How hard actually is it to get into an ortho residency?

[soxinabox90]

How hard is it to match into an ortho residency for someone who is extremely motivated? Everyone I've talked to makes it out to be some amazing feat achieved only by the most motivated and elite.

I have no interest in sabotaging my classmates' hard work. However, I'm the kind of person who will make sacrifices to achieve my goals. I come from a very humble background with never having much money or the opportunity to explore many of my interests due to lack of resources. I am extremely honored that my hard work in studying and extra-curriculars have enabled me to be accepted to dental school and be a part of this great profession.

Now, I am even more motivated to take my ambitions to the next level. While I am aware that I am most likely naive to the experiences that I'll encounter in dental school and how that may influence my goals to specialize, I would like to keep that door open.

If there is anyone reading this who is a recent ortho graduate or has matched into an ortho program, could you please shed some light on some of the things you would recommend doing while in school to keep the door open to specialization? I would really like to hit the ground running!

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[deleted696582]

I'm not a resident, but it's however hard it is to be in the top 5-10% of your class. I'd imagine it takes some sacrifices.

 

[Likkriue]

Its very hard cause like OMFS, almost every pre-dent I've met on my interview trail is talking about going into ortho and omfs like they are Gods chosen ones to go into those two fields.

The actual students however are more in line with reality.

Goodluck ortho-gunner # 129283934983387.

 

[soxinabox90]

I'm not a resident, but it's however hard it is to be in the top 5-10% of your class. I'd imagine it takes some sacrifices.

I'm willing to make those short term sacrifices if it means I'll be happier for the next 30+ years at work.

 

[blablabla1]

If you aren't ready to be a general dentist, don't go to dental school.

 

[soxinabox90]

Its very hard cause like OMFS, almost every pre-dent I've met on my interview trail is talking about going into ortho and omfs like they are Gods chosen ones to go into those two fields.

The actual students however are more in line with reality.

Goodluck ortho-gunner # 129283934983387.

Yeah, I met a couple of those people too. Like they were predestined at birth to become the savior of the OMFS/ortho universe. I'm motivated to become an orthodontist because I know I would enjoy working mostly with kids and young adults. Also, realignment of teeth and bone structures seriously interests me.

 

[soxinabox90]

If you aren't ready to be a general dentist, don't go to dental school.

I guess I'm just wondering if someone was well qualified and cast a wide net of, say, 20-30 programs, what kind of chance do they have to interview and subsequently be accepted ?

 

[Likkriue]

Yeah, I met a couple of those people too. Like they were predestined at birth to become the savior of the OMFS/ortho universe. I'm motivated to become an orthodontist because I know I would enjoy working mostly with kids and young adults. Also, realignment of teeth and bone structures seriously interests me.

Will you be happy as a just being a general dentist is the million dollar question.

Im not saying whether you can or cannot get into ortho, no one knows. But the truth is dental school, you learn to be a general dentist and thats priority #1.

 

[blablabla1]

I guess I'm just wondering if someone was well qualified and cast a wide net of, say, 20-30 programs, what kind of chance do they have to interview and subsequently be accepted ?

1. First and foremost, ask yourself if you'd be okay with being a general dentist

2. If your answer is no, reconsider attending a dental school

3. If your answer is yes, then work as hard as you can in dental school to be in the top 5-10% of your class to potentially get an ortho residency. And if things don't work out, you'd still have a great job in general dentistry (assuming you actually like general dentistry)

 

[soxinabox90]

Will you be happy as a just being a general dentist is the million dollar question.

Im not saying whether you can or cannot get into ortho, no one knows. But the truth is dental school, you learn to be a general dentist and thats priority #1.

I would certainly be happy as a general dentist. However, at this point I believe I would be happier as an ortho. I enjoy learning and so if I don't end up specializing, I will definitely engage in as much CE as I can handle!

 

[Likkriue]

In that case, you have your answer. Work hard and see where it takes you.

There is no way to know the chances of success into residency programs until you are deep into dental schools with actual grades. So goodluck!

 

[soxinabox90]

In that case, you have your answer. Work hard and see where it takes you.

There is no way to know the chances of success into residency programs until you are deep into dental schools with actual grades. So goodluck!

I appreciate the encouragement! Good luck to you as well!!

 

[Kittenz]

How hard is it to match into an ortho residency for someone who is extremely motivated? Everyone I've talked to makes it out to be some amazing feat achieved only by the most motivated and elite.

I have no interest in sabotaging my classmates' hard work. However, I'm the kind of person who will make sacrifices to achieve my goals. I come from a very humble background with never having much money or the opportunity to explore many of my interests due to lack of resources. I am extremely honored that my hard work in studying and extra-curriculars have enabled me to be accepted to dental school and be a part of this great profession.

Now, I am even more motivated to take my ambitions to the next level. While I am aware that I am most likely naive to the experiences that I'll encounter in dental school and how that may influence my goals to specialize, I would like to keep that door open.

If there is anyone reading this who is a recent ortho graduate or has matched into an ortho program, could you please shed some light on some of the things you would recommend doing while in school to keep the door open to specialization? I would really like to hit the ground running!

It's very difficult to say the least. However, if anyone is able to do it, it's someone with your motivation. Keep it up because you'll need that motivation for the next few years while you work your butt off.

 

[free99]

What do you like about Ortho?

 

[wengerout]

How hard is it to get an ortho residency that doesn't charge tuition?


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[free99]

How hard is it to get an ortho residency that doesn't charge tuition?


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I have't found much hard evidence on this like there is re: dental school admissions. A good formula is 1) good class rank (top 20%), 2) great GRE scores if required by program, 3) research pertaining to orthodontics, ideally with publications and/or poster presentations, 4) extracurricular involvements (ASDA, outreach, leadership positions, etc), 5) great letters of recommendation from your ortho department. 6) be very likable/personable
Suffice it to say... it's hard.

 

[wengerout]

I have't found much hard evidence on this like there is re: dental school admissions. A good formula is 1) good class rank (top 20%), 2) great GRE scores if required by program, 3) research pertaining to orthodontics, ideally with publications and/or poster presentations, 4) extracurricular involvements (ASDA, outreach, leadership positions, etc), 5) great letters of recommendation from your ortho department. 6) be very likable/personable
Suffice it to say... it's hard.

Well, good to know at least haha. Are all the Ortho programs that are match (vs being non-match) the ones that don't charge tuition?


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[BellaNella]

A handful of my friends matched to ortho this year. I would not say that any of them sabotaged anyone to get to where they are. One of them studied super hard throughout the years, but while the others did work hard they also naturally did better than others when studying the same amount of time. That is just the way it goes sometimes. My class' #1 basically had his choice of ortho program by the time he was done. He did not do research or score super high on the GRE (although I am sure that would help). He was a leader in our dental fraternity and the ortho department here loves him so he had EXCELLENT letters of rec. He got a lot of awards throughout dental school and is very personable.

Idk if that helps at all but that is the best example I have. He never sabotaged anyone and still goes out.
Just try your best! If you get to dental school and you still want to do Ortho, keep your grades up. If you realize you prefer something else, at least having good grades will keep your options open for other residencies as well.

 

[monkeyteeth]

the keys are 1. work hard (if you are not naturally gifted) 2. don't sabotage anyone 3. have some kind of research experiences (don't have to be fancy) and 4. be likable. While some school like high GRE score, other couldn't careless as long as you meet the minimum requirement of at least above 50 percentile of all section. But the overall combo is your class rank and how much they like you, and may be a bit of luck.

 

[tiedyesky]

What do you guys mean by sabotaging? Is that something that actually happens when competing for residencies?

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[setdoc7]

I think it is jumping the gun to chance the OP on ortho without first being accepted to D School, which is a whole other world than college. And telling someone to work hard to be in the top 10% of the class is ridiculous. Everyone works hard in D school. Remember you are in a self selected group of extremely high achievers, so it is much more difficult to excel. In any event, everyone knows after the first year what can happen. It is almost impossible to pull up a GPA in D school with poor basic science grades. Of course, the OP could consider a P/F school. Harvard for instance.

 

[soxinabox90]

I think it is jumping the gun to chance the OP on ortho without first being accepted to D School, which is a whole other world than college. And telling someone to work hard to be in the top 10% of the class is ridiculous. Everyone works hard in D school. Remember you are in a self selected group of extremely high achievers, so it is much more difficult to excel. In any event, everyone knows after the first year what can happen. It is almost impossible to pull up a GPA in D school with poor basic science grades. Of course, the OP could consider a P/F school. Harvard for instance.

I'm accepted at 1 school and still waiting to hear back from 5 more..

 

[rdub]

I love how any time someone brings up the idea of specializing in the pre-dental thread, they receive very few relevant comments to their actual question and instead are bombarded with useless comments about the importance of being satisfied as a general dentist.

Look, obviously general dentistry should be priority #1 and anyone who goes to dental school should be happy working as a dentist. But OP is merely asking how hard it is to get accepted into ortho IF that's what he ends up wanting to do. I don't think we should always interpret someones early interest to specialize as someone who is uninterested in general dentistry, or someone who is already SET on specializing.

Honestly I think it's great that you are wanting to keep that door open because building up a competitive resume and getting good grades is not something you want to start working on D3/D4 year when you actually decide it's what you want to do... it's much better to start early. Ortho residencies are VERY competitive to get into, but it's certainly doable for the highly motivated.

 

[soxinabox90]

I love how any time someone brings up the idea of specializing in the pre-dental thread, they receive very few relevant comments to their actual question and instead are bombarded with useless comments about the importance of being satisfied as a general dentist.

Look, obviously general dentistry should be priority #1 and anyone who goes to dental school should be happy working as a dentist. But OP is merely asking how hard it is to get accepted into ortho IF that's what he ends up wanting to do. I don't think we should always interpret someones early interest to specialize as someone who is uninterested in general dentistry, or someone who is already SET on specializing.

Honestly I think it's great that you are wanting to keep that door open because building up a competitive resume and getting good grades is not something you want to start working on D3/D4 year when you actually decide it's what you want to do... it's much better to start early. Ortho residencies are VERY competitive to get into, but it's certainly doable for the highly motivated.

I appreciate the backup! You're exactly right that I would like to start early and really hit the ground running starting from day 1 to give myself the best chance I can!

 

[deleted696582]

Can we become an orthodontist if our teeth aren't that great looking?

 

[Articaine]

It's hard and definitely takes sacrifices, but very possible if you are willing to make those sacrifices.

Some of my class works really hard on the weekends to try to be top of their class because they want to specialize. The other half just wants to learn how to be a great clinician, doesn't stress about grades that much, and has a lot of fun on the weekends.

I love being in the second half.

 

[Toothout]

the keys are 1. work hard (if you are not naturally gifted) 2. don't sabotage anyone 3. have some kind of research experiences (don't have to be fancy) and 4. be likable. While some school like high GRE score, other couldn't careless as long as you meet the minimum requirement of at least above 50 percentile of all section. But the overall combo is your class rank and how much they like you, and may be a bit of luck.

Wait.. so, we don't need to take the GRE to apply to DS, but need to take it to specialize... nonsense!!! don't we already need to take the ADAT?

 

[setdoc7]

I'm accepted at 1 school and still waiting to hear back from 5 more..

Sorry, accepted to one school, but not actually in class yet. Again, the P/F option is something to consider, like UConn, UCSF, etc. Which school has accepted you?

 

[free99]

Can we become an orthodontist if our teeth aren't that great looking?

lol, yes. This reminded me though, in our sophomore perio class, we actually got graded on our plaque index -- we had to do recall appointments on our classmates and if more than 10% of your tooth surfaces had plaque you lost 10% of your grade. It was P/F so no one cared, but I thought it was a funny thing to be in the syllabus.

 

[deleted696582]

lol, yes. This reminded me though, in our sophomore perio class, we actually got graded on our plaque index -- we had to do recall appointments on our classmates and if more than 10% of your tooth surfaces had plaque you lost 10% of your grade. It was P/F so no one cared, but I thought it was a funny thing to be in the syllabus.

I think it would be pretty funny if you couldn't get into a residency based on your smile.

The plaque index thing sounds high stakes, even if it was pass fail. Everyone would think you were gross if you had lots of plaque...

 

[The Patriotic Dentist]

It's hard and definitely takes sacrifices, but very possible if you are willing to make those sacrifices.

Some of my class works really hard on the weekends to try to be top of their class because they want to specialize. The other half just wants to learn how to be a great clinician, doesn't stress about grades that much, and has a lot of fun on the weekends.

I love being in the second half.

How do you enjoy your weekends?

 

[frozenicecreamDMD]

OP,

I am a D1 but I am not into ortho residence. all I can add is that most non-OMFS residences now start to require ADAT (advanced dental admission tests) that is really longer than the DAT. the programs are transitioning into requiring this test as a requirement. I think by the time you apply to ortho residence, almost all will require this.

as for your comment, believe me, even the bottom 10% of dental students will work their butt off anyways. you can't imagine how many all nighters, weekends, and crazy thing dental students do, and no, most don't do this to stay in top 20% but just because there is so much work in dental school you will not believe until you are in it. and if you don't work hard, you will fail out or end up retaking a bunch of classes.

I ask myself everyday "why dentists who just do procedures need all these" but the truth is thats how life in dental school is.

as for specialization, money debt is also another factor. some people think 300-400k to be a GP is enough for them.

however, keep up your motivation, keep it lit, dont let it die down. Yes, dental school has 100% overachievers, A type pepople that try to excel but it also wears these students out really fast. you can't imagine how fast students get burnt out here. I also didn't believe this at first until I am in it myself.

as for sabotaging, dental schools have a lot of lab classes as well as info flowing around, it just means people try to tell you wrong things for you to do wrong things to score lower. It tends not to happen a lot if you choose your friends carefully and honestly, after a first few weeks, you will know ur classmates so well the sabotagers will just stand out

and true to the above, the top rankers are naturally gifted, hard workers, and most importantly, very nice and will not sabotage anyone. just people here some are just too good if you even try to sabotage, they will still be good anyways and you will be hated and despised (not a good thing to have in a small community like dental school)

best of luck and plz remember keep your motivation/drive lit all the time!!! you will be able to do what you like as long as you are desperate enough for it!