Is this a problem?

[Kurk]

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I got my wisdom teeth pulled today and holy **** did it suck. I almost wanted to abandon the thought of pursuing dentistry. The entire time I was thinking "oh my god I could never do this to save my life" as the dentist pried and pulled with considerable force.

I have a huge fear of hurting people and I think this is going to inhibit my ability to succeed in any health-care profession where such intense procedures with conscious patients is required.

I have the same problem during my EMT clinicals with physical procedures to the point where it almost inhibits my movements.

I want to provide patients with a high standard of care but after what happened today I'm questioning if dentistry is for me. Sure I could just not do extractions but what about root canals and even deep cleanings?

 

[Kingfish23]

 

[Its_Me_G]

Have you shadowed a general dentist yet? That's a good place to start if you're not sure if you can handle root canals/deep cleanings. Also, if it's any consolation, the dentist I work for feels the same way about extractions, so she just doesn't do them and gives a referral for the oral surgeon.

 

[Craig_Sherwood234]

 

[Life of Pablo]

You better be at the top of your dental class then because Orthodontics looks like the only speciality you'll enjoy if you're afraid of administering a little discomfort to people.

 

[fit2]

 

[Stanelz]

Well let me tell you as an RDA that extraction of wisdom teeth suck but they are just feeling pressure mostly. Same with RCT's and SRP's. Something you might be overlooking is giving anesthetic which you would have to do many times a day as a general dentist. Seems very simple and straightforward but when that needle goes in all hell breaks loose at least 40% of the time. Much worse than actual procedure pain imo.

And once you inject and start giving anesthetic you really cant stop even though they are squeeling and squirming because if you second guess, its game over...especially on those mandibular blocks...hold on for dear life and pray that the patient doesnt fling an arm up and bump you.

Dentistry is not for the faint of heart. Ive had blood splatter on me, a lady vomited on me once, today i did a prophy on a kid who had breath like rotten eggs..Dentistry also has many cool things about it if you are willing to overlook the bad

 

[schmoob]

Honestly, how do you think you will handle anatomy lab and cadavers?

 

[Kurk]

Honestly, how do you think you will handle anatomy lab and cadavers?

I have no problems with dissections and working on sedated people; it's when they're awake and I have to inflict pain that irks me. I don't want to be known as the stereotypical sadist dentist.

 

[1ysh]

Become more mature.

 

[Life of Pablo]

I have no problems with dissections and working on sedated people; it's when they're awake and I have to inflict pain that irks me. I don't want to be known as the stereotypical sadist dentist.

If you're honestly worried about "hurting" people, dentistry might not be for you. You're going to run into tons of people that claim you're hurting them when they're really only feeling a little bit of pressure/discomfort.

 

[schmoob]

I have no problems with dissections and working on sedated people; it's when they're awake and I have to inflict pain that irks me. I don't want to be known as the stereotypical sadist dentist.

You must consider that although you may be causing slight discomfort at the time, think of the pain your patients would be avoiding in the future. You are doing them a service, and it's the reason they are in the chair in the first place.

 

[Kurk]

I've recognized that I need to spend a few years in college and see what the hell happens to my personality and academic performance before making a decision. I'm now pretty insecure about my business-management skills and feelings towards inflicting pain/discomfort on people. I just found a low-income dental and health clinic where I can volunteer and shadow to help aid in my decision making.

 

[boyhamdzui]

I think maybe dentist is not for you then. I am an orthodontist assistant and I use force everyday. Every once in awhile, I have to work on patients while they are crying or bleeding everywhere due to unhealthy gums. Sometimes, I was asked to hold down some kids while the general dentist work on him/her.

 

[Kurk]

I think maybe dentist is not for you then. I am an orthodontist assistant and I use force everyday. Every once in awhile, I have to work on patients while they are crying or bleeding everywhere due to unhealthy gums. Sometimes, I was asked to hold down some kids while the general dentist work on him/her.

I couldn't do that. I'd never do pediatrics to begin with. 😢

 

[boyhamdzui]

I couldn't do that. I'd never do pediatrics to begin with. 😢

But hey, don't feel too down. Just shadow your dentists, you can make decision in your junior or senior years. You can still stay alive with fillings and cosmetic stuff.

 

[Buck-E-Badger]

I remember being extremely squeamish in high school (I could barely stand getting my blood drawn, seeing it all rush down the tube and into the bag); you couldn't have paid me to sit in on a wisdom tooth removal. Funny what time does to us... Try and take a cadaver based anatomy class in college, one of the schools I went to had a human dissection course. Also, when you shadow, you'll quickly discover how non-issue many of these procedures are. They seem super invasive when having them performed on you, but after watching root canals and wisdom tooth removals (four wisdom teeth can often take less than 15 minutes of actual surgery to remove) you'll see how much of a non-issue these procedures are. Most tooth extractions I've watched have been impressively effortless, apply pressure to each side and the bone around the tooth loosens or something (idk what exactly is happening, haven't started school yet...) and the tooth just about falls out.

 

[acesofseven]

Pain isn't relative. Stop being a baby...