Letters of Recommendation -- General Dentist vs. Specialist

[85-29]

Hello good people of SDN!

I'll be applying to dental school this upcoming June, and I am preparing to ask for LOR. Since we all go to dental school with the primary goal of becoming general dentists (vs. specializing), does it look better to have a LOR come from a general dentist instead of a specialist?

I have a super close relationship with my orthodontist, and I feel confident that she would write a strong LOR. On the other hand, I'm working for a general dentist as a dental assistant right now, so I could ask him for a LOR. He doesn't know me as well, and he is fresh out of dental school, so I am a bit concerned that his letter wouldn't be as strong as the letter from my orthodontist. Would one (orthodontist vs. general dentist) look better/make my application stronger? Thoughts, opinions, and advice are all welcome!

Thank you in advance! And my apologies if I overlooked a thread asking this exact question.

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[TopDog]

Go with the orthodontist if she'll write the better letter! Just make sure you have more general dentist shadowing hours than specialist. Also, I'd recommend you tell the orthodontist not to mention anything about you wanting to be an orthodontist...have her talk more about you as a person

 

[85-29]

Go with the orthodontist if she'll write the better letter! Just make sure you have more general dentist shadowing hours than specialist. Also, I'd recommend you tell the orthodontist not to mention anything about you wanting to be an orthodontist...have her talk more about you as a person

Thanks for your input! The majority of my shadowing hours are with general dentists, but I've also spent time shadowing some specialists. I don't want to be an orthodontist at this point, but I'll respectfully mention it to her and suggest that the focus of the letter be on me as a person and what I could contribute to the field as a whole. Thanks again!

 

[TopDog]

Thanks for your input! The majority of my shadowing hours are with general dentists, but I've also spent time shadowing some specialists. I don't want to be an orthodontist at this point, but I'll respectfully mention it to her and suggest that the focus of the letter be on me as a person and what I could contribute to the field as a whole. Thanks again!

No problem! Sounds like you're doing great in the shadowing department! But yeah, dental schools won't care about what kind of dentist the letter is from. They just want strong letters from someone that knows you well

 

[deleted678432]

I had a specialist do my LOR, and the majority of my shadowing and experience was OMFS based. Interviewed at 6 schools and it wasn’t brought up once.

 

[princeafrica]

Ortho

 

[setdoc7]

IMHO the quality and relevance of the LOR far outways who writes it. A well written letter from the dentist you work for will be better than a poorly written one from anyone else. You would be surprised what masquerades as a LOR which is really nothing more than some kind words with no substance.

 

[85-29]

I had a specialist do my LOR, and the majority of my shadowing and experience was OMFS based. Interviewed at 6 schools and it wasn’t brought up once.

Good to know, thank you! And congratulations on 6 interviews and hopefully some acceptances as well!

 

[85-29]

IMHO the quality and relevance of the LOR far outways who writes it. A well written letter from the dentist you work for will be better than a poorly written one from anyone else. You would be surprised what masquerades as a LOR which is really nothing more than some kind words with no substance.

I feel confident that my orthodontist will write a quality letter, so I will reach out to her and get the ball rolling with the letter writing process. Thanks for taking the time to reply and share your insight!