How/when did you decide to persue dentistry? Long!

[hafido]

I am starting this thread in the hopes that I will find interesting stories on different types of people that have chosen the dental field as their future career. I am guessing a good portion of the people here have at least a relative who is a dentist or in the field. Anyways here is mine.
I graduated UCSC in 2001 as an econ major, my goal was originally to enter law school because I have 2 uncles that are lawyers and I though that it would be a good, solid profession to enter into. I realized later that I was persuing the career for the wrong reasons, namely money and prestige. The money would be good, but I would absolutely hate the job. it took me a while to let it go, because it was a goal I had for so long, and I did not want to give up on it so easily. I knew that my current job at 7-Eleven Inc.(corporate position, not a cashier) was dead end, and I had aways hated working for corporations. I had always loved business, but was uncertain of going into one, and I have always been a health freak, I love to excercise, and take care of myself very well. So that left me with no direction. To back track a bit, while I was in college, I met Dr. Tony and his beautiful wife. Dr. Tony was an orthodontist in CA, who had known of my original intentions of attending law school, but nonetheless attempted to dissaude me from entering the legal profession, he always said he could see me as a dentist as he said my charisma, business sense, andpeople skills would naturally attract and retain clients and that I should look into the field to see if it would be a something I could be interested in. Having been to many dental clinics in my 24 years, I must say I always liked the peaceful, calm environment, but never though of the profession as a possibility because I though I would become some bigshot businessman, and simply, the profession never occurred to me as an option.
Well, I decided to shadow some dentists, and after shadowing several, I believe I have found a great fit as far as a career goes. I can perform a service that gives me satisfaction, allows, me to run my own "business", allows for great flexibilty, and delivers a crucial service to society that at times will allow for dramatic before and after results (I am interested in ortho). All this, while allowing me time to work out like crazy and maybe sleep in on Fridays. It would be to good to be true. Anyways, about me. I am now 25 years old, am going to go back to school full time in January complete my science courses (never took any for my undergrad), have a 3.1 GPA and would love to hear your stories. I do have a question though. I live near the best Junior College (as far as curriculum goes) in the state of CA. In an effort to save on academic fees, would anyone advise on me completing the courses there or at a four year institution (De Anza JC science courses are fully transferable to UOP, UCSF, etc.), being that I have no previous science coures under my belt? Also, is a Post Bac something that I do, even with no prior science courses?
Sorry this post was so long, it's just that I am very excited to finally embark on a career path that I will enjoy.

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[Dr.BadVibes]

Good Post.....a very honest, heart-filled reason for going into the profession. I know many people become dentists as a pathway for their dream Porshe, but Im sure that these money-hungry people will not be happy, whereas someone like you will be successful.

Society has a very "anti-dentite" perception and you are a perfect example of why more people who are clueless about the profession and assume we are mad scientists with drills who love to inflict pain should be exposed to the actual profession and see the positives. C'mon, if I had a buck for how many times Ive heard:

"ewwwww, you wanna be a dentist"

"I feel sorry for you"

" Everybody hates the dentist, everybody is gonna hate you"

"you have to look at dirty, smelly mouths all day"

"did you know that dentists have the highest suicide rate"

I'd be able to pay NYU's tuition loan-free

I really dont have a remarkable story for why I decided to get into the profession. Ever since high school, its just something that looked attractive to me and its been a goal ever since. Everyone I have ever known knows I wanna be a dentist. I sometimes bump into people from my high school from like 7 years ago, and they always ask me, "so are you a dentist, yet".....so its been something that Ive wanted to do for a long time! It was not until last year when I did research on health policy in Latin America and travelled through the region where I wanted to focus some of my career on volunteer work and dental health policy abroad.

Hafido, just do well in your science courses, because even though dentistry has a strong business aspect to it, in the end it is a science. Good luck bud!

 

[JavadiCavity]

Hafido,

My situation is simialr to yours. I earned my BS in accounting and then spent a couple of years working for a large Wall Street firm. To make a long story short, I didn't like the work/environment as much as I thought I would. Dentistry was something I had wanted to do since I was kid, but I never thought I was a good enough student to earn the grades and get into school.

Anyway, I've put my life on hold, along with the lives of my wife and 3 children. This fall, I started attending school again part-time, and this winter, I will attend my alma mater full-time. I also never took any of the dental prereqs when I went through school the first time; however, by the beginning of next fall, I will have completed almost all of the prereqs. I plan to submit my application during August.

As far as what school YOU should attend, I think if you can attend a 4-year Univ. you'll be better off. I've researched a good majority of all the schools, and most, if not all, say that they will only accept up to 60 credits from a junior college. Fortunately, this limit should easily allow you to complete all the dental prereqs plus some. Some people on the SDN board, however, will encourage you to NOT attend a JC because they are viewed as a step down in quality of education. While I'm sure their is some truth to this (and I'm sure that is why you posed the question), I'm not sure if in our situation it matters as much since we've already completed other degrees. However, if I had both a JC and a regular 4-year institution near by (which I do) I'd attend the 4-year institution. Mainly for two reasons: First, I think that bigger schools have lots of experience working with pre-dental students. They know what questions we have. They usually have a pre-dental committee to help with recommendations. The courses (at least at my univ.) are more geared to helping you score well on the DAT than they would be at a JC. Second, admissions committees can't question the quality of my education because of my school's great reputation. Why give the adcoms any reason to hesitate on my application.

Anyway, good luck to you. Hope this helps in some way.

 

[hafido]

Thanks for the 2 responses. Any more?

 

[aphistis]

I don't know that I'd say an anti-dentistry attitude prevails among society. Several Gallup polls indicate that Americans perennially rank us among the most trusted professions in the nation (our peers are people like religious ministers). Interestingly, another, much larger, very self-impressed group of health care providers typically ranks noticeably further down the list.

As for the OP, I applaud your decision to enter the profession of dentistry I've posted my reasons several times before, but congratulations again to you.

 

[ShawnOne]

Originally posted by hafido
Thanks for the 2 responses. Any more?

I was in a VERY similar situation. I graduated with a Busines degree and went into the tech boom of the late 90's. I really disliked working in the corporate enviroment and started looking at alternative careers. I found dentisry to be perfect, pretty much for the same reasons as you. Its been almost 2 years since i went back to school (for science prereqs) and i have been loving every minute of it. Cant wait to start D school next fall.

As far as schools go, I have been taking all my classes at community colleges. So far I have earned an 'A' in every single class (about 55 units) and did good on my DAT (20/21/18). So far I have been on 3 interviews (2 more scheduled) and none of them have asked about why I went to community colleges. Before I started, all the adcoms I asked said it does not matter if I go to Univ or CC. Just do well in your classes and validate those grades on the DAT. You should be fine. (BTW, in total, I have like 120+ units at CC's)

Good luck,
ShawnOne

 

[cusp of carabelli]

i would avoid going to community collages.....I know when we review applications, one of the aspects we look at is how the applicant did in science classes, how heavy a load it was and also where the classes were taken. quoting one member of the adcom here, "a high schooler can go to a community college and get A's"....now i don't mean to slam community colleges but it would look better to be at a four year university to take care of your science pre-reqs. I think a post-bac program would be good for you because of your lack of science classes you took as an undergrad, it would be a good way to get them out of the way quickly. I assume you're from the bay area (de anza college) so i would recommend either CSU Hayward or SF state or something... I know CSU hayward has a predental club and the curriculum isn't all that difficult (especially compared to a UC) but yeah...good luck! and ace those DAT's!

 

[ShawnOne]

a high schooler can go to a community college and get A's

Yeah, a high schooler can get A's at a CC, but I bet the same high-schooler can get A's at a Cal State Univ.

I went to a Cal State and I can say there is no difference in difficulty. My anatomy teacher teaches at both CSUN and my CC. She gives the same tests, the same lectures, the same everything, except she actually knows peoples names at the CC.

 

[speter33]

I'm a workout freak like you myself and a party freak too. I always knew that I wanted to be in medicine. I volunteered a summer in a hospital in highschool and personally couldn't see myself as one of those doctors. Doctors seemed to me as big geeks, with tiny social lives and no time to work out But I still loved science, I took AP bio and AP chem in HS. This year I've been doing a lot of thinking I shadowed optometrists, podiatrists, and dentists. Obviously I fell in love with dentistry. I can't wait to take my dats next week and send in my application so I can get back to the gym and do what I love

 

[Yah-E]

I was introduced to dentistry in a much unfortunate way. Immigrating to the U.S. from Taiwan as a 9-year old boy back in the early 80s, I've never been to a dentist in my home country once. Back in those days, oral health in Taiwan is only "as needed" basis. It was never preventitive measure as stressed here in the U.S..

So finally at the age of 14, I was recommended by a Periodontist to make an appointment with a dentist because he could see my inflammed ginigiva as I was talking to him. Why was I there at the Periodontist's office? I'm glad you asked. I was there as an interpreter for my mother, who was having periodontal surgery due to her Periodontitis (again, reinforces the fact that in Taiwan, there was no oral hygiene emphasis!).

At any rate, I paid my first visit to a general dentist and was diagnosed with Generalized Moderate Periodontitis. I had both vertical & horizontal bone loss, anywhere from 2 mm - 4 mm loss of attachment and the classical sign of bleeding upon probing (BOP). I underwent 4-quadrant root planning & scaling, was taught proper oral hygiene instruction and the introduction of dental floss.

It is at that point of my life, I was introduced to the world of dentistry and sparked the passion to be a dentist! Even til this day, the very same general dentist that treated me and that Periodontist that diagnosed my Periodontitis condition just from looking at my gingiva during our conversation, we are still in contact. As matter of fact, the general dentist is still my dentist and my family's dentist.

Other notes, prior to my first visit to the dentist's office, I've always thought that bleeding from the gingiva was a norm and a developmental progress through puberty. I simply did not know any better due to the lack of oral hygiene emphasis in my culture.

I am told that dentistry is now more emphasized in Taiwan, but I am still a bit suspicous! So all in all, this is how I got into dentistry and how I am so PRO for this profession. I was a victim of a dental disease and I plan on dedicating the rest of my life to this amazing profession!

I now have receeding free gingiva margin (below my CEJ) due to my previous Periodontitis, but I now floss daily, gingiva are stippled and I no longer have a ring of blood everytime I bite into a banana!

 

[Mo007]

I started persuing Dentistry 6 months ago, I was already accepted to Pharmacy School, and thought Dentistry would be for me when I shadowed the profession.

 

[LestatZinnie]

Hi Yah-E

good to meet another taiwanese fellow. Since taiwan is now under government healthcare, which covers both medical and dental, i believe more ppl are going to the dentist nowadays. there are also more than adequate number of dentists practicing in major cities in taiwan.

but i do believe that preventive care is not a common concept there, although cosmetic dentistry is really catching up with the ppl who hv money to burn.

 

[blankguy]

I like this thread, it's honest and something different from the other threads in the forum.

I guess I have something in common with hafido. I was originally suggested to go into a health(medicine or dental) field by my family, not because of your "typical" parental reasons, but because they looked at my personality profile and said that I wasn't cut out to be a lawyer or a businessman where the social and networking skills are stressed much more than in other fields.
That is not to say that being good at that is bad in other areas(engineering, medicine, etc...).

My mistake was from ignoring them and not having any motivation(look under the under3.0 thread).

I volunteered at a local hospital while I was an undegrad, it made me feel like an ant in an ant colony, I found the environment to be too inpersonal, so by process of elimination I decided to set my sights on dentistry, I don't have any family member or relatives that were dentists.

 

[Comet208]

Wow, its very interesting how we all came to appreciate dentistry by going our different ways.

For me, Dentistry is where all my interests meet!

- I find teeth to be VERY interesting (hence my research on BAT's teeth!!!... i am a tooth freak)
- I like to go to school (but not study )
- I wanted to treat people, but primary care and optometry dont attract me. and i dont have the brains to be a brain surgeon...so..
- Dentistry is something that not everyone can do
- i enjoy scince
- and i like all the perks that come with being a dentist (respect, prestigue, $$$$$, etc)

Comet

 

[ItsGavinC]

I'm smack dab in the middle of dental school and still not 100% sure why I'm here.

That is, it truly fluctuates on a daily basis, and on occasion I have NO desire to be here.

I think dental school brings about an entire new world of feelings for students, and if these feelings can be overcome then everything will turn out alright.

In other words, students often feel bummed out because of low grades, or the huge amounts of loans they are taking out, or whatever reasons, but if those things can be laid aside for just a little while (perhaps even until clinic work starts) then everything usually turns out just fine, and those initial feelings of why one wanted to be a dentist are revived and rekindled.

 

[aphistis]

This is exactly where I am too. Looking past current trouble to focus on future payoffs has never been a major strength of mine, so things can turn sour for a week or two, I can get pretty grim. Other times, when things are going well, I can't get enough of dentistry and school. I just want to get through this and get on with my career.

 

[RaiderNation]

Originally posted by ShawnOne
Yeah, a high schooler can get A's at a CC, but I bet the same high-schooler can get A's at a Cal State Univ.

I went to a Cal State and I can say there is no difference in difficulty. My anatomy teacher teaches at both CSUN and my CC. She gives the same tests, the same lectures, the same everything, except she actually knows peoples names at the CC.

I agree 100%. My Anatomy teacher too teaches at Cal St and a CC. He has the exact same curriculum for both classes. I have experience in these areas and truthfully, I would say the CC's are the same as Cal St.'s I get the same grades at Cal St as I did at the local CC. There is really not much of a difference. Another thing is, most of my CC classes were at night, so alot of those teachers taught at Cal St. or private Universities too. And they all had the same curriculum for bot their University classes and their CC classes.

 

[Comet208]

Top 10 Reasons to Become a Dentist:

10. I like teeth.
9. I have extra $300K sitting around.
8. Its the ONLY healthcare profession in which you can get the patient to shut up while in your office.
7. Good $/easy life.
6. I can finally feed my 7 wives and 11 kids.
5. I look good in white.
4. I like to see blood all day long.
3. No HMO's
2. No beepers required.
1. I like to stick things in other people's mouths!

Comet!

 

[StarGirl]

Originally posted by Comet208
Top 10 Reasons to Become a Dentist:

10. I like teeth.
9. I have extra $300K sitting around.
8. Its the ONLY healthcare profession in which you can get the patient to shut up while in your office.
7. Good $/easy life.
6. I can finally feed my 7 wives and 11 kids.
5. I look good in white.
4. I like to see blood all day long.
3. No HMO's
2. No beepers required.
1. I like to stick things in other people's mouths!

Comet!

yup, #9 is the reason why i am at dental school...now only if i can remember where i put the $300K...

 

[StarGirl]

Originally posted by cusp of carabelli
i would avoid going to community collages.....I know when we review applications, one of the aspects we look at is how the applicant did in science classes, how heavy a load it was and also where the classes were taken. quoting one member of the adcom here, "a high schooler can go to a community college and get A's"....now i don't mean to slam community colleges but it would look better to be at a four year university to take care of your science pre-reqs. I think a post-bac program would be good for you because of your lack of science classes you took as an undergrad, it would be a good way to get them out of the way quickly. I assume you're from the bay area (de anza college) so i would recommend either CSU Hayward or SF state or something... I know CSU hayward has a predental club and the curriculum isn't all that difficult (especially compared to a UC) but yeah...good luck! and ace those DAT's!

\


i went to CC during high school...and i don't remember getting all that many A's.... a lot of my friends went to CC and transfered to a CSU and said the CSU was a LOT easier...
I didn't even apply to CSU's... It was Cal, UCLA, Davis or CC.
I know a few years ago, there were quite a few UCLA dental students that went to CSU-LA and had really high GPA's yet they didn't even seem to speak english (this was pre-interview era I think...)... so whatever gets you into dental school... high GPA at CSU/CC or working your butt off somewhere else and not getting a so great GPA... i don't think it really matters...as long as you get in....(and get thru dental school)

 

[comatose]

1. I like to stick things in other people's mouths!

Good one Comet!


Just make sure you use the nitrous oxide first.

 

[busupshot83]

Originally posted by ItsGavinC
I'm smack dab in the middle of dental school and still not 100% sure why I'm here.

That is, it truly fluctuates on a daily basis, and on occasion I have NO desire to be here.

I think dental school brings about an entire new world of feelings for students, and if these feelings can be overcome then everything will turn out alright.

In other words, students often feel bummed out because of low grades, or the huge amounts of loans they are taking out, or whatever reasons, but if those things can be laid aside for just a little while (perhaps even until clinic work starts) then everything usually turns out just fine, and those initial feelings of why one wanted to be a dentist are revived and rekindled.

truth is, no one is ever 100% sure why things are the way they are. my decision to persue dentistry is wierd:

my family is from Trinidad, West Indies, and we have this friend that's from Guyana. he is a dental technician, and in the islands, some technicians (on the side) perform duties that dentists do... such as straightening teeth.

anyhow, my parents took *cough* me to him, instead of an orthodontist, and he had me wear these retainer-looking things. for 2 years, i realized he wasn't really straightening jack, and i would constantly be monitoring the movement of my teeth. he obviously didnt know what he was doing (a technician ahhhhhhhhhhhh), and i would have to call him and remind him that 'perhaps i need adjustments.' as time passed, i became so use to "monitoring" myself, that it seemed interesting. too make a long story short, i became interested in teeth because of that experience...

oh yeah, i use to like sticking things in people's mouths (ie Comet), but now i don't.

 

[blankguy]

Well....you know it could be worse....like "I like to dig other people's mouth"

 

[busupshot83]

is true, is true

 

[Mromar]

Hafido,

That was a great description of your desires in your life and career aspirations. I am very similar, though I also will need to take the additional science courses (I was a Business/Systems major), so I have at least 1-1.5 years of courses. However, I think it is an ideal career, and one that a person can be passionate about. Just like you, I was attracted to law for all the wrong reasons, though I am doing some shadowing right now to gain better exposure to the field of dentistry (not just being a patient). At this time, I am fairly sure I would enjoy the field, and be passionate about it (actually started college as a pre-med/bio major, though the tech-boom took me in another direction), and I want to do more shadowing and talking with people in the profession, planning on going into it, and those who are in the various dental schools as well.

I have had many friends attend dental school in the past, and they had nothing but great things to say about the field itself. In addition, I also spent some time visiting the dental school they attended (UOP, though also had friends graduate from NYU and NOVA), and saw not just a bunch of trained people who "stare into mouths" all day, but highly trained specialists who treated and helped people in many ways. That may have seemed like a long sentence to describe what I saw and learned, though it is what I saw and thought.

Mromar

 

[wimmcs]

Originally posted by JavadiCavity
Hafido,

My situation is simialr to yours. I earned my BS in accounting and then spent a couple of years working for a large Wall Street firm. To make a long story short, I didn't like the work/environment as much as I thought I would. Dentistry was something I had wanted to do since I was kid, but I never thought I was a good enough student to earn the grades and get into school.

Anyway, I've put my life on hold, along with the lives of my wife and 3 children. This fall, I started attending school again part-time, and this winter, I will attend my alma mater full-time. I also never took any of the dental prereqs when I went through school the first time; however, by the beginning of next fall, I will have completed almost all of the prereqs.


BTW, I pm'd you Hafido.
It's good seeing some business majors posting. I earned 2 bachelor degrees, one in Business (HR Mgt) and one in Spanish. I worked for 2 large companies as well for 7 years and found out that I wasn't completely satisfied. I grew up among dentists in Mexico. My brother-in-law is an Endodontist in Mexico and all of our family friends are dental professionals of some sort. I've had a lot of exposure in the field since I worked for him as a child and teenager for years. After many years in the corporate world, I decided to pursue dentistry and I'm taking all my pre-req classes from a local CC. I'm receiving excellent education from outstanding professors. If I felt my education was not high quality, I wouldn't be taking CC classes. I'm currently taking O Chem, Biology and Physics 1 and proud to say I'm currenlty earning all A's. It has been a tremendous struggle since my classes are very tough and I have 3 children, but it's definitely "doable". Congratulations on your desire to pursue dentistry as a career and I wish you lots of luck and success in pursuing your dreams!