How did you get interested in dentistry?

[ItNeverEnds]

Was it a shadowing experience? Research? Lifestyle of a dentist?

Also, is there such a thing as a public health dentist or forensic dentist? If so, what exactly do they do?

Thanks!

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[angelic02]

There are oral pathologists (DDS/DMD). Some of them examine teeth of dead people for the purpose of identification. I think there is also public health dentistry. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong. I hope this helps.

 

[DATMATT]

I always avoided BIO due to a poor HS experience. When BIO caught my interest later in life I spent a lot of time looking at health fields, I was going to pursue one. Dentistry won. I suggest looking at the occupational outlook handbook online. But between what you get to do, the future of the profession (demand/need), what it takes to be able to do it, the life style (not on call), and pay it was my best fit.

Matt

 

[djsux]

i started out with an electrical engineer, graduated and worked doing some computer programming and business analysis, thought about med school (took the mcat), and then a good friend's parents suggested dentistry.

i started to shadow the dentist, visited the ada.org website, and found that it offered daily patient interaction, you could be your own boss (set your own hours, choose the ppl you work with), opportunity to work with your hands, and gain exposure to all the cool technology that dentists have these days (patient entertainment, digital x-rays, fiber optic tools, etc.). and best of all, you get to help ppl feel better about themselves with their smile (cheesy, eh?)...

the avg. hours you work is also nice (ada says an avg. of 37 hr work weeks is much better than working 60 hrs for less pay as a programmer).

and nothing beats being able to schedule your office hours so you can hit the golf course during the weekday - truly posh...

 

[ItNeverEnds]

What are the starting salaries for recently minted dentists? Are residencies required?

 

[GTchick]

There is both forensic dentistry (that is what my dentist did before starting a practice) and public health dentistry. There aren't a whole lot of schools that has a DDS/MPH program but you don't have to get both at the same time. I think that I am going to end up at a school without an MPH program and so I would have to get it later on. I am not sure how you go about becoming a forensic dentist but I think there was a thread about it at some point in time so you might want to do a search for it.

Starting salaries depend on the area that you are in. I know a guy hiring dentists straight out of school at $80-90,000 a year. That is in Kentucky. Residences aren't required but if you do one you will see more complicated cases than you otherwise will and you will probably get paid more for your services.

I became interested in dentistry after a speaker came to my school from MCG College of Dentistry. It just fit what I wanted froma career and after shadowing i fell in love with it.

 

[hockeydentist]

My story is kind of funny( may be weird)

I see a lot of teeth being lost on the ice a lot. Being that I play in goal and you basically watch what happens to players when they get hit, cross checked, slashed, hooked, tripped. I thought what kind of job could I do if my first love in life didn't work out. I guess watching guys with out teeth and watching teeth fall out like it was nothing was my fork in the road. I have seen guys literally lose all there front teeth. One guy on my team stood in front of a slapshot, and got it right in the mouth. literally all his teeth were in his hands. One guy I know got a stick in the mouth, and it pushed one of his tooth into his gums. besides I already have a huge client list from my hockey team. I guess hockey and dentistry go hand in hand. Plus when it comes to getting teeth for dental school, I will have a supply ready.