even know that Columbia has a Dental School(my uncles, engineers for example). So i think if you want to practice say in Michigan and went to Michigan would be a plus than if you went to UDM in some sense but I wouldn't make my decision on what my patients would think about the school I went to.

 

[hockeydentist]

Funny thing happened this weekend. I was playing Poker in the Detroit Casino. I had been playing for about 5 hours so got bored and people started talking about what they are doing for a living etc. Guys asked me(most of these guys had a real jobs, we were playing 3-6 hold em, so not many big gamblers on table) and I told them I am starting Dental School next year and everyone on the table was like, "that's the best schools in the country, isn't it?" and I was like I guess so. i think people only know about the schools that they live near by. Many people in this country don't even know that Columbia has a Dental School(my uncles, engineers for example). So i think if you want to practice say in Michigan and went to Michigan would be a plus than if you went to UDM in some sense but I wouldn't make my decision on what my patients would think about the school I went to.

I was told that the best dental school in the world is the one that accepts you.

 

[Daredevil]

No. Go where you will be happy (geographically and whatever else matters to you). The rest depeends on your academic abilities.

 

[STARCITY]

I was told that the best dental school in the world is the one that accepts you.

I would agree !

 

[dentister]

I would agree !

What if you are accepted to multiple like most of us on SDN? They cant all be NO1 can they?

 

[ShawnOne]

Lots of people in the LA area (especially our patients) think USC is the best dental school in the country, probably because at one time IT WAS!!

 

[STARCITY]

What if you are accepted to multiple like most of us on SDN? They cant all be NO1 can they?

the best school is the one who accepts you.

if multiple acceptances, the best school is the cheapest.

THATS EASY.

 

[STARCITY]

Lots of people in the LA area (especially our patients) think USC is the best dental school in the country, probably because at one time IT WAS!!

what? I doubt people in LA even know about USC. Its not anymore so I guess it doesnt matter.

 

[Rezdawg]

I have family in LA...they all think USC has the best dental program in the country.

People in my apartment bulding think BU is unreal.

People in Texas think UTSA/Baylor/UT-H are among the best in the country.

 

[OMFSCardsFan]

I have family in LA...they all think USC has the best dental program in the country.

People in my apartment bulding think BU is unreal.

People in Texas think UTSA/Baylor/UT-H are among the best in the country.

Exactly my point. If you (the original poster) is concerned about your patients having confidence in the school you went to, you ought to go to a school where you want to practice. Good luck going out there and finding a dentist who is having trouble making a living because his patients are concerned about what school he went to. If a dentist isn't doing well, it's not because of where he went to school. Most likely, it would be for one of a couple reasons:

1. He/she has no business sense and doesn't realize that he/she has no business sense. People, who realize that they don't have it, hire other people to help, which can greatly influence profit.

2. He/she has a problem connecting with the patients, making them feel comfortable, establishing their confidence in him/her. Unfortunately, that's a lot harder to fix. Even still, most people aren't expecting their dentist to be their friend--they're expecting him to fix their teeth as quickly and in as few visits as possible.

 

[Mustt Mustt]

the best school is the one who accepts you.

if multiple acceptances, the best school is the cheapest.

THATS EASY.

i totaly agree and That's how i made my decision and it didn't take more than 10 seconds.

 

[n2o*]

Wow, the responses vary greatly. Why don't we try to poll our friends or classmates of many different majors to find out if they know what school their dentist attended and if they care. I have the feeling that most people don't really care. However, I notice that within the Asian community, people tend to care what school you attended so school may matter if you want to practice in a predominantly Asian (especially Korean) community. I'll try the poll to see if i'm right.

 

[n2o*]

Exactly my point. If you (the original poster) is concerned about your patients having confidence in the school you went to, you ought to go to a school where you want to practice. Good luck going out there and finding a dentist who is having trouble making a living because his patients are concerned about what school he went to. If a dentist isn't doing well, it's not because of where he went to school. Most likely, it would be for one of a couple reasons:

1. He/she has no business sense and doesn't realize that he/she has no business sense. People, who realize that they don't have it, hire other people to help, which can greatly influence profit.

2. He/she has a problem connecting with the patients, making them feel comfortable, establishing their confidence in him/her. Unfortunately, that's a lot harder to fix. Even still, most people aren't expecting their dentist to be their friend--they're expecting him to fix their teeth as quickly and in as few visits as possible.

hmm... u make a strong point my friend.