having braces and applying to residency

[dara678]

hi all,

this may be just the overanxious, hyper part of me talking, but ... i am considering getting braces (i am at the end of my second year) and will still have them on when i apply to (possibly very competitive) residency programs. do you think residency prrograms will look negatively on me as an applicant with braces? what about attendings and residents during clinical rotations?

my teeth aren't noticeably bad (i can hide it pretty well) but it's about time they get fixed.

what do you guys think?

thanks
dara

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[DireWolf]

This should be the least of your worries when it comes to residency.

Only someone from LA could possibly ask this.

 

[cdql]

It probably depends on how young you look already.

I know some kids who entered med school early while others just naturally look young. If you add braces to someone like that, it might hurt your credibility not just among doctors but patients too! (I've actually had patients ask me to leave the room because I look younger than my age)

 

[Sohalia]

I've actually had patients ask me to leave the room because I look younger than my age

Are you sure that's why they asked you to leave the room? 😉

my teeth aren't noticeably bad (i can hide it pretty well) but it's about time they get fixed.

How do you hide it? By not smiling? That's not good. You'll have enough to worry about when you interview, you don't want to be thinking about your teeth. Maybe you could look into those braces that aren't so obvious (invisalign?) or the serial retainers where the wire is behind your teeth. I know of med students and residents/fellows with the obvious, old school braces, but I don't know if they had/will have them when they interview(ed) for residency.

 

[cdql]

haha...in retrospect, I should have worn clothing under my white coat before entering the patient's room 🙂

 

[lateness]

hi all,

this may be just the overanxious, hyper part of me talking, but ... i am considering getting braces (i am at the end of my second year) and will still have them on when i apply to (possibly very competitive) residency programs. do you think residency prrograms will look negatively on me as an applicant with braces? what about attendings and residents during clinical rotations?

my teeth aren't noticeably bad (i can hide it pretty well) but it's about time they get fixed.

what do you guys think?

thanks


dara

i think you will look,, fine .. just younger and some people (cuter) but noone wouldnt want that... i doubt the residency programs wouldnt bother one bit with it when applying..

 

[penguins]

hi all,

this may be just the overanxious, hyper part of me talking, but ... i am considering getting braces (i am at the end of my second year) and will still have them on when i apply to (possibly very competitive) residency programs. do you think residency prrograms will look negatively on me as an applicant with braces? what about attendings and residents during clinical rotations?

my teeth aren't noticeably bad (i can hide it pretty well) but it's about time they get fixed.

what do you guys think?

thanks
dara

Braces look better than bad teeth. Besides, it has become so much more common in the last several years for adults to have braces.
Do whatever gives you the most confidence so that you can smile and be yourself.
Don't worry about it, it isn't a big deal.

 

[dara678]

Thanks so much guys for the reassuring replies! you guys are awesome 🙂 🙂

(oh btw i of course wanted invisalign, but my case is too complicated for that to be effective, and I don't have the $$ to pay for lingual braces 🙁 )

 

[coogmed]

weighing in late on this one, but I did have a friend of mine get braces while in medical school (the old school kind), still has 'em now, and matched at his first choice in IM. Granted, nobody's going to mistake this guy for a 14 yr old, but it didn't effect him in the least during the process. Besides, what are the programs going to fault you for? Not being able to afford or have the time for braces until this point?

.... besides, in the long run, you'll be known as the attending with the best teeth! 😀

 

[mustangsally65]

I posted a similar thread in the Lounge a few days ago, except I'm not in med school yet. But even though I'm 24 I have been told I look about 13, so my biggest concern with getting braces is that I will lose even more credibility because they will reinforce the idea that I'm a teenager. 😳

Now I feel silly for asking this question because I was told I'd need mine for 24-28 months and if I start in August like I'm planning on doing then I'll still be in second year when I get them off.

I think it's a bigger issue to those of us considering braces than it is to those who would see us with them. I'm going to go ahead and get mine later this summer and not care what people think. Good luck!

 

[OUsooner]

To be honest if a program is gonna discriminate against you because of your braces, you probably don't want to be there anyways.
As far as patients thinking you "look too young", I'm sure you'll have just as many patients think you are a nurse. Its unfortunate but I have seen it time and time again with women doctors. Its a stupid thing to do but patients and their families love to assume things. Either way best of luck to you.

 

[DOtobe]

If you look young, you will get the "You look too young to be a doctor!!" over and over and over again whether you have braces or not. I get that all the time.

I also get called "nurse" all the time, despite my introducing myself as Dr. DOtobe. All the time I will be leaving the patients' room, and they will call out, "Nurse, can I ask you something else?"

I can't wait till I'm actually taken seriously as a doctor. Guess I'll have to be near retirement before that happens.

 

[Psyclops]

Let me preface my question by saying I'm not in med school, I'm in a PhD program for psych. But, does apearance really matter that much? I can't imagine that you would be judged on your apearance like that.

 

[bigfrank]

Let me preface my question by saying I'm not in med school, I'm in a PhD program for psych. But, does apearance really matter that much? I can't imagine that you would be judged on your apearance like that.

Appearance always matters, regardless of the setting. The extent to which it matters varies considerably, but I believe it is always a factor (even if at a subconscious level).

Studies have repeatedly confirmed this (i.e., showing a line-up of pictures and asking the subject, "which is the most intelligent/hardworking/competent/etc.")