Needing your perspective

[WHO DAT]

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I am scheduled to start dental school in August. I have been interested in dentistry since about one year into my college coursework. I see dentistry as a good profession and a "smart" career choice. Obviously, I had to shape my curriculum around that choice in order to get here. I realize that dentistry would give me the chance to:

Gain a sense of fulfillment from helping people with what I do...rather than not; Have autonomy, job security, and some discretion over my hours that many/most people don't have; Have an almost "sky's the limit" chance at a financially rewarding career; Be part of a well respected profession

Now, with the start of school staring me in the face...I realize that dentistry is not something I love, as in when people say "Do something you love". It is a field that obviously doesn't start out as a hobby for anyone. But if I took that approach I would probably wind up working in fitness (which would probably get me slapped in the face by anyone who knew I had been accepted to dental school)...just because I'm really interested in working out. Also, I took part in an externship while completing my undergrad work but I have been shadowing a local dentist and only now, I realize just how indifferent, uninterested, and unappreciative people can seem of the service you are giving them. I have realized that a lot of people out there do not value their teeth as much as we in this forum probably do.

Did/do any of you have any similar feelings? I guess I'm looking for some wise counsel here and I can't imagine a better group to pose this problem to.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Lemming]

I too am starting school in August. I'm 30, tried vet school straight out of undergrad, didn't like it, work in a lab, did research and now I'm a consultant. I've come to realize over that time that work is work, no matter what it is. If you're doing it 40 hrs a week, something about it is not going to make you smile and feel a great as if you are doing the world a favor. The trick is to do something that you perceive has enough perks to offsets the cons. Now that you have left the euphoric state that one achieves prior to dental school interviews, so that you can fool all adcoms into believing you actually want to change the world, you are realizing that yes, dentistry is actually a "job". You need to concentrate on the reasons that attracted you to it in the first place. In addition, you are entering a profession with a lot of potential to explore different paths. Yeah, people might not appreciate that root canal, but someone sure might like some veneers. You have to seek out what it is within the profession that you want. Yeah, I have to agree, the excitement of getting into the school you want wears off, and you start thinking about "the 4 years of hell" that everyone keeps talking about, and realizing you are training for a job. Just remember to keep everything in perspective, and to seek out and practice the things about that job that make you happy or satisfy you. If you do this, and always try to keep a positive attitude and outlook, good things will happen.

 

[shoeler]

If your really not interested in dentistry then find another carrer that you can love every day of you life. Thats my advice!! Even if its just a job you better like it enough not to burn out, plus I don't think I would want someone working on me that doesn't really enjoy their job. I think I would have no trust or confidence in them.

 

[Jone]

one of the faculty members at my school makes more money working one day per week in private practice, than i did working 60 hours per week as an engineer. what does he do the other 4 days? he does something he's passionate about, which happens to be teaching.

 

[SuperC]

It is probably VERY rare that someone wakes up one morning as a teenager and says, "All in the world I want it to be a dentist." (with the exception of Hermey, the elf from Rudolph). Most people who have a passion for dentistry don't have a passion for teeth as much as they have a passion for the WORK. By that I mean, most dentists that are happy, find this happiness in creating a beautiful smile, relieving someones pain, or performing reconstructive surgery on a car accident victims face. Moreover, I think (and hope) that the passion of dentistry comes in time, right now with all of the tests and other nonsense it is tough to say "I LOVE THIS STUFF!" But perhaps when I have that first patient who is grateful, and I have had a huge impact on their life, then maybe I will begin to develop this passion

Sure not all patients are grateful, but I don't think my girlfriend is really grateful of her OBGYN. In any career that you choose you will have people who could not give a rat's ass if you bent over backwards to help them. At the end of the day you need to be able to say "I did a great job for Ms. Johnson, and she looks fantastic." Regardless of whether or not she was grateful.
-C

 

[mellow_yellow]

Did you consider taking a year off to just think about what you really want? Many start d-school as soon as they can, but for others it takes a little more time. Dental school is a huge investment in time and money. You have to be sure that being a dentist is the job you really want. I decided to take the year off from work last year so I can focus on school. Also I was tired of working full-time and going to school full-time. I did that four years and I realized that the direction I was going is not what I wanted to do. I think it may be beneficial for you to step back to see where you heading.

After a year of not working and trying to figure out what I really want to do, I can say that I’m more confused than ever. I still don’t know what I truly want, but now I am sure of what I don’t want. I’m doing things now to give myself options later. I don’t think I could have come to this point without giving myself a break. So maybe you should do the same thing. Take a sabbatical in Europe or volunteer in Asia. Do what is right for you, but don’t overanalyze it. It seems everything you have done so far has been calculated by you and you ended up at this point. Do something that is not part of the plans you made when you were 19. You’ll be surprised how much you didn’t know about yourself.

 

[pmantz]

I am always grateful to see my dentist, (maybe not the billing clerk) but all the same . When I can't feel my lip and am popping ibuprofen like candy, I think to myself I will never have to purchase any Polident.

 

[johntara04]

There are very few people who see dentistry as their "life dream" and would still go through all of this for 50k a year. What being a dentist does do is give you an excellent job that doesn't require a lot of your time, and pays you very, very well. My goal is to make 150k a year and work 3 days a week, which is very possible in this field. It is a job, it is better than most (in my opinion) and it will pay you a lot of money and give you the free time you want to do what you want. I think you would be crazy to give this up. You will get more out of it than any other job will give you. Heck, work part time as a dentist, make 100k a year and then be a fitness trainer or open a gold's gym or whatever it is you want to do with your life. What other job can you do that with?

 

[beezies]

I totally understand how you feel, I was sick over deciding to actually go to school. It's scary, because there are only like three people in each in coming class that swear they "always knew" that they wanted to be a dentist. But I really feel that I'm going to love what I do when I get out of here. We've had so much experience already and we're just finishing the first year. I understand that it's a huge risk of losing time and money, but there's something to be said for following through and seeing if it's just cold feet.

 

[pmantz]

I wanted to be a forest ranger, chef, artist, pirate, doctor, nurse, bum, ultimately I decided on dentistry. Why because you help people everyday, and are well compensated and I wanted to attend all my children's games, and plays, and be able to break bread with my family every night.

 

[Sprgrover]

...Gain a sense of fulfillment from helping people with what I do...rather than not; Have autonomy, job security, and some discretion over my hours that many/most people don't have; Have an almost "sky's the limit" chance at a financially rewarding career; Be part of a well respected profession...

Okay, let's say at the end of 30 years would you consider your life wasted if you spent part of it - and by part I mean a maximum of 6 - 8 hours a day, averaged out - performing dentistry. If the answer is yes, then you need to do something else with your life. While I've met a couple of dentists that would marry dentistry should it materialize and come to life like Pygmalion, dentistry for me is going to be one of many aspects of my person - a part and not the whole.

Yes, many people out there don't value their teeth and many more are afraid of the dental chair. But it's been my experience that if you have a genuine interest in something and you share that enthusiasm with someone, whether it be with your overall disposition to the tone of your voice, many people respond favorably. I've been to lectures on mold, oncogenes, and the like (trust me, such things can be really dry and really boring) where the lecture was really into the material and everyone in the audience had a nerd moment of "this is really cool!". If you are pleased with what you do it will show, and patients will pick up on it - trust me. While not everyone you will see will come out with a new outlook on their oral health, many, I'm sure will loosen up, be more receptive to your advice and recommendations, give you repeat business, and hopefully as a result you will see some changed attitudes.

 

[I'mFillingFine]

Though I agree with the other posts on this thread that explain how dentistry will be but a portion of your life, and a very rewarding portion at that, I strongly believe that to be fully satisfied as a dentist (even if you simply see it as your daily career), you need to hold some passion and fascination for the mouth itself.

yes, you can make a stable living working a few days a week...you are well respected....you are helping people. But there are many careers that are like that. A dentist should hold some fascination for the amazing properties and universe of the mouth in all its forms...appreciate doing bloody surgery, stopping an infection, love sculpting a restoration to mimic the original anatomy. Be at least interested in learning about the various kinds of tissues, processes, reactions, ecosystems, and general blood and guts associated with the mouth.

Given, you don't need to understand or fully love all of this now. But to continue having, to quote the OP:

autonomy, job security, and some discretion over my hours that many/most people don't have; Have an almost "sky's the limit" chance at a financially rewarding career; Be part of a well respected profession

you need to realize that you will be achieving that by doing dentistry, finger-deep in someone's mouth. That daily process needs to be interesting and fun for you as well.

 

[FreshBreath]

Though I agree with the other posts on this thread that explain how dentistry will be but a portion of your life, and a very rewarding portion at that, I strongly believe that to be fully satisfied as a dentist (even if you simply see it as your daily career), you need to hold some passion and fascination for the mouth itself.

yes, you can make a stable living working a few days a week...you are well respected....you are helping people. But there are many careers that are like that. A dentist should hold some fascination for the amazing properties and universe of the mouth in all its forms...appreciate doing bloody surgery, stopping an infection, love sculpting a restoration to mimic the original anatomy. Be at least interested in learning about the various kinds of tissues, processes, reactions, ecosystems, and general blood and guts associated with the mouth.

Given, you don't need to understand or fully love all of this now. But to continue having, to quote the OP: you need to realize that you will be achieving that by doing dentistry, finger-deep in someone's mouth. That daily process needs to be interesting and fun for you as well.

👍 I agree with Filling Fine, I think you need to appreciate the daily "ins and outs" of dentistry enough that it holds your interest and you enjoy doing it. Well said!

 

[OceanDMD]

I agree that you have to have a passion for working on teeth, and be ready to put up with all the negatives that come with the job. Here are a few things that get me very excited:
1- Taking your final fill radiograph after a molar endo, and you found an extra canal, and the fills are beautiful !!!!(strangely one of my favorites)
2- When you treat a cosmetic case, and insert it, the reaction of the patient when he or she first sees the results(it truely is artwork)
3- When a patient accepts a major treatment plan, and makes a downpayment👍👍
4- Successfully converting a dental phobic to a comfortable patient
5- etc etc etc

There are so many things that make this job gratifying. The money is certainly important, but you have to love what you do to be happy in this career. Anybody else wany to comment on what has given them excitement about this field (not including income)?

 

[1992Corolla]

I think you have pre-dental school nervous diarrhea...find a toilet, let it go, and if you still have second thoughts then you better figure it out quick. Last thing you want to do is spend 60K and THEN figure out it sucks.

 

[nuts]

I think what is good about human beings is that when you 'get used to' something, something becomes your norm. I had never dreamed about being a dentist. I got into dental school because my mom wanted me to. I never enjoyed studying but studying seemed part of my responsibility. The first few years I worked, every morning I had to drag myself out of bed because I hated going to work. Then few years passed, too lazy to change my career, I was actually starting to enjoy my job. I made good money, had a descent life, and everything just felt so 'normalized'. Now I am thanking my mom for making me a dentist because I don't need to work long hours but I can make a good living.

If you are lazy like me and take whatever there is, I am sure one day you will like what you are doing. But if you are one of those people who will only get fulfilment from what you have passion for, you really have to think twice.

 

[I'mFillingFine]

But if you are one of those people who will only get fulfilment from what you have passion for, you really have to think twice.

Unless your passion is dentistry, of course!

And Ocean, ask me that question in 2 years 🙂

 

[nuts]

You are not going to appreciate this when you are going through hell in dental school and when you are single and independent. But once you get kids, you will be happy that you become a dentist because you get job security and all the time you need to spend with your family

 

[WHO DAT]

I want to thank all of you for your comments. I appreciate you being candid and if anyone else has anything to offer, please do so.