I Think I Want to Specialize

[gryffindor]

Hey pre-dents:

How do so many of you know for sure you want to specialize after dental school?

With no actual clinical experiences in dentistry, what influences your quests for specializing? The aspects of that specialty? Reputation? Money? Prestige? A family member who is a specialist?

I am 60 days from graduating dental school at Buffalo. Dental school has turned out to be nothing like I could have ever imagined. For example, I know that I love to learn the didactics of Oral Surgery and could handle a 6 year residency. However, feeling those PDL fibers rip apart under your forceps when extracting a tooth is like scratching nails on a chalkboard to me. The clinical aspect of Oral Surgery turns me totally off from it, and I would have never known that unless I'd picked up those forceps and taken out a tooth or two. Same goes for those who realize their dislike for kids when they get the screamers in clinic.

So many of you seem to base your dental school decisions based on the prospects of specializing later. Why? What turns you off from general dentistry before setting foot in dental school and picking up a handpiece?

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[Zurich5]

griffin,

Good post. I think if everyone here answered this honestly, then money and prestige would be high on the list of possible answers. I'm looking forward to being a general dentist, screw the extra hassles that come along with being a specialist
.

 

[Comet208]

I am among the crowed that is thinking of going to perio or prostho after earning my dental degree. why?

1. I like the procedures that prio and prosthodentists do.
2. I think it is cool to become an adjunct faculty later and teach those procedures to other dental students in 30 years.
3. i enjoy the challenge.
4. $$
(prestige wont be an issue for me)

For me, its not that i am turned off by any aspect of dentistry, indeed, its the fact that i want more from it.

Comet

 

[KMF]

I think you make a good point that it is hard to tell at this point. I'm pretty sure I want to be an orthodontist though, although, perhaps after getting more hands-on experience I will realize that something else is more fun. Since my mom is an orthodontist, I have spent a lot of time with her ever since I was a little kid. Since I've been in college she has let me do lots of hands on work with assisting. In addition, she has shown me a lot of her cases and showed me the treatments she has chosen, etc. etc. Anyway, I LOVE everything about orthodontics so far. Every orthodontist I have talked to really enjoys their job as well, which I don't think is as true for the other specialties. The obstacle now is actually getting into the ortho program . I shadowed an oral surgeon, and found what he did really interesting, but like you said, I don't really think I know about that until I have more experience in dental school. Plus, I don't know if I could handle 6 more years of school after dental school. Three years seems a little more manageable.

 

[DDSdude]

There are also 4 year oral/max programs available at many schools. The 6 year program produces an MD after your name and you take most of the classes you took in dental school in the 6 year program.

 

[aphistis]

Originally posted by DDSdude
The 6 year program...you take most of the classes you took in dental school in the 6 year program.

No, you take Step I of the USMLE, and then you spend two years doing clinical rotations as an upperclass med student.

 

[ItsGavinC]

Bill is correct. Traditionally, you do:

Year 1- OMS
Year 2- Med student 3
Year 3- Med student 4
Year 4- OMS
Year 5- Gen. surgery
Year 6- Gen. surgery

 

[drPheta]

This is one of the best topics/posts I've seen in the Pre-Dent forum in a LOOOONG time.

Dental school's experiences open you to soo much more than you will ever know. Just think about undergrad. I can imagine a ton of you guys were premed, accounting, finance, math, psych, english, or whatever majors with no idea of what you wanted to do. Then, I'm sure that you guys figured out what you'd like to do. Then, I'm sure you guys realized that's not what you wanted to do...and somewhere along the line you settled on dentistry.

Good job on that part, but dental school is no different in terms of keeping your options open. Yes, there are a select group who KNOW what they want to do. They've seen it, lived it, researched it.....EXPERIENCED IT. So, it makes total sense for Jimmy John or Becky Sue to want to specialize because they've had tremendous exposure to it.

But, be real. At best, keep an open mind on the goals you have set for dentistry. Four years is a long time, and it's even longer in dental school. You'll know, first hand, exactly what all the dental students are talking about very soon.

Told to me by 4th and 3rd years. In Endo class, everyone seems to love it. "Hey, I think I'm gonna do endo now!"...then they realize towards the end of it in their rotations that it is NOT what they thought it to be.

 

[DDSdude]

I stand corrected. That occurs about every 1 to 2 times out of every 1 to 2 times.

 

[nug]

Originally posted by drPheta


Told to me by 4th and 3rd years. In Endo class, everyone seems to love it. "Hey, I think I'm gonna do endo now!"...then they realize towards the end of it in their rotations that it is NOT what they thought it to be.

Why's it not what they'd thought it would be?

 

[trypmo]

I'm approaching dentistry and dental school thinking I'm probably not going to specialize. In my life I've largely been a jack-of-all-trades, and I like it so much I don't want it to stop. I love it when someone walks into my lab saying "I need help with X" and most of the time I can say "Yeah, I can help you with that."

Another aspect is that I'm several years older than the average entering dent school student, have racked up quite a bit of debt in grad school, and it's simply not feasible for me to do N more years of work to specialize before starting to pay off my debts and to be more financially supportive of my spouse.

And also, there's no way I'll be anywhere near the top of my class. My family life is very important to me, and life is short.



But that's just me.

I this thread too! Please keep posting, y'all.

 

[drPheta]

Originally posted by nug
Why's it not what they'd thought it would be?

I can only fathom that:

1. Soft tissue flaps are much more intense in person
2. It's a PITA to deal with molar endo all the time (unless you kick ass at it)
3. Being a GP offers a lot of personal benefit beyond what a higher salary can buy (i.e. dynamic work weeks, watching families grow up in your own practice, referring out whatever you don't feel like doing, etc. are worth more than an extra 100K-200K salary)
4. Everything is like 7097817461478670277409187240871490 times smaller with endo

The list goes on for various reason.

It's different from person to person. This doesn't mean that Endo is a crappy specialty. There are people who wouldn't touch OMS (griffin04) and there are those who are die hard OMS (Yah-E). The same goes for every specialty. No one is better than the other, it's just like dental schools themselves.

And all this simply goes along with the whole notion that specialty really shouldn't be determined till you've lived the pros and cons first hand. To each their own.

 

[captaintripps]

Originally posted by ItsGavinC
Bill is correct. Traditionally, you do:

Year 1- OMS
Year 2- Med student 3
Year 3- Med student 4
Year 4- OMS
Year 5- Gen. surgery
Year 6- Gen. surgery

Seems strange that one would only spend 2 out of 6 years post grad specifically training in OMS.

 

[gryffindor]

Gavin: our OMS is structured something more like this -

Year 1: OMS/2nd yr med school
Year 2: 3rd yr med school
Year 3: 4th yr med school
Year 4: General Surgery
Year 5: OMS
Year 6: OMS

It varies from program to program. For example, UConn's OMS program has 2 years of General Surgery b/c it is required for their licensing requirements in Connecticut.

nug: I only know how Endo pre-clinic is run at our school. We start the class with anterior teeth which are easy and very straightforward - this is when everyone is in the "I love endo, I'm going to be an endodontist" phase. We end the class doing several molars which are much more involved and potentially more difficult - by now, everyone is in the "Endo is not cool anymore" phase.

KMF: Yes, nepotism in ortho, I've seen quite a bit of that this year. Specialty programs are "residencies" not necessarily more school. You have to learn, but it's nothing like the insanity of labwork and exams in dental school, especially if there is some paycheck (although incredibly meager) involved.

 

[comatose]

Originally posted by drPheta
Four years is a long time, and it's even longer in dental school. You'll know, first hand, exactly what all the dental students are talking about very soon.

Four years of post-grad education is more than enough for me. School sucks. After that, I think I just want to move on with my life.

 

[cali1]

I think that most likely I will be a general practioner myself, but its nice to be able to treat the whole mouth, and set up a diagnosis and treatment plan. When you think of it, a dentist is pretty much a specialist of the mouth as it is, and to break that down into different specialities seems too specific.
But regarding the lifestyle of a generalist versus a specialist, I assumed that specialist worked less hours and less days, and thus their lifestyle might be easier.

 

[preludexl]

Money and a challenge.

 

[sallyubc]

HI Grafin and others,

I was checking several schools about specialties and I noticed that most programs such as ortho and surgery have no stipend
I just found that the only program that got stipend is Paediatric..

So for example if I decide to go to ortho then it is 3 years so it will cost around 150000, that is another major debt on top of the original...
what you guys think about that? Is specializing time consuming, can somebody work part time as a general dentist and specialize as well? also when a dentist specialize, can you still work as a general dentist? for example if you are a paediatric dentist can you work as a general dentist and a paediatric dentist as well knowing that specialty will help you deal with children better...

Ofcourse, I agree that these are all speculations, am not gonna be able to deside which specialty I like till i get the experience in dental school

Cheers,
SAL

 

[drPheta]

From what I've researched, all the OMS specialties I've looked at have stipends, and this also goes for GPR. What I've been told is only hospital based residencies will have a stipend, unless the university provides a stipend of their own.

So, I think your statement is a bit off.

Yes, specialty will most likely cost an additional $$$$, and with the increasing amount of education each program requires this cost will only continue to rise. For example, ortho used to be a 2 year residency a few years back. Now it's 3. Some endo programs are becoming 3 years instead of 2. I think pedo has ventured into 3 years of education at some places. So, increasing costs are inevitable, especially if our wonderful government puts GME funding and healthcare behind the oh-so important topic of "weapons of mass destruction."

If you specialize you are just that, a specialist. There's no backtracking to GP once you become Dr. XYZ specialist in ABC. So, a periodontist cannot do anything out of their specialty, and this includes procedures indicative of other specialties.

 

[mmapcpro]

SOME specialists make more than SOME general dentists. SOME general dentists make more than SOME specialists. It's not like a chocolate chip cookie recipe.

Like the other posters mentioned, there is a substantial cost of tuition and living expenses during the residence years.

Also, you have to account for the 3-6 years of lost income ($80-120,000 in the early years, $150,000+ for the later years...potentially).

Then there's also the fact that in many specialties you won't really have a patient base to sell when you retire. You'll have a building and equipment, but a general dentist with 10,000 patients has a nice nest egg to walk away with.

In the end, my opinion is that it might be a good idea for each of us to enter dental school WANTING TO BE DENTISTS. Then, if we realize that one particular aspect of dentistry appeals to us a great deal more than the others, AND we make the grades to get there, we can think about specializing.

Of course, if my dad was a specialist and I was going to inherit the building and his connections, then I MIGHT seek out an educational path that was best aligned with becoming a specialist in that particular field.

Aside from that, I'm going to do the very best I can each and every day in school, and when the time comes, we'll see what my options are. I just wonder if some people will become bitter and disappointed if they went all the way through dental school with the intention of being an orthodontist, or what have you, and felt like they were SETTLING with a career as a general dentist.

Of course, I point NO fingers because I did the exact same thing with engineering, only to discover that it wasn't what I wanted to do. Thank God they don't require an additional 4 years of Professional school to be a newbie engineer, heh.

 

[Sam Spade]

Dear Griffin,

Although I agree with your position for the most part, I find this post overly defensive, patronizing, and unnecessary.

Certainly there are pre-dental students who have been driven toward a specific dental specialty from a very young age, owing to the inspiration of a family member or personal experience. As ambitious pre-dental students are clamoring over post- graduation statistics of a few dental schools, quite similarly, ambitious high school students are pestering college administrators to inquire of each college's medical/dental school admissions statistics. Some high school students are so determined of their desire to be in a certain health profession that they commit to a combined degree program (eg, BS/DDS) or select majors in subjects like "Pre-Dentistry" to satisfy their educational goals. And what is the basis for this resolve? What relevant knowledge and experience of medicine/dentistry might one obtain during the high school years to warrant this dedication? Candy striping?

I don't judge you for being a hypocrite. We all are. But, in the future, please try to exert a little more self-control and professionalism on these pages. Please try to be more respectful
of others' ambitions, whatever your opinions of them. Remember that you were once a pre-dental student, also. Most of us are asking questions because we're genuinely interested and we are extremely appreciative that experienced contributors such as yourself are so generous to volunteer insight. If we are asking the wrong questions, please tell us so, but also tell us why. We don't know any better and we're certainly not trying to offend anyone.

Of course, if your original question was sincere and I've simply mistaken this post as a gratuitous exercise in moralizing to a devoted audience, please accept my gracious apology.

Regards,
Sam Spade

 

[aphistis]

Originally posted by Sam Spade
Dear Griffin,

Although I agree with your position for the most part, I find this post overly defensive, patronizing, and unnecessary.

Certainly there are pre-dental students who have been driven toward a specific dental specialty from a very young age, owing to the inspiration of a family member or personal experience. As ambitious pre-dental students are clamoring over post- graduation statistics of a few dental schools, quite similarly, ambitious high school students are pestering college administrators to inquire of each college's medical/dental school admissions statistics. Some high school students are so determined of their desire to be in a certain health profession that they commit to a combined degree program (eg, BS/DDS) or select majors in subjects like "Pre-Dentistry" to satisfy their educational goals. And what is the basis for this resolve? What relevant knowledge and experience of medicine/dentistry might one obtain during the high school years to warrant this dedication? Candy striping?

I don't judge you for being a hypocrite. We all are. But, in the future, please try to exert a little more self-control and professionalism on these pages. Please try to be more respectful
of others' ambitions, whatever your opinions of them. Remember that you were once a pre-dental student, also. Most of us are asking questions because we're genuinely interested and we are extremely appreciative that experienced contributors such as yourself are so generous to volunteer insight. If we are asking the wrong questions, please tell us so, but also tell us why. We don't know any better and we're certainly not trying to offend anyone.

Of course, if your original question was sincere and I've simply mistaken this post as a gratuitous exercise in moralizing to a devoted audience, please accept my gracious apology.

Regards,
Sam Spade

I think her question is candid and relevant. Anyone who thinks they know exactly how they want their career to play out, before they've even begun training for it, should be able to answer that question confidently and knowledgeably.

 

[ItsGavinC]

I agree with Bill AND Sam Spade on this one.

Griffin's post, however, CAN be an excellent lesson in education.

Too many pre-dental students have no foggy clue what dental school is really like (I was once a member of this catergory). This is evidenced by the plethora of posts ranging from "what should I specialize in?" to "what percentage of dental students just get by?"

 

[gryffindor]

Dear Sam Spade,

I don't want to offend anyone and I'm definitely not trying to moralize anyone. It's like Gavin said, lately there have been a whole lot of posts of "Should I attend School X or Y, but I want school X b/c I can be an Oral Surgeon" or "What is considered a good specializing rate" and especially the "What percent of students get by" thread. So I am curious what is running through the minds of these pre-dents when they come up with this stuff.

I've said before, the amount of stuff you all know as PRE-DENTAL students amazes me (in a good way, not a condescending one). I had no clue about National Board exams, Licensing exams, Residencies, specialties, etc. when I started. I come from a family of no dental background, my undergrad was full of pre-meds so I pretty much learned everything starting with day 1 in dental school. I wish I was as knowledgeable as a pre-dent as you are Sam, because I would have made some different choices myself in terms of dental school five years ago. (If only SDN was around in 1999...)

Why specialty? I'm no hypocrite. I am completing my 7-yr BS/DDS program this year. I started dental school with wanting to "keep my doors open in everything" this included having the chance to specialize later if I wanted. I applied to orthodontics and was crushed on match day when I didn't get in. But, one of my orthodontic mentors who also didn't get in her first try told me something that I hadn't really considered in my 7 semesters (3.5 yrs) of dental school. She said "Look, you are graduating as a dentist. And that is a HUGE accomplishment. There are so many people who want this and don't make it this far. Until you get into ortho, and you have to face reality that it may not happen for a while, you need to focus on your general dentistry. It's what you are trained to do. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, it's is a wonderful and noble profession."

She really got me thinking and totally changed my outlook on general dentistry and orthodontics with 1 only semester to go. For lack of better words, it was like an epiphany. I mean, I liked clinic before and took ethical and good care of my patients and met my requirements, but it's just such a different feeling now when I treat my patients (in a good way). I can't explain it, but not getting in might have been a very big blessing in disguise for me. I read the posts by Dr. Jeff in his office and the DentalTown dentists and now I understand why they too have such a passion in what they do, whether they are general dentists or specialists.

Having been through all this, that's why I wonder why you're all giving yourself ulcers over becoming oral surgeons/endodontists/orthodontists without even starting the next 4 years of hell (dental school). The majority of people on this board are so incredibly qualified for dental school. Post-grad admission is just like getting into dental school. Most of you have worked hard at getting good grades in your classes and studying like crazy for the DAT. It didn't matter what the other students at your college earned or how hard they studied, you did what you had to and got in to dental school. If you have aspirations to go on with your training after the DDS, work your hardest to achieve that too. If you are qualified and can prove it, they can't deny you admission to post-grad either.

Please don't be offended Sam, I didn't intend for this thread to be that way.

 

[Sam Spade]

Griffin,

My statement was submitted primarily in defense of pre-dental naivete - my main issue being with the tone of your original post. In any gathering of pre-dental students, it is inevitable that rumors are propagated, and likewise, misinformation can promptly and assuredly become perceived as fact. In our case, it somehow became fashionable to evaluate our prospective dental schools on indices of post-graduate opportunity and indeed, questionable authority. However, I believe that the reason many of us are posting about specializing is not that we're carelessly focused on the supposed material and personal rewards of these careers. Alternatively, many of us are so keenly aware of our own indecision that we're approaching these choices prudently, trying
to collect as much information as possible and perpetually haunted by the foresight that our choice of dental school could limit our career options later. Although our questions may be ignorant and oftentimes obnoxious, the rational basis for these inquiries is level-headed and commendable.

My next contention is that a rare exception does exist. Imagine a young patient that endures years of orthodontic and surgical corrections for congenital asymmetry and malocclusion, with the result of these therapies being a dramatic and lifelong improvement in his self-esteem and quality of life, as well as a profound sense of "calling" to one of these dental specialties. Such an individual may never consider dental school as anything more than a necessary step en route to the realization of his ultimate dream, and would never be satisfied as a general dentist. It would be truly dispiriting to see someone of such determination discouraged from pursuing his dream and instead pressured into general dentistry.

I do thank you for sharing your perspective and for acknowledging my criticism in a civil manner. You do not need to convince me of your message; your argument is clear and your lesson is a valuable one. Congratulations on your upcoming graduation and best wishes for a prosperous and admirable career in Dentistry!

Sam Spade

 

[ItsGavinC]

Originally posted by Sam Spade
Imagine a young patient that endures years of orthodontic and surgical corrections for congenital asymmetry and malocclusion...Such an individual may never consider dental school as anything more than a necessary step en route to the realization of his ultimate dream, and would never be satisfied as a general dentist.

Then I would honestly NOT encourage the person to apply to dental school.

What promise is there that they will match to into orthodontics? NONE.

In fact, odds are that they will not, and may be destined to being a general dentists, which, as you state, they "would never be satisified" as doing.

It's a tough draw, but it's the truth.

Of course, the most obvious (and true) flip side to that is that the vast majority of students come to an awakening in dental school and recognize that a specialty they had never thought twice about is actually a really cool one. Or, conversely, students who had planned on specializing realize that they don't want to specialize.

Either way, people shouldn't apply to dental school unless they are interested in dentistry first, and specialties secondly. Like I said, it's hard to stomach, but not everybody who has dreams of specializing goes on to specialize (for whatever reasons). Somebody basing their everything on that glimmer of hope might be sorely disappointed, especially if they have no interest in operative dentistry or any other specialties/aspects of the profession.

 

[ItsGavinC]

And I forgot to mention, that the other silly thing is that general dentists can do, and do superior orthodontic work, as well as other specialty work.

One need look no further than their local dentist, or DentalTown, to witness general practitioners who have loaded up on CE courses and now are able to complete difficult specialty cases with fabulous results.

Of course, the other benefit of being a general practitioner is that if the specialty case is too difficult they can refer it out.

My one final point in this is: pre-dental students (and probably many dental students) don't recognize the power of good continuing education courses, nor do they realize the realms under which dentists operate (ie, specialists doing ONLY specialty cases, while generals being able to do what they want if capable).

 

[Dr.BadVibes]

good point Gavin. thats why Ive always looked forward to being a GP

 

[NewNameForGoogleBot]

Originally posted by ItsGavinC
And I forgot to mention, that the other silly thing is that general dentists can do, and do superior orthodontic work, as well as other specialty work. [/B]

Yes, but this is the rare exception, rather than the rule.

 

[drPheta]

Yeah, but the whole point of the matter still remains true.

Keep an open eye while venturing down this LONG and very INFLUENTIAL road.

It's nice to have high goals set, but even with Sam's argument about this being a new breed of pre-dents we still have the same amount of competition.

Getting into a specialty is all about being at the top of your class. If you argue that these new pre-dents should be looking into specialty because they're more knowledgeable about it, then you've also got to consider the fact that the competition is going to be even more intense. It's still going to be just as hard for everyone to get into specialty. It's still going to be just as demoralizing trying to get into specialty. And those 4 years in dental school are still going to expose you to MUCH MUCH more than ANY pre-dent will ever know or think they know. This is not to mention that dentistry is accelerating at breakneck speeds. Just a few years ago ortho was a 2 year program, and OMS was only 4 years. Today, ortho is 3 years, OMS is 4 years with many being 6 years, pedo is approaching a 3 year average, a so is endo. What about perio and prostho? What about in 2 or 3 years when most of us current dent students graduate? What about in 4 years when these predents entering now graduate?

Time changes things we plan on.

This is why it's so mind boggling to us current dental students who see A LOT, IF NOT MOST, of the predents putting so much emphasis on specialty stats from each school. While it's nice to know what school graduates students who move on to residencies, getting matched is not guaranteed, and Gavin said it excellently.

On top of that, there are countless students who spanked undergrad, raped the DATs and have plenty of shadowing experience. However, when it comes time to study, do operative, take exams, practicals, and lab work all around the same time these aspiring prodigies of undergrad suffer. It's a whole new world in dental school, and this is exactly why we emphasize the importance of keeping an open mind and less importance of specialty stats.

You're going to have to work you ass off anywhere you go anyway if you want to specialize. Even at Harvard. It's no cakewalk getting into specialty. Harvard students all get in because they have to work hard, or they fail. Not because Harvard guarantees them a match. Same thing goes for those who specialize at the lowest specialist % producing school. Those students worked their ass off, and I can see them working just as hard as those Harvard students. So, do you think the school is still important if you want to specialize? Depends, I guess. If you need to be told what to do, when to do it, and how to do it to get you to specialty...then go ahead. Pick the 99% producing school. But if you're self motivated, efficient, or what-be-you go to whatever school makes you happy.

So, this now goes with what Gavin said. Be ready to be a DENTIST. Be happy to be a DENTIST. Because if you can't hack it enough to get matched, you'll be miserable for the rest of your life...at the expense of such overemphasis on specialty stats.

 

[gryffindor]

Good point Gavin. You have to like general dentistry first if you are going to enroll in dental school, no matter how smart you think you are. I've seen many pre-dents who were at the top of their undergrad classes get by with a 2.0 in dental school b/c they just can't handle the learning style as well. Someone put up a post the other day about learning better when s/he "understands the concepts rather than memorizing it." I used to be that way college too (and I still learn better that way), except I quickly discovered that there wasn't enough time to be learning concepts in every class. Some classes had to be "memorize only" because of time constraints. Of course, the opposite happens too. Students who scraped along the bottom in undergrad and barely make it into dental school can shape up once they get there and be at the top of the class.

To expand on what DrPheta was saying: All Prostho programs changed from 2 years to 3 year programs less than five years ago. You used to be able to "subspecialize" in prostho - like emphasize your training only in fixed, removable, or maxillofacial prosthetics, but now with the 3 year program you have to train in all 3 and there is no subspecializing anymore. Same with ortho, more are headed toward the 3 year program every year (Columbia just changed from 2 to 3 last year and now requires a master's). The # of 3 year programs in ortho now is greater than the # of 2 year programs left.

 

[ItsGavinC]

Originally posted by jaap
Yes, but this is the rare exception, rather than the rule.

Not at all! MANY general practitioners take all sorts of cases. Sure, not every GP is going to do the most difficult ortho cases that walk in the door, but there ARE general dentists who have become so adapt at doing ortho that the bulk of their days is spent doing ortho.

100% of general dentists don't do this, but it certainly is a far cry from a "rare exception".

In fact, general dentists seeing some form of specialty cases would probably be considered a rule now, more than an exception. This is compounded with the fact that general dentists are free to advertise themselves as "specializing in orthodontics" as long as they don't claim that they "specialized in orthodontics".

 

[NewNameForGoogleBot]

Originally posted by ItsGavinC
Not at all! MANY general practitioners take all sorts of cases. Sure, not every GP is going to do the most difficult ortho cases that walk in the door, but there ARE general dentists who have become so adapt at doing ortho that the bulk of their days is spent doing ortho.

100% of general dentists don't do this, but it certainly is a far cry from a "rare exception".

In fact, general dentists seeing some form of specialty cases would probably be considered a rule now, more than an exception. This is compounded with the fact that general dentists are free to advertise themselves as "specializing in orthodontics" as long as they don't claim that they "specialized in orthodontics".

I was referring to GPs doing "superior orthodontic work." If you mean high quality work, I agree with you. If you mean their work is superior to specalists, that would be a rare exception.

 

[ItsGavinC]

Jaap, sorry about the misunderstanding. I was referring to quality.

Although, now that you mention it, I think general pracitioners are perfectly capable of doing work that is just as good, or even superior, to that of specialists, given a case of average difficulty.

 

[ShawnOne]

Gavin,

Are you saying a GP can do ortho by taking CE? Then what's the point of specializing?

 

[UBTom]

Yep, a general dentist can do ortho if he/she knows how to do it, as long as the GP can do it to the same standards as a specialist.

So what's the point of specializing? Well, lots general dentists out there either 1) don't know how to do it or 2) don't feel comfortable doing it because of lack of experience or training, or 3) just don't want to spend the time to do it, and they got to refer the cases to SOMEBODY after all..