IAMA Dental Anesthesiology resident. Feel free to ask me anything!

[DentalAnesthesiaResident]

How hard is it to find a hospital W2 job in DA?

To be honest it's not very common for a DA to work in a hospital position full-time, so I would say it wouldn't be that easy. With that being said, once you graduate as a DA the chance of you wanting to go back to working the hospital is pretty slim lol. Private practice lifestyle offers way more flexibility, less politics, more money, and you get to run your own show. The only DAs I've seen go back to working in the hospital are those who really want to teach/love the academic component, and thus join as faculty at hospital DA programs.

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[Orthofanathgnic]

Are you doing intubations right now as a resident, and are they letting you run your own rooms? I'm an OMFS resident on anesthesia and they're finally letting us manage our own rooms and also I've gotten to attempt the intubation every single case. Just curious how it differs for DA residency.

 

[DentalAnesthesiaResident]

Are you doing intubations right now as a resident, and are they letting you run your own rooms? I'm an OMFS resident on anesthesia and they're finally letting us manage our own rooms and also I've gotten to attempt the intubation every single case. Just curious how it differs for DA residency.

Yup we start off intubating right from the very beginning. Graduates of my program typically end up doing about 600-700 intubated GA cases + 300 - 400 open airway GA cases over the 3 years.

Yes, at our program we get assigned as the primary provider from the get go, however this can differ depending on the program. I'm only one month in, so I'm not running a room completely alone yet, and nor would I want to be alone lol. I usually have one of our chiefs + an attending help for induction, then they'll pop in and out of the room during the case, then come back to help for the emergence.

 

[zdoq]

Dental offices can not provide deep sedation/General anesthesia without the service of a CRNA/Dental Anesthesiologist/Medical anesthesiologist, depending on the state.

Could you share which states are like this? Or share a source with a list of these states?

 

[dentistrydmd]

Yup we start off intubating right from the very beginning. Graduates of my program typically end up doing about 600-700 intubated GA cases + 300 - 400 open airway GA cases over the 3 years.

Yes, at our program we get assigned as the primary provider from the get go, however this can differ depending on the program. I'm only one month in, so I'm not running a room completely alone yet, and nor would I want to be alone lol. I usually have one of our chiefs + an attending help for induction, then they'll pop in and out of the room during the case, then come back to help for the emergence.

It seems you do quite a bit of GA. How different is the fundamental training in anaesthesiology versus MD anaesthesiologists in residency? Is it simply the type of patients that are seen (ie. head and neck cases)?

 

[DentalAnesthesiaResident]

Could you share which states are like this? Or share a source with a list of these states?

Unfortunately I don't have a source which summarizes the regulations for all states. You have to look up the individual state dental board and search what the requirements are for a Deep sedation/GA permit . Overall though, only a small number of states allow CRNAs to independently run Deep sedation/GA in dental offices without supervision, while most require the operator/supervisor to be a MD/DDS/DMD with an Anesthesiology/OMFS certificate.

 

[DentalAnesthesiaResident]

It seems you do quite a bit of GA. How different is the fundamental training in anaesthesiology versus MD anaesthesiologists in residency? Is it simply the type of patients that are seen (ie. head and neck cases)?

This kinda depends which program you're at, but usually the Dental Anesthesia residents do the majority of the dental surgery cases (especially if your program is associated with a dental school). In the hospital, we also do more OMFS/ENT cases. More medically complex cases (i.e. Neurosurgery, heart/lung transplants) go to the MD residents as it is more relevant to their scope of practice than ours. Overall though, we do get exposure to many types of procedures even though it may not be dental related.

 

[Dental-nerd22]

do DA do orofacial pain management like oral medicine or not? what is the scope of DA beside GA and IV sedation?

 

[DentalAnesthesiaResident]

do DA do orofacial pain management like oral medicine or not? what is the scope of DA beside GA and IV sedation?

Depending on program, there is some training on orofacial pain but it is usually not extensive and most DAs don't get involved with it in practice. Our scope is truly being proficient in all levels of office-based sedation/general anesthesia, managing medically complex patients, and being able to tailor the anesthetic plan to the needs of the dental procedure using our dental backgrounds.

 

[New_Vegas]

With most specialties, it seems that practicing somewhere more rural is the key to success. Do you think that the opposite is true for DA? It seems that if you were to set up shop somewhere like SoCal, NYC, SF Bay area there would be a large amount of pediatric dentists and periodontists interested in your services. As <30 DAs graduate per year I wouldn't imagine saturation to be a factor anywhere.

Lol. Um... Have you realized that there are an insane amount of people out there doing anesthesia already? Anesthesiologists? Nurse anesthetists? Dentists who do IV or oral sedation? I honestly can't comprehend how a dental anesthesiologist could carve a niche out for themselves when there is already ample access to anesthesia already. In fact, in many states nurse anesthetists can practice independently, and in that case to be competitive with an NA, you would likely have to lower your fees to that same midlevel provider. Furthermore, if you want to work in a hospital in many states you can only do dental cases.. And a regular anesthesiologist can do that same work easily. In other areas, MD anesthesiologists groups have exclusive rights to hospitals. Good luck convincing them to hire you as a dentist.

I don't know, this whole dental anesthesiologist thing doesn't sound like a great idea to me, and I think it will be hard to find work and it will get extremely saturated very fast. If you are a dentist, you are doing work that only as dentist can do. If you are a dental anesthesiologist... Well, you are entering an already saturated field that is already covered by MDs and midlevels. Good luck trying to market yourself as being on par with an MD. Patients/insurances/hospitals will never see it that way. At best, you will be competing with the midlevels for salary, patients, etc.

 

[Mycoalwin]

@DentalAnesthesiaResident thank you for doing this! I just graduated and recently started considering DA. If I've had a decent amount of hospital exposure, are program externships essential?

 

[schmoob]

Lol. Um... Have you realized that there are an insane amount of people out there doing anesthesia already? Anesthesiologists? Nurse anesthetists? Dentists who do IV or oral sedation? I honestly can't comprehend how a dental anesthesiologist could carve a niche out for themselves when there is already ample access to anesthesia already. In fact, in many states nurse anesthetists can practice independently, and in that case to be competitive with an NA, you would likely have to lower your fees to that same midlevel provider. Furthermore, if you want to work in a hospital in many states you can only do dental cases.. And a regular anesthesiologist can do that same work easily. In other areas, MD anesthesiologists groups have exclusive rights to hospitals. Good luck convincing them to hire you as a dentist.

I don't know, this whole dental anesthesiologist thing doesn't sound like a great idea to me, and I think it will be hard to find work and it will get extremely saturated very fast. If you are a dentist, you are doing work that only as dentist can do. If you are a dental anesthesiologist... Well, you are entering an already saturated field that is already covered by MDs and midlevels. Good luck trying to market yourself as being on par with an MD. Patients/insurances/hospitals will never see it that way. At best, you will be competing with the midlevels for salary, patients, etc.

This is incorrect. DA’s are better trained at outpatient anesthesia. And general dentists doing IV/oral sedation is not the same thing as general anesthesia. There is a big demand in pediatric dentistry as well as special needs. The DA groups near me are booked out ano are doing very well.

 

[Orka]

Thank you for making this thread. I have a few questions.

1. How long are programs usually (3-4 years)?
2. Do you think it's worth it? (Are you content with your decision?)
3. What class ranking do you need to be?
4. How competitive is it?
5. How do you set yourself apart from other candidates? Like did you have to get some sort of internship?

 

[P7898]

Lol. Um... Have you realized that there are an insane amount of people out there doing anesthesia already? Anesthesiologists? Nurse anesthetists? Dentists who do IV or oral sedation? I honestly can't comprehend how a dental anesthesiologist could carve a niche out for themselves when there is already ample access to anesthesia already. In fact, in many states nurse anesthetists can practice independently, and in that case to be competitive with an NA, you would likely have to lower your fees to that same midlevel provider. Furthermore, if you want to work in a hospital in many states you can only do dental cases.. And a regular anesthesiologist can do that same work easily. In other areas, MD anesthesiologists groups have exclusive rights to hospitals. Good luck convincing them to hire you as a dentist.

I don't know, this whole dental anesthesiologist thing doesn't sound like a great idea to me, and I think it will be hard to find work and it will get extremely saturated very fast. If you are a dentist, you are doing work that only as dentist can do. If you are a dental anesthesiologist... Well, you are entering an already saturated field that is already covered by MDs and midlevels. Good luck trying to market yourself as being on par with an MD. Patients/insurances/hospitals will never see it that way. At best, you will be competing with the midlevels for salary, patients, etc.

DA's do more nasal intubations than general MDs and DOs (physicians). A lot of dentists do not like tracheal intubations for the obvious reasons. Peds, special needs, endo for anxious people, and general dentists are the majority of what I have seen DAs do and they provide a great service especially for pediatric cases that would need to go to the OR otherwise. They can do everything at the pediatric dentist for $2k in 2 hours versus booking an OR and spending the whole day at the hospital to do 2 hours work of treatment and spending $5-$6k in the process. And CRNA in some states cannot do work in a dental office unless the provider has a general anesthesia permit (which is unlikely). Yes IV sedation is great and general dentists do it. But sometimes dentists just want to worry about what is in the patients mouth instead of worrying about vitals and levels of sleep/sedation.

 

[Fadebuster81]

Lol. Um... Have you realized that there are an insane amount of people out there doing anesthesia already? Anesthesiologists? Nurse anesthetists? Dentists who do IV or oral sedation? I honestly can't comprehend how a dental anesthesiologist could carve a niche out for themselves when there is already ample access to anesthesia already. In fact, in many states nurse anesthetists can practice independently, and in that case to be competitive with an NA, you would likely have to lower your fees to that same midlevel provider. Furthermore, if you want to work in a hospital in many states you can only do dental cases.. And a regular anesthesiologist can do that same work easily. In other areas, MD anesthesiologists groups have exclusive rights to hospitals. Good luck convincing them to hire you as a dentist.

I don't know, this whole dental anesthesiologist thing doesn't sound like a great idea to me, and I think it will be hard to find work and it will get extremely saturated very fast. If you are a dentist, you are doing work that only as dentist can do. If you are a dental anesthesiologist... Well, you are entering an already saturated field that is already covered by MDs and midlevels. Good luck trying to market yourself as being on par with an MD. Patients/insurances/hospitals will never see it that way. At best, you will be competing with the midlevels for salary, patients, etc.

This is very incorrect. ALL of the dental anesthesiologists I know have graduated with a job locked in, and end up being booked out months in advance. You aren't very informed of the career prospects at all.

 

[P7898]

This is very incorrect. ALL of the dental anesthesiologists I know have graduated with a job locked in, and end up being booked out months in advance. You aren't very informed of the career prospects at all.

Although New_Vegas makes good points. It depends solely on your market - just like anything else. But DA is relatively new in acceptance and many dentists are trying to separate themselves from others. So if they have a dentist anesthesiologist on staff makes them more competitive and also provides a better experience for patients that need that kind of care.

 

[New_Vegas]

This is very incorrect. ALL of the dental anesthesiologists I know have graduated with a job locked in, and end up being booked out months in advance. You aren't very informed of the career prospects at all.

Go back and read what I wrote. I said this is something that likely will get VERY saturated, very fast. Dental anesthesiologists bring nothing new to the table, and cannot do anything that other people can't already do.

Also, nice anecdotal evidence. I'm sure you know ALL dental anesthesiologists in the entire country, and can see the future too. Thanks for your very informed input.

 

[New_Vegas]

DA's do more nasal intubations than general MDs and DOs (physicians).

Are you kidding me? Are you somehow insinuating that physicians and CRNAs are not competent in doing nasal intubations?? I've watched pediatric dental cases being done in a hospital done by CRNAs and it was extremely easy for them to do nasal intubations. In no way are DAs more competent at doing nasal intubations than anyone else.

They can do everything at the pediatric dentist for $2k in 2 hours versus booking an OR and spending the whole day at the hospital to do 2 hours work of treatment and spending $5-$6k in the process. And CRNA in some states cannot do work in a dental office unless the provider has a general anesthesia permit (which is unlikely).

There are 27 states in which CRNAs can work independently (and more states coming). In all of these states DAs are practically worthless, because many dentists (including pediatric dentists) who use general anesthesia in these states already employ CRNAs.

Furthermore, any pediatric dentist who does cases in a hospital will be able to use CRNAs. The anesthesiologist will come in for two seconds, see the patient, then the CRNA will handle the rest of the case.

Again, I fail to see how DAs can carve out a niche for themselves and thrive.

Yes IV sedation is great and general dentists do it. But sometimes dentists just want to worry about what is in the patients mouth instead of worrying about vitals and levels of sleep/sedation.

Dentists who do moderate sedation via IV are required to have a trained person in the office monitoring vitals the entire time. It would be dangerous for a dentist to worry about vitals and do a procedure at the same time, which is why this requirement is in place.

 

[schmoob]

Also, nice anecdotal evidence. I'm sure you know ALL dental anesthesiologists in the entire country, and can see the future too. Thanks for your very informed input.

How is this any different from what you are doing? The evidence may be anecdotal but at least they were able to provide some evidence at all. How many DA’s do you know that are struggling? None, because you would’ve mentioned it by now.

Also, tone down the hostility please, we are trying to have a civilized discussion.

 

[New_Vegas]

How is this any different from what you are doing? The evidence may be anecdotal but at least they were able to provide some evidence at all. How many DA’s do you know that are struggling? None, because you would’ve mentioned it by now.

Also, tone down the hostility please, we are trying to have a civilized discussion.

I find this amusing. Whenever someone on the internet has "power" over a forum, they turn a complete blind eye towards any hostility against someone who they disagree with. This advice should apply to everyone on here, not just those with whom you disagree.

And to answer your question, I'm bringing up very vaild points about the future of this new profession based on the current job landscape and current competition on the market. It doesn't take a genius to understand there is already a very crowded marketplace when it comes to anesthesia, and this should be spoken about freely and not pushed under a rug. Why should anecdotal evidence help out my claim at all? There are so few DAs out there right now that even if I did have any anecdotal evidence, it would be meaningless.

 

[schmoob]

I find this amusing. Whenever someone on the internet has "power" over a forum, they turn a complete blind eye towards any hostility against someone who they disagree with. This advice should apply to everyone on here, not just those with whom you disagree.

And to answer your question, I'm bringing up very vaild points about the future of this new profession based on the current job landscape and current competition on the market. It doesn't take a genius to understand there is already a very crowded marketplace when it comes to anesthesia, and this should be spoken about freely and not pushed under a rug. Why should anecdotal evidence help out my claim at all? There are so few DAs out there right now that even if I did have any anecdotal evidence, it would be meaningless.

No one is showing you any hostility. You are the one who is here being abrasive and rude. I am impartial and would ask anyone to tone down the hostility regardless of their side of the discussion.

Nothing is being pushed under a rug. What you are doing is nothing but pure speculation. Because you just said yourself you have no anecdotal evidence, or any evidence at all. So it “doesn’t take a genius” to see that your supposed market predictions are absolutely worthless.

 

[DentalAnesthesiaResident]

Lol. Um... Have you realized that there are an insane amount of people out there doing anesthesia already? Anesthesiologists? Nurse anesthetists? Dentists who do IV or oral sedation? I honestly can't comprehend how a dental anesthesiologist could carve a niche out for themselves when there is already ample access to anesthesia already. In fact, in many states nurse anesthetists can practice independently, and in that case to be competitive with an NA, you would likely have to lower your fees to that same midlevel provider. Furthermore, if you want to work in a hospital in many states you can only do dental cases.. And a regular anesthesiologist can do that same work easily. In other areas, MD anesthesiologists groups have exclusive rights to hospitals. Good luck convincing them to hire you as a dentist.

I don't know, this whole dental anesthesiologist thing doesn't sound like a great idea to me, and I think it will be hard to find work and it will get extremely saturated very fast. If you are a dentist, you are doing work that only as dentist can do. If you are a dental anesthesiologist... Well, you are entering an already saturated field that is already covered by MDs and midlevels. Good luck trying to market yourself as being on par with an MD. Patients/insurances/hospitals will never see it that way. At best, you will be competing with the midlevels for salary, patients, etc.

New_Vegas has unfortunately presented some opinionated, speculative misinformation that I have taken the time to respond to.

1. Dental Anesthesiologists do not go through 3 years of hospital-based anesthesia training to compete with dentists performing IV conscious/moderate sedation. Our specialty is in providing in-office Deep Sedation/General Anesthesia, which can include Nasal/oral intubation.

2. You stated "There are 27 states in which CRNAs can work independently". This is FALSE when concerning operating in a dental office. There may be 27 states which CRNAs can practice independently in a hospital setting, but within a dental office there are only about 13-15 states where CRNAs can truly practice without supervision the last time I checked with the individual state boards. In the majority of states, CRNAs can only perform deep sedation/general anesthesia under the supervision of an MD/DO/DMD/DDS with an Anesthesiology/OMFS certificate.

3. You stated "I honestly can't comprehend how a dental anesthesiologist could carve a niche out for themselves when there is already ample access to anesthesia already". This is FALSE. It may be true that there are some desirable urban areas that have many Anesthesiology providers, but as a whole in North America, there is very much a shortage of access to general anesthesia for dental procedures. Wait times for pediatric and special needs patients can take many many months, not to mention associated high hospital costs. In this study, it was reported hospital wait times can range from 4-5 (Clinical Relevance of Access Targets for Elective Dental Treatment under General Anesthesia in Pediatrics | jcda), and anecdotally I have heard of patients waiting 6+ months. Our services allow dental practitioners to provide in-office general anesthesia that can avoid such roadblocks, and make the experience more efficient and comfortable for both provider and patient.

4. You said, "Good luck trying to market yourself as being on par with an MD. Patients/insurances/hospitals will never see it that way". Lol are you serious? I have never once had a patient question my credentials or request to have an MD provide the anesthesia instead of myself. As DAs we do not advertise ourselves as experts on heart transplants, brain surgeries, etc...but we do specialize in outpatient ambulatory anesthesia with a mobile set-up, something that many MDs would not be comfortable doing.

5. As Dental Anesthesiologists, our goal is not to compete with MDs/CRNAs and infiltrate the market of hospital-based anesthesia. Our general mission is to become experts at in-office sedation/general anesthesia. Most DAs end up working as independent contractors working among various dental offices, or work/own a dental surgery centre. Our job opportunity is not reliant on as you said "MDs hiring us as dentists".

7. Have you ever spoken with or worked with a DA before? If you haven't, I highly suggest doing that first before posting any more evidence-lacking speculation based pieces in my thread.....

 

[Dochopeful13]

This

New_Vegas has unfortunately presented some opinionated, speculative misinformation that I have taken the time to respond to.

1. Dental Anesthesiologists do not go through 3 years of hospital-based anesthesia training to compete with dentists performing IV conscious/moderate sedation. Our specialty is in providing in-office Deep Sedation/General Anesthesia, which can include Nasal/oral intubation.

2. You stated "There are 27 states in which CRNAs can work independently". This is FALSE when concerning operating in a dental office. There may be 27 states which CRNAs can practice independently in a hospital setting, but within a dental office there are only about 13-15 states where CRNAs can truly practice without supervision the last time I checked with the individual state boards. In the majority of states, CRNAs can only perform deep sedation/general anesthesia under the supervision of an MD/DO/DMD/DDS with an Anesthesiology/OMFS certificate.

3. You stated "I honestly can't comprehend how a dental anesthesiologist could carve a niche out for themselves when there is already ample access to anesthesia already". This is FALSE. It may be true that there are some desirable urban areas that have many Anesthesiology providers, but as a whole in North America, there is very much a shortage of access to general anesthesia for dental procedures. Wait times for pediatric and special needs patients can take many many months, not to mention associated high hospital costs. In this study, it was reported hospital wait times can range from 4-5 (Clinical Relevance of Access Targets for Elective Dental Treatment under General Anesthesia in Pediatrics | jcda), and anecdotally I have heard of patients waiting 6+ months. Our services allow dental practitioners to provide in-office general anesthesia that can avoid such roadblocks, and make the experience more efficient and comfortable for both provider and patient.

4. You said, "Good luck trying to market yourself as being on par with an MD. Patients/insurances/hospitals will never see it that way". Lol are you serious? I have never once had a patient question my credentials or request to have an MD provide the anesthesia instead of myself. As DAs we do not advertise ourselves as experts on heart transplants, brain surgeries, etc...but we do specialize in outpatient ambulatory anesthesia with a mobile set-up, something that many MDs would not be comfortable doing.

5. As Dental Anesthesiologists, our goal is not to compete with MDs/CRNAs and infiltrate the market of hospital-based anesthesia. Our general mission is to become experts at in-office sedation/general anesthesia. Most DAs end up working as independent contractors working among various dental offices, or work/own a dental surgery centre. Our job opportunity is not reliant on as you said "MDs hiring us as dentists".

7. Have you ever spoken with or worked with a DA before? If you haven't, I highly suggest doing that first before posting any more evidence-lacking speculation based pieces in my thread.....

This fields really interests me. How competitive are the residencies currently? It seems some programs require a year of gpr. Is that the norm?

 

[zdoq]

New_Vegas has unfortunately presented some opinionated, speculative misinformation that I have taken the time to respond to.

1. Dental Anesthesiologists do not go through 3 years of hospital-based anesthesia training to compete with dentists performing IV conscious/moderate sedation. Our specialty is in providing in-office Deep Sedation/General Anesthesia, which can include Nasal/oral intubation.

2. You stated "There are 27 states in which CRNAs can work independently". This is FALSE when concerning operating in a dental office. There may be 27 states which CRNAs can practice independently in a hospital setting, but within a dental office there are only about 13-15 states where CRNAs can truly practice without supervision the last time I checked with the individual state boards. In the majority of states, CRNAs can only perform deep sedation/general anesthesia under the supervision of an MD/DO/DMD/DDS with an Anesthesiology/OMFS certificate.

3. You stated "I honestly can't comprehend how a dental anesthesiologist could carve a niche out for themselves when there is already ample access to anesthesia already". This is FALSE. It may be true that there are some desirable urban areas that have many Anesthesiology providers, but as a whole in North America, there is very much a shortage of access to general anesthesia for dental procedures. Wait times for pediatric and special needs patients can take many many months, not to mention associated high hospital costs. In this study, it was reported hospital wait times can range from 4-5 (Clinical Relevance of Access Targets for Elective Dental Treatment under General Anesthesia in Pediatrics | jcda), and anecdotally I have heard of patients waiting 6+ months. Our services allow dental practitioners to provide in-office general anesthesia that can avoid such roadblocks, and make the experience more efficient and comfortable for both provider and patient.

4. You said, "Good luck trying to market yourself as being on par with an MD. Patients/insurances/hospitals will never see it that way". Lol are you serious? I have never once had a patient question my credentials or request to have an MD provide the anesthesia instead of myself. As DAs we do not advertise ourselves as experts on heart transplants, brain surgeries, etc...but we do specialize in outpatient ambulatory anesthesia with a mobile set-up, something that many MDs would not be comfortable doing.

5. As Dental Anesthesiologists, our goal is not to compete with MDs/CRNAs and infiltrate the market of hospital-based anesthesia. Our general mission is to become experts at in-office sedation/general anesthesia. Most DAs end up working as independent contractors working among various dental offices, or work/own a dental surgery centre. Our job opportunity is not reliant on as you said "MDs hiring us as dentists".

7. Have you ever spoken with or worked with a DA before? If you haven't, I highly suggest doing that first before posting any more evidence-lacking speculation based pieces in my thread.....

Best clapback of 2020

 

[New_Vegas]

New_Vegas has unfortunately presented some opinionated, speculative misinformation that I have taken the time to respond to.

1. Dental Anesthesiologists do not go through 3 years of hospital-based anesthesia training to compete with dentists performing IV conscious/moderate sedation. Our specialty is in providing in-office Deep Sedation/General Anesthesia, which can include Nasal/oral intubation.

2. You stated "There are 27 states in which CRNAs can work independently". This is FALSE when concerning operating in a dental office. There may be 27 states which CRNAs can practice independently in a hospital setting, but within a dental office there are only about 13-15 states where CRNAs can truly practice without supervision the last time I checked with the individual state boards. In the majority of states, CRNAs can only perform deep sedation/general anesthesia under the supervision of an MD/DO/DMD/DDS with an Anesthesiology/OMFS certificate.

3. You stated "I honestly can't comprehend how a dental anesthesiologist could carve a niche out for themselves when there is already ample access to anesthesia already". This is FALSE. It may be true that there are some desirable urban areas that have many Anesthesiology providers, but as a whole in North America, there is very much a shortage of access to general anesthesia for dental procedures. Wait times for pediatric and special needs patients can take many many months, not to mention associated high hospital costs. In this study, it was reported hospital wait times can range from 4-5 (Clinical Relevance of Access Targets for Elective Dental Treatment under General Anesthesia in Pediatrics | jcda), and anecdotally I have heard of patients waiting 6+ months. Our services allow dental practitioners to provide in-office general anesthesia that can avoid such roadblocks, and make the experience more efficient and comfortable for both provider and patient.

4. You said, "Good luck trying to market yourself as being on par with an MD. Patients/insurances/hospitals will never see it that way". Lol are you serious? I have never once had a patient question my credentials or request to have an MD provide the anesthesia instead of myself. As DAs we do not advertise ourselves as experts on heart transplants, brain surgeries, etc...but we do specialize in outpatient ambulatory anesthesia with a mobile set-up, something that many MDs would not be comfortable doing.

5. As Dental Anesthesiologists, our goal is not to compete with MDs/CRNAs and infiltrate the market of hospital-based anesthesia. Our general mission is to become experts at in-office sedation/general anesthesia. Most DAs end up working as independent contractors working among various dental offices, or work/own a dental surgery centre. Our job opportunity is not reliant on as you said "MDs hiring us as dentists".

7. Have you ever spoken with or worked with a DA before? If you haven't, I highly suggest doing that first before posting any more evidence-lacking speculation based pieces in my thread.....

You know, you could actually just use the internet to look something like this up. 27 states where CRNAs can practice independently

There are literally 27 states as of 2017 that CRNAs can practice without supervision. That doesn't mean practice in a hospital without supervision. It means practice without supervision period.

You fail to mention what a DA can do that a CRNA can't.

And if patients/insurances/hospitals see DAs as being on par with MDs/DOs then why don't DAs typically work in hospitals and do general anesthesia cases for total knee replacements?

The argument stands, you don't do anything that others can already do. If you have 3 years of hospital based training on anesthesia, then how are you superior to others in an ambulatory setting? If you can feel comfortable doing anesthesia in an ambulatory setting, then I would bet that someone with more medical training and more training overall would also feel comfortable doing so.

Furthermore, dentists doing IV sedation and/or oral sedation isn't the same as general anesthesia obviously. However, it is another option for anxiolysis for anxious patients. It is a different method to achieve similar results. And thus, in a very real way general dentists doing such are also competing with you for patients.

 

[dentistrydmd]

Furthermore, dentists doing IV sedation and/or oral sedation isn't the same as general anesthesia obviously. However, it is another option for anxiolysis for anxious patients. It is a different method to achieve similar results. And thus, in a very real way general dentists doing such are also competing with you for patients.

Dentists doing anxiolysis with nitrous or benzodiazepines are definitely not in competition with what DA's offer. They're not really dealing with the same type of patients and it's a very different service.

 

[DentalAnesthesiaResident]

​

You know, you could actually just use the internet to look something like this up. 27 states where CRNAs can practice independently

There are literally 27 states as of 2017 that CRNAs can practice without supervision. That doesn't mean practice in a hospital without supervision. It means practice without supervision period.

You fail to mention what a DA can do that a CRNA can't.

And if patients/insurances/hospitals see DAs as being on par with MDs/DOs then why don't DAs typically work in hospitals and do general anesthesia cases for total knee replacements?

The argument stands, you don't do anything that others can already do. If you have 3 years of hospital based training on anesthesia, then how are you superior to others in an ambulatory setting? If you can feel comfortable doing anesthesia in an ambulatory setting, then I would bet that someone with more medical training and more training overall would also feel comfortable doing so.

Furthermore, dentists doing IV sedation and/or oral sedation isn't the same as general anesthesia obviously. However, it is another option for anxiolysis for anxious patients. It is a different method to achieve similar results. And thus, in a very real way general dentists doing such are also competing with you for patients.

Jeez... Not sure why you are being so disrespectful to an entire profession you have no exposure towards? Either way, I will take the time to reply for the many generations of dental students/dentists who will read this forum.

1. I'm glad your google searching has gotten you this far in life, but you are again wrong. Your reference outlines 27 states where the National Council of State Boards of Nursing has stated where CRNAs have permission to practice independently. However, the STATE BOARD OF NURSING does not ultimately regulate who can perform general anesthesia in a DENTAL OFFICE. This is determined by the respective state board of DENTISTRY.

For example, the state of Delaware is listed on that website. However if you look the legislative requirements for an unrestricted GA permit under section 7.3.2.1 of Title 24 legislated by the State Dental board of Delaware it says:​

7.3.2.1 Has completed a minimum of two years of advanced training in anesthesiology and related academic subjects (or its equivalent) beyond the undergraduate dental school level in a training program as described in Part II of the Guidelines for Teaching the Comprehensive Control of Pain and Anxiety in Dentistry or, is a Diplomat of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, or has satisfactorily completed a residency in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at an institution approved by the Council of Dental Education, American Dental Association, or is a fellow of the American Dental Society of Anesthesiology. A certified registered nurse anesthetist may be utilized for deep sedation or general anesthesia only if the dentist also possesses an Unrestricted Permit.​

(link: 1100 Board of Dentistry and Dental Hygiene)​

​

Thus, there are much less than 27 states where a CRNAs can truly practice independently without being under another anesthesia provider's license.​

​

​

2. With that being said, I do not mean to discredit CRNAs. I have met many very competent CRNAs, and in our program they are trained by Dental Anesthesiology attendings as well. Sure, you can hire a CRNA to do the same thing we do. However, some benefits of having a DA over a CRNA are:

a) depending on state, a CRNA can not work without supervision by a Dental or Medical Anesthesiologist/OMFS in dental offices​

b) We can still perform dental procedures and sedate our own patients, as long as we have sufficient auxillary personnel.​

d) We receive months of off-service training with full-time Dental Anesthesiologists to learn how to set-up and run cases in a mobile provider setting.​

d) Our dental background allows us to understand the procedures being performed, and helps you as the provider more than you would think.​

e) Insurance: Easier to bill dental insurance/medicaid for anesthesia procedures as Dentists​

​

3. You said "if patients/insurances/hospitals see DAs as being on par with MDs/DOs then why don't DAs typically work in hospitals and do general anesthesia cases for total knee replacements?"
- How about you go ask your OMFS program director why he/she isn't running anesthesia cases for knee replacements... Both OMFS and DAs get experience in all types of anesthesia cases (including knee replacements), but thats not our specialty and not our game once out in practice. Lastly, I never said we are trying to do everything MDs do in a hospital once in practice. Yes, MDs have more medical knowledge that helps them for what they need to do in a hospital. Our 3 years of training prepares us well for what we need to do in a dental office.

4. You said "If you have 3 years of hospital based training on anesthesia, then how are you superior to others in an ambulatory setting?
- We also have months of off-service rotations within the 3 year training period where we get trained in providing mobile dental anesthesia

5. You said "I would bet that someone with more medical training and more training overall would also feel comfortable doing so."
- You'd be surprised..ask an average Anesthesiologist to intubate, paralyze, manage a ventilator, manage intra-operative vitals, all in a crammed dental office, and then discharge a patient within 20 minutes after the procedure, with no PACU and no one to help them out...you'd be hard pressed to find one willing to do so outside of a hospital lol. Again, I highly recommend shadowing a DA to really learn what we do.

6. " It is a different method to achieve similar results. And thus, in a very real way general dentists doing such are also competing with you for patients."
- Wrong, wrong, wrong. The patients we treat are usually not candidates for IV moderate sedation. IV moderate sedation isn't a magical thing that works for everyone, and it definitely does not produce 'similar results' as general anesthesia. If we get called in, the dentist has already considered and excluded it as an option. And I can guarantee you there aren't any DAs struggling to find work because of dentists doing IV sedation...

​

 

[New_Vegas]

And I can guarantee you there aren't any DAs struggling to find work because of dentists doing IV sedation

I agree. I think you will have a hard time finding work for a myriad of other reasons.

I'm glad your google searching has gotten you this far in life, but you are again wrong. Your reference outlines 27 states where the the National Council of State Boards of Nursing has stated where CRNAs have permission to practice independently.

And guess what? CRNAs are coming to a dental office near you! They are already lobbying for it. Read it, this is a statement from the AANA (American Association of Nurse Anesthetists)
"Dentists and oral surgeons often work with CRNAs in hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers to provide dental procedures. CRNAs are safe and effective anesthesia professionals who can also improve patient safety in office-based dental practices. In many states, there are currently barriers for CRNAs to work in office-based dental practices. As the need for access to safe, cost-effective dental services is increasing, dentists, oral surgeons and CRNAs have opportunity to advocate for CRNA full scope of practice to provide dental sedation and anesthesia".

https://www.aana.com/docs/default-source/practice-aana-com-web-documents-(all)/dental-office-sedation-and-anesthesia-care.pdf?sfvrsn=ab0049b1_6

If there is one thing the dental profession is terrible at, it's protecting itself. Dental Anesthesiologists will lose to CRNAs simply because nurses have stronger organization with many more members and thus much more influence and power for lobbying.

Nothing I have mentioned is about the status quo, rather the future. Dental Anesthesiologists can't do anything that other professionals can already do. When you are in a situation like that... I see it being rather hard to carve out a niche.

 

[FutureJawBreaker]

@New_Vegas
Dude. What is your problem?
We get it. You don't like the job prospects of a DA. Well, guess what??? DONT BECOME ONE. What are you gaining from being nasty to someone who is sharing their opinion about their career?
Stop hijacking a post that is very informative and educational for people who might want to become DAs.

 

[lwergod]

I agree. I think you will have a hard time finding work for a myriad of other reasons.



And guess what? CRNAs are coming to a dental office near you! They are already lobbying for it. Read it, this is a statement from the AANA (American Association of Nurse Anesthetists)
"Dentists and oral surgeons often work with CRNAs in hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers to provide dental procedures. CRNAs are safe and effective anesthesia professionals who can also improve patient safety in office-based dental practices. In many states, there are currently barriers for CRNAs to work in office-based dental practices. As the need for access to safe, cost-effective dental services is increasing, dentists, oral surgeons and CRNAs have opportunity to advocate for CRNA full scope of practice to provide dental sedation and anesthesia".

https://www.aana.com/docs/default-source/practice-aana-com-web-documents-(all)/dental-office-sedation-and-anesthesia-care.pdf?sfvrsn=ab0049b1_6

If there is one thing the dental profession is terrible at, it's protecting itself. Dental Anesthesiologists will lose to CRNAs simply because nurses have stronger organization with many more members and thus much more influence and power for lobbying.

Nothing I have mentioned is about the status quo, rather the future. Dental Anesthesiologists can't do anything that other professionals can already do. When you are in a situation like that... I see it being rather hard to carve out a niche.

little off topic, but imo CRNA's should not be allowed to practice independently/perform anesthesia (even with supervision). If I ever need to be anesthetized, you bet I will never allow a nurse do it for me lol

 

[dentistrydmd]

1. I'm glad your google searching has gotten you this far in life, but you are again wrong. Your reference outlines 27 states where the the National Council of State Boards of Nursing has stated where CRNAs have permission to practice independently. However, the STATE BOARD OF NURSING does not ultimately regulate who can perform general anesthesia in a DENTAL OFFICE. This is determined by the respective state board of DENTISTRY.

For example, the state of Delaware is listed on that website. However if you look the legislative requirements for an unrestricted GA permit under section 7.3.2.1 of Title 24 legislated by the State Dental board of Delaware it says:​

7.3.2.1 Has completed a minimum of two years of advanced training in anesthesiology and related academic subjects (or its equivalent) beyond the undergraduate dental school level in a training program as described in Part II of the Guidelines for Teaching the Comprehensive Control of Pain and Anxiety in Dentistry or, is a Diplomat of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, or has satisfactorily completed a residency in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at an institution approved by the Council of Dental Education, American Dental Association, or is a fellow of the American Dental Society of Anesthesiology. A certified registered nurse anesthetist may be utilized for deep sedation or general anesthesia only if the dentist also possesses an Unrestricted Permit.​

(link: 1100 Board of Dentistry and Dental Hygiene)​

​

Thus, there are much less than 27 states where a CRNAs can truly practice independently without being under another anesthesia provider's license.​

​

One important point that is mentioned here is that the individual state Dental Licensing Board determines what may or may not be done in dental practices, even if technically the CRNA's may be able to in a number of states. I don't see how dental licensing boards will allow these positions to be hi-jacked by another profession which is mainly there to serve medical needs. If anything, there is likely to be a greater push for DA's and DA programs to train DA's so that the needs may be met by these practitioners in the dental settings.

 

[endodonia]

I don't see how dental licensing boards will allow these positions to be hi-jacked by another profession which is mainly there to serve medical needs. If anything, there is likely to be a greater push for DA's and DA programs to train DA's so that the needs may be met by these practitioners in the dental settings.

Not to defend New Vegas (or anyone on here about their position) but new vegas' central argument is how spineless dentists are at protecting our profession. this fact, in my opinion, is not even debatable. New Vegas is 100% correct. look at how many new schools have opened, georgia school of ortho running amok with no real consideration in what that will do for the profession of orthodontics (hint- good for people who want to be an orthodontist, bad for orthodontists as a whole).

how have new schools and new residencies opened? under the guise of "Access to care"

CRNA's ability to work in a dental office = increased access to care. changing laws are not easy, however, it's not as hard as you probably think either. I went to my dental associations "day at the capital" one year and was shocked at how easy it was to get things pushed into law. IF a group has an organized agenda it is the state legislators obligation to hear it out. if CRNA's organize and go to the capital there could be an interesting result. there is 1 dentist in my state who is one of the state representatives. that 1 dentist is hard pressed to defend our profession from the other representatives who wouldn't mind having "increasing access to care and lowering costs" on their voting record. they'll listen to you, sure, but at the end of the day it's all politics. safety records will be a deciding factor on who gets to do what. if a CRNA has similar death rates/complications/ etc-> they'll get in in my opinion. (if they want to). this will, of course, be state dependent. nothing will change that. I hypothesize blue states will be more open to CRNA's but I have no evidence to support said claim. just a political bias.

without getting off topic, the other point new vegas is making is that a dental anesthesiologist is arguably not adding much to an already existing profession: anesthesia. I have no doubt that dental anesthesiologists receive great training and are exceptionally competent at what they do. I believe new vegas is arguing he has no doubt other anesthesia providers are well trained and good at what they do too= more competition for the same job. Personally, I am hard pressed to understand how 4 years of dental school learning about the curve or spee, fabricating dentures, (you get the point) enhances ones ability to have a deep understanding of physiology/anatomy/pharmacology and pertinent information directly related to the medical side of things. what happens when a CRNA school opens to train students to specifically target dental offices to improve "access to care?" that wont happen you say? I wonder if orthodontists thought Georgia School of orthodontics or Jacksonville would ever exist.

I don't come here to defend New Vegas and in fact think they could be less brash in articulating their points. I do however think they have some valid points worth considering. The socratic method of debate is unfortunately dead and opposing views get attacked when they dont support a certain narrative. I think all points should be thoughtfully considered. I tip my hat to the OP for staying very civilized while their profession gets attacked. I also appreciate them sharing this information as I've personally learned a lot from them.

If I was a dental anesthesiologist I'd spend alot of my time ensuring CRNA's never see the light of day in a dental office setting. No one can predict the future. If you like the idea of sedating people for a living you should absolutely do it. going to dental school first seems like an interesting path to becoming an anesthesia provider, I do agree. I dont blame anyone for bailing on general dentistry though so good for the dental anesthesiologists for carving out a necessary niche. I personally think they will do very well financially. the future is yet to be seen.

 

[ShortShortsDad]

little off topic, but imo CRNA's should not be allowed to practice independently/perform anesthesia (even with supervision). If I ever need to be anesthetized, you bet I will never allow a nurse do it for me lol

This is blatantly disrespectful or you just don’t have any experience in the field.

As an OMS resident at a CRNA training program I get to work side by side with these professionals, and they are elite. There are some fast track CRNA programs but the majority spend years first working in a critical care setting with most have advanced degrees and CCRN certs beforehand. Prior to starting the program most spend years in the unit keeping dying people alive, making critical adjustments to sedation and pressors. An ICU physician will see a patient for a few minutes per day and put a stock order set in but it’s the critical care nurses who keep patients out of the ground.

Their training programs are 3 years long and give them a DOCTORAL level degree at the end. With dentists breaking into the field and the entry level Anesthesia Assistants becoming more prevalent, CRNAs are lobbying and in some instances succeeding in elevating their title to Nurse Anesthesiologists, which is a far more accurate description of their pedigree. Referring to CRNAs disparagingly just as nurses is as wrong as it is disrespectful.

If I had to undergo a procedure I would ONLY want a CRNA caring for me. If I was deathly ill or getting a heart transplant or something extreme I would want an ologist to weigh in on the plan but for doing the intubation and monitoring throughout I would much prefer a CRNA, someone who gets their hands dirty day in and day out. They are the ones who actually practice anesthesia, the ones with the hand skills, the ones who actually do the job not just the paperwork.

But if you refuse a CRNA (not like you actually could in any hospital system) expect them to ask for some cold hard cash to “upgrade” while they spend your case on their phone checking their stock portfolio... And enjoy the chipped teeth and long wake up

 

[Dochopeful13]

This is blatantly disrespectful or you just don’t have any experience in the field.

As an OMS resident at a CRNA training program I get to work side by side with these professionals, and they are elite. There are some fast track CRNA programs but the majority spend years first working in a critical care setting with most have advanced degrees and CCRN certs beforehand. Prior to starting the program most spend years in the unit keeping dying people alive, making critical adjustments to sedation and pressors. An ICU physician will see a patient for a few minutes per day and put a stock order set in but it’s the critical care nurses who keep patients out of the ground.

Their training programs are 3 years long and give them a DOCTORAL level degree at the end. With dentists breaking into the field and the entry level Anesthesia Assistants becoming more prevalent, CRNAs are lobbying and in some instances succeeding in elevating their title to Nurse Anesthesiologists, which is a far more accurate description of their pedigree. Referring to CRNAs disparagingly just as nurses is as wrong as it is disrespectful.

If I had to undergo a procedure I would ONLY want a CRNA caring for me. If I was deathly ill or getting a heart transplant or something extreme I would want an ologist to weigh in on the plan but for doing the intubation and monitoring throughout I would much prefer a CRNA, someone who gets their hands dirty day in and day out. They are the ones who actually practice anesthesia, the ones with the hand skills, the ones who actually do the job not just the paperwork.

But if you refuse a CRNA (not like you actually could in any hospital system) expect them to ask for some cold hard cash to “upgrade” while they spend your case on their phone checking their stock portfolio... And enjoy the chipped teeth and long wake up

This is a 100 percent correct. It’s a great field too. 200k plus potential and minimal debt.

 

[DentalAnesthesiaResident]

Both CRNAs and DAs are very well trained at doing what they need to do...and as it stands, CRNAs and DAs are not fighting each other for dental offices even where CRNAs can practice completely independently. The vast majority of CRNAs graduate and never step foot in a dental office. I have talked to many many DAs, are none are struggling or having issues with competition.

As stated in the study I referenced before, there is still an overall shortage of access to dental anesthesia, while demand for dental anesthesia is increasing. In a survey of 46 pediatric dentistry programs, 88% use Dentist Anesthesiologists for their clinic based deep-sedation/general anesthesia, and 64% anticipate an increased need for Dental Anesthesiology services (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3309300). With papoose boards becoming seen as archaic and torturous, and in-office sedation becoming more accepted and desired, this field is definitely not becoming 'saturated' anytime soon.

Please, let's keep this discussion factual and evidence-based, and not speculative.

 

[New_Vegas]

In a survey of 46 pediatric dentistry programs, 88% use Dentist Anesthesiologists for their clinic based deep-sedation/general anesthesia

Pediatric dentistry programs? Ok but academia is not the real world. Come on man lol. My dental school pediatric program doesn't use DAs. They use CRNAs.

All I'm saying is that this field has the potential to get saturated very fast, because laws can always change. And DAs it's pretty much a "me too" program (Dentists doing anesthesia too), and if CRNAs or Anesthesiologists think it's profitable enough they likely can enter your market very easily whereas the reverse is probably not true.

 

[schmoob]

I did not create this thread for people who have absolutely zero experience with this field to feed us their two-cents speculation. If you want to discuss this with each other, please make another thread. This thread is meant to be informative and educational for people interested in learning more about what the career of Dental Anesthesiology is all about, and tips for applying.

Both CRNAs and DAs are very well trained at doing what they need to do...and as it stands, CRNAs and DAs are not fighting each other for dental offices even where CRNAs can practice completely independently. The vast majority of CRNAs graduate and never step foot in a dental office. I have talked to many many DAs, are none are struggling or having issues with competition.

As stated in the study I referenced before, there is still an overall shortage of access to dental anesthesia, while demand for dental anesthesia is increasing. In a survey of 46 pediatric dentistry programs, 88% use Dentist Anesthesiologists for their clinic based deep-sedation/general anesthesia, and 64% anticipate an increased need for Dental Anesthesiology services (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3309300). With papoose boards becoming seen as archaic and torturous, and in-office sedation becoming more accepted and desired, this field is definitely not becoming 'saturated' anytime soon.

Please, let's keep this discussion factual and evidence-based, and not speculative.

This thread is for discussion, good and bad. It is not YOUR thread, it belongs to the community. All viewpoints should be considered whether we agree with them or not. For the record, I am in agreement with everything you are saying but we should give others a chance to voice their concerns, valid or not.

 

[tlosmd]

Thank you for doing this! I've never considered specializing in DA but it was a very informative and interesting read.

 

[pinkhottie]

I think DA is a fantastic field. My office uses CRNA and I think he travels all over MI since we don't have DA here ( I think)
I would definitely consider using DA if the $$ was comparable to CRNA.

 

[Futuresleepdentist14]

Do you know when interview invitations will be sent out?

 

[yappy]

I think DA is a fantastic field. My office uses CRNA and I think he travels all over MI since we don't have DA here ( I think)
I would definitely consider using DA if the $$ was comparable to CRNA.

The only problem I see with this, from a financial point of view, is that a DA makes similar money to a CRNA. Why not just become a CRNA? It is a much shorter and less costly career path.

 

[DentalAnesthesiaResident]

Do you know when interview invitations will be sent out?

I believe last year it was late September-Early Octoberish

 

[DentalAnesthesiaResident]

The only problem I see with this, from a financial point of view, is that a DA makes similar money to a CRNA. Why not just become a CRNA? It is a much shorter and less costly career path.

If you have an interest in medicine and no interest in Dentistry, then for sure the better option for you is to become a CRNA or MD/DO anesthesiologist.

Most people who end up doing Dental Anesthesiology (including myself) don't initially plan on doing dental school just to become a DA. I initially thought I wanted to be a general Dentist, but as time went on I really found a desire to pursue something more medicine-focused and thankfully found this specialty. There are also other pros of being a Dentist-Anesthesiologist vs CRNA which I covered in previous posts.

 

[mostlyghostly]

Sorry in advance if this is a repeat question...I know that GPA and class rank are very important determinants of applying to DA residency. However, do DA residency programs tend to look more at shadowing hours and experiences related to the field, or is it strictly high GPA/academics that gets you the interview? For example, would a class rank in the lower 50% ruin your chances completely?

Thank you in advance!

 

[Davicaine]

I think DA is a fantastic field. My office uses CRNA and I think he travels all over MI since we don't have DA here ( I think)
I would definitely consider using DA if the $$ was comparable to CRNA.

Michigan is one of those states where the CRNA is practicing under the license of the dentist... so you need to be moderate sedation certified if they’re doing sedation. If the operating provider isn’t moderate sedation certified, you’re operating illegally. CRNA definitely can’t do GA without a DA or MD supervising in MI.

 

[DentalAnesthesiaResident]

Sorry in advance if this is a repeat question...I know that GPA and class rank are very important determinants of applying to DA residency. However, do DA residency programs tend to look more at shadowing hours and experiences related to the field, or is it strictly high GPA/academics that gets you the interview? For example, would a class rank in the lower 50% ruin your chances completely?

Thank you in advance!

Yes, shadowing hours and real life experiences related to Dental Anesthesia are huge! Lower grades can be compensated by having good exposure to the field and good letters of recommendations (ideally from other DAs). Program directors like seeing life/work experiences that demonstrate good work ethic and maturity! There definitely have been people who matched that were in the bottom half of their class, but made up for it in other ways.

 

[mostlyghostly]

Yes, shadowing hours and real life experiences related to Dental Anesthesia are huge! Lower grades can be compensated by having good exposure to the field and good letters of recommendations (ideally from other DAs). Program directors like seeing life/work experiences that demonstrate good work ethic and maturity! There definitely have been people who matched that were in the bottom half of their class, but made up for it in other ways.

Thank you so much!!

 

[xc10879]

You mentioned earlier that dentistry is very physically demanding and that is one reason to consider Dental Anesthesiology. I am a D1 and am struggling with hand pain that is likely from previous occupations. I have an appointment soon to be officially diagnosed but am concerned it is carpal tunnel. Have you had any friends or know people in dental school with similar situations that chose to do a residency in dental anesthesiology because of this? I am very interested in medicine and genuinely think dental anesthesiology would be a good route for me. Any tips or advice? Thank you in advance!!

 

[P7898]

You mentioned earlier that dentistry is very physically demanding and that is one reason to consider Dental Anesthesiology. I am a D1 and am struggling with hand pain that is likely from previous occupations. I have an appointment soon to be officially diagnosed but am concerned it is carpal tunnel. Have you had any friends or know people in dental school with similar situations that chose to do a residency in dental anesthesiology because of this? I am very interested in medicine and genuinely think dental anesthesiology would be a good route for me. Any tips or advice? Thank you in advance!!

Sorry to here this. Anesthesia, Orofacial Pain, Oral Medicine, Orthodontics, Academics where you do not have to use your hands much (academic GP or specialist). There are a lot of options actually all six figures.

 

[schmoob]

You mentioned earlier that dentistry is very physically demanding and that is one reason to consider Dental Anesthesiology. I am a D1 and am struggling with hand pain that is likely from previous occupations. I have an appointment soon to be officially diagnosed but am concerned it is carpal tunnel. Have you had any friends or know people in dental school with similar situations that chose to do a residency in dental anesthesiology because of this? I am very interested in medicine and genuinely think dental anesthesiology would be a good route for me. Any tips or advice? Thank you in advance!!

I’m sorry to hear this as well. As a D1 I would practice and practice on the typodont. I did not know how to hold the hand piece properly and also ended up with hand pain. Once you hit clinic it will be different. A tooth, especially decayed is much different and easier to cut, especially if decayed. You also won’t have to worry about “ideal preps” like nicking the transverse ridge or .2mm overextended. You don’t have to worry about chipping away at hard plastic with a chisel.
Extractions can be a little tough on the hands and wrists, but you can refer that out.
Think about driving a car. I’m sure the first time you were gripping the steering wheel with white knuckles. Now, you have a much more relaxed hold on the wheel. It’s similar in dentistry