Misguided sophomore: Predental vs. Premed

[bamdental]

Hey y'all! Long post. Forreal. Like stop right now if you want

Background Story:
I have just ended my sophomore year and I am super relieved. Honestly, it was the most stressful semester of my life and I was burnt out to the max. I hated this semester, hated the classes ( honestly, screw O Chem 2 :/) and really questioned my life choices of being pre-dental. Being pre-dental has been my focus from senior year until now, and just out of nowhere I am having this mid-college crisis of choosing between medicine and dentistry. I could give two craps less about prestige or salary. I just want to help people and make an impact on their lives and I feel that I could do that through health.

So here I have compiled a list of what I am good/not good at and maybe you guys can tell me what I am missing or not seeing.

Reasons why I would be good at dentistry
- I have always loved going to the dentist. I think the technology is cool and the ability to open my own practice one day sounds awesome
-I like the results that you get! Not only just with like braces or restorative dentistry, but the confidence you see in people!
- I went to this pre-dental day (2x) and I absolutely loved it. Man, the way that you could be so creative and manipulate things was so much fun. I loved doing the wax ups and filling up the cavity with amalgam. Like honestly, that feeling was kinda unreal. Also, there were a bunch of dental students all around and they were like wow, you kinda got a knack for this. (okay obvs I know like I am not some amazing goddess or something, I just liked how it felt to see the product of my work)

Reasons why I would suck at dentistry
- I am a big picture person to the max. Honestly, I get annoyed with small details. (but also I'm a perfectionist??? :/)
-Not super artistic fam.

Reasons why I would be good at medicine
- I am a quick thinker and love to solve problems
- I have been exposed to medicine my entire life (doctor's kid :/ ) and I see the impact it has on people's lives
- I am a leader and like to be in control
- I like to work in a fast paced environment

Reasons why I would suck at medicine
- Already a pretty competitive person so I do not know how I would react to constant competition all the time
- I really like to see the direct results of what I do (i.e. physical like braces or restorative)

So SDN, I am confused and stressed about what I should do. I don't know which one if more for me and which one is a definite no-no. I know y'all are gonna say to shadow, ( I have been practically raised in a hospital and just got a chance to shadow with a dentist woot woot!)! However, what I am looking for is just a guiding. Could someone give me some perspective? Tell me what questions I need to ask myself. I mean, if I were to end up in either one of these professions I would be happy. I love both of them and my life has been impacted. I just don't know where my talents would help people the best

If you could help, pls pls do!

Sincerely a confused sophomore/junior

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[Jueves]

Throw the “Dentistry provides direct results as opposed to Medicine” rationale out the window. You’ll find that the vast majority of surgeries performed by medical professionals cause much more of an immediate impact than dental work ever will. As for being a leader- you’ll be a hospital b**** for the first few years as a new physician as you try to climb up the totem pole. I had parents who were physicians and they weren’t able to have the type of respect they wanted until years later. Don’t even get me started on your time as a resident or doing rotations. With dentistry, you will be in charge of a team of hygienists, therapists, while running your own practice. Much more leadership opportunities. As for your pros list- the only rationale I see for you doing medicine is that your family was involved in medicine. Not once did you mention a procedure you found fascinating, or something that caught your eye. Your pros list for dentistry is a lot more genuine and passionate IMO.

 

[bamdental]

Hey!!!! Thanks so much for your reply! You have given me some perspective! I think you are rught about my reason for being a dentist is more genuine!! I just dont know why all of a sudden I al so confused!

Throw the “Dentistry provides direct results as opposed to Medicine” rationale out the window. You’ll find that the vast majority of surgeries performed by medical professionals cause much more of an immediate impact than dental work ever will. As for being a leader- you’ll be a hospital b**** for the first few years as a new physician as you try to climb up the totem pole. I had parents who were physicians and they weren’t able to have the type of respect they wanted until years later. Don’t even get me started on your time as a resident or doing rotations. With dentistry, you will be in charge of a team of hygienists, therapists, while running your own practice. Much more leadership opportunities. As for your pros list- the only rationale I see for you doing medicine is that your family was involved in medicine. Not once did you mention a procedure you found fascinating, or something that caught your eye. Your pros list for dentistry is a lot more genuine and passionate IMO.

 

[doc toothache]

Some like to get massages, but do not aspire to become masseuses.

 

[lemoncurry]

One needs only to work in a corporate dental office to see how much of a fast paced environment dentistry can be. You can be as busy or as slow as you want it to be, even in private practice.

As far as big picture, just look at full mouth rehab cases for example. Over time you will eventually see that almost all cases are big picture cases. It's not just a knee jerk "find cavity, drill and fill" thing. You have to look at the whole mouth, the occlusion, the patient's goals and finances, and then you gotta understand the procedure timing, working with labs, etc etc etc.

As a dentist, especially in private practice but just about anywhere, you ARE a leader by the fact of being called Doctor, and you ARE in control. Just not during dental school.

 

[redhotchiligochu]

Do you have good hand skills? That's the main question you should ask. If you have deft fingers e.g. shred guitars, make bomb origami paper cranes, knitter, etc. then that's one step in the right direction. Are you a visual person? Can you turn 2D images into 3D product adequately? Can you deal with people's problems? If you answered yes to all of the above, then you will be a kickass dentist.

OCD/small detail is overrated. The most successful practicing dentists that I know are very goal-oriented "big picture" folks. The ones who are stuck in the ISTJ Myers-Briggs personality spectrum experience burnout, dissatisfaction, and incomes less than $150k annually.

 

[bamdental]

Do you have good hand skills? That's the main question you should ask. If you have deft fingers e.g. shred guitars, make bomb origami paper cranes, knitter, etc. then that's one step in the right direction. Are you a visual person? Can you turn 2D images into 3D product adequately? Can you deal with people's problems? If you answered yes to all of the above, then you will be a kickass dentist.

OCD/small detail is overrated. The most successful practicing dentists that I know are very goal-oriented "big picture" folks. The ones who are stuck in the ISTJ Myers-Briggs personality spectrum experience burnout, dissatisfaction, and incomes less than $150k annually.

I actually have always been pretty good at guitar and piano!! Not so much the 2D to 3D ( O Chem trallh kicked my ass in this direction) But i get what you are saying!!!

I also get what you mean about the ISTJ so focused on detail. I am so glad you mentioned that because I feel like as an ENFP, I just wouldnt be good fit for dentistry.



Another question I have for y'all is ( and I mean this as genuinely and kindly as I can) : What if I get bored of teeth?

 

[tiper15]

Another question I have for y'all is ( and I mean this as genuinely and kindly as I can) : What if I get bored of teeth?

I don;t know a lot of people who went into dentistry because they love teeth. Most people I know like it for the flexibility.

 

[redhotchiligochu]

I actually have always been pretty good at guitar and piano!! Not so much the 2D to 3D ( O Chem trallh kicked my ass in this direction) But i get what you are saying!!!

I also get what you mean about the ISTJ so focused on detail. I am so glad you mentioned that because I feel like as an ENFP, I just wouldnt be good fit for dentistry.



Another question I have for y'all is ( and I mean this as genuinely and kindly as I can) : What if I get bored of teeth?

I’m an ENTP for what it’s worth (entrepreneur/debator) so I can get into faculty’s nerves lmao.

Personally, I have a very impersonal relationship with teeth, but it’s the speed and deft that you can do procedures (despite faculty nagging you to go slow), and how you deal with patient’s issues that matter the most. The classmates that I see that have an “impersonal” view toward dentistry (e.g. not applicants that are like “I wanted to be a dentist since I was 5” type) are the ones that succeed the most.

 

[Lane138]

I wouldn't focus too much on whether you think you can be a good physician or dentist. The reasons you mentioned for med vs dental, frankly, were pretty superficial (e.g. are you suggesting that dentists don't need to be a quick thinker?). The skills overlap quite a bit (people skills, ability to cram for exams, empathy, critical thinking, etc). And what you think you're missing, such as "artistic skills" can be developed via training.

I recommend shadowing some more. You need to ask yourself if you can really picture yourself practicing the way medicine is practiced, or dentistry. Consider if you want to work in a hospital setting or small clinic setting. Ask yourself if you want to work with your hands every day or more in a consultation capacity. Ask yourself if you want to be in school for 4 more years instead of 8.

 

[lemoncurry]

Myers Briggs is worthless, IMO.