Next time someone says "Isn't it disgusting...

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

bvf

Full Member
10+ Year Member
15+ Year Member
Joined
Oct 6, 2006
Messages
50
Reaction score
1
to have your hands in people's mouths all day?" Just respond, I think of it more as putting my hands in their wallets. Shuts em up every time. ;)

Members don't see this ad.
 
Oh! Oh! Let me be the first..... ZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
I just heard heard that response today and I wish I would have known it when nearly half the people I tell I'm gonna be dentist make some remark about how gross it would be....or they comment on suicide rates. It's annoying.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
do you think ob/gyns get the "how disgusting" thing? I don't.

(but that field is far beyond dentistry on the scale of disgustingness)
 
I just heard heard that response today and I wish I would have known it when nearly half the people I tell I'm gonna be dentist make some remark about how gross it would be....or they comment on suicide rates. It's annoying.
No kidding, if I have to hear the suicide rate thing one more time...I'll kill myself.
 
People wont say it to me directly, but they'll say it to my gf...so he couldn't get into med school...something along those lines. Yea I would like to work as a general practioner, work more hours and make less money.:p
 
When you tell people that you are in or are going to dental school, are they impressed? Whenever I tell anyone, they act as if it's not a big deal. I don't need people to be in awe or anything, but it would be nice if they acknowledged the fact that it is a competitive process that leads to a prestigious career.

Also, I've only heard a suicide rate comment once, but I do get "mouths are disgusting" quite a bit.
 
When people find out I'm going to dental school they ask,
"Is that two more years of school" and I say, "HAHAHA Don't I wish!"
From now on I'm just gonna tell people that I'm going to school to be a
dental assistant. :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
 
I tell people that I signed up for four more years of school just so I can avoid getting a job and entering the real world
 
Members don't see this ad :)
yes there are. it's called the golf channel.

:laugh: This thread is awesome ...

Here's my favorite "anti-dentite" situation:

You're talking with a group of co-workers or simply a group of people you're not really close friends with. ... Suddenly, in the middle of the conversation, one person in the group mentions that they have to see their dentist later in the day. ... Directly following this statment, everyone else in the group offers their condolences and grumbles about how much they hate seeing their own dentists. ... Man, I feel awkward in that situation.
 
Just today my fellow co-worker told me that she had to take her daughter to the dentist today... (inquisitively) I ask for what? She told me that she's pulling out a tooth... (mind you, I work at a resteraunt)... Instinctively I asked her can I have your daughter's tooth?
"UGGGHHHHH" as she walks away!

LOL

She probably wont be speaking to me in the near future.
Thought I was some kind of pedaphile... LOL.. good times

I just need to collect some teeth!
 
When you tell people that you are in or are going to dental school, are they impressed? Whenever I tell anyone, they act as if it's not a big deal. I don't need people to be in awe or anything, but it would be nice if they acknowledged the fact that it is a competitive process that leads to a prestigious career.

I hear ya! It drives me crazy that people are so uninformed about dental school and the actual path to becoming a dentist. Some people don't even realize that graduate school is required or that dental schools exist! I am always shocked when I run into someone who actually knows about the DAT or is impressed that I have been accepted since most people are so clueless.

But what bothers me the most is when I say I am going to dental school and people say something like "Which CC are you attending for dental hygiene?" Because I am a woman, they instantly assume that I am going to be a hygienist! Now I feel like I always have to say "I am going to dental school to be a dentist" or I make some reference to where I will practice dentistry after I graduate.

Like you said, it's not that I need people to make a big deal about it, but some aknowledgement would be nice.
 
They're not impressed because there are no TV shows about dentists.

isn't there a (serious) adam sandler movie that's involves a dentist (played by the black dude in gray's anatomy)? the preview portrayed the profession of dentistry and having prestige.

jb!:)
 
So funny, that is not the black guy from Grey's Anatomy. It is Don Cheadle (Crash, Hotel Rwanda...two classics). It is a story about a guy (Adam Sandler) who's family dies and he is so depressed that his whole life is occupied by trying to forget about it. Cheadle was his college roommate and they reunite and have good times apparently. Cheadle is a dentist in the movie. Shows him in his practice etc. Although in the preview Sandler makes a stab at Cheadle saying "All you do is pull teeth all day, you're barely a dentist." Looks like a good show. Not just b/c of the dental aspect.
 
Well it just shows people's ignorance...getting into dental school is not easy, but let them live in ignorance if they wish. I mean some people I've talked to actually seem to think it's not even worth talking about...but as the great Dr. Suess said.."those who mind dont matter, and those who matter dont mind." Also, if someone says it's disgusting...i just said I'd rather be working in the "in" hole than the "out" hole.
 
yes there are. it's called the golf channel.

That's awesome...

do you think ob/gyns get the "how disgusting" thing? I don't.

Surprisingly enough, since starting medical school, the OBGYN residents are usually the ones who make the most comments about working in the mouth. When confronted about their line of work, they usually say, "Well, yeah, but it's not this gross when you get out into private practice." I'm not so sure about that. To each his own...
 
They're not impressed because there are no TV shows about dentists.

This is very true. There are no shows like ER, Grey's, etc. If there were, people would be more impressed. However, there are shows like Extreme Makeover. I am sure that show has done a lot to increase the applicant pool.
 
isn't there a (serious) adam sandler movie that's involves a dentist (played by the black dude in gray's anatomy)? the preview portrayed the profession of dentistry and having prestige.

jb!:)


there's Houseguest with Sinbad!
 
What's so funny is that the people I've heard make this statement were applying to med school! I asked them if they had any idea where they would be required to put their hands in the next few years!

:D

to have your hands in people's mouths all day?" Just respond, I think of it more as putting my hands in their wallets. Shuts em up every time. ;)
 
Reign Over Me (Adam Sandler/Don Cheadle)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0490204/

I think Hollywood has a great say in how professions are perceived by the average guy. It would be nice to see more movies where dentists were not portrayed as sadists or laughable characters.
 
seriously, who would want to see a movie about a dentist besides a dentist. All they ever do in the movies is make dentists look like total douchbags anyway.

Plus we don't live the exciting life of sticking our hands in peoples guts in the ER cause a windshield is sticking out thier chest...

"Doctor, is he going to live?"
"Of course you stupid assistant, it's only a class I prep."

See?

Other movies with dentists:

Little shop of horrors (steve martin played a great neurotic DDS)
The whole nine yards (dilhole from Friends was the dentist, and was portrayed as a rich bumbling idiot)
The Man (dental salesman played by Eugene Levy with a cop Samuel L Jackson) not really dental related, but it is good.
Hermey the Elf from rudolph
 
I hate how when friends of mine here that I'm in dentistry they will say, "what u didnt get into medicine," I just tell them that palpating an oral cavity is better than palpating the anal cavity (u know..prostate checks).
 
i think steve martin has a little hankering to be a dentist...he also made 'novocaine'.
 
Little shop of horrors (steve martin played a great neurotic DDS)
The whole nine yards (dilhole from Friends was the dentist, and was portrayed as a rich bumbling idiot)
The Man (dental salesman played by Eugene Levy with a cop Samuel L Jackson) not really dental related, but it is good.
Hermey the Elf from rudolph

Don't forget about "The Dentist" and "The Dentist II".
 
Speaking of "The Dentist," does anyone think it would be fun to have a haunted dental office for the week leading up to halloween? I think that would be kind of cool...or beyond traumatic and lead to a loss of many patients.
 
I hate how when friends of mine here that I'm in dentistry they will say, "what u didnt get into medicine," I just tell them that pulpating an oral cavity is better than pulpating the anal cavity (u know..prostate checks).

I think if you said "pulpating", you would prove to them that indeed you did not get into medicine.
 
I think if you said "pulpating", you would prove to them that indeed you did not get into medicine.

Although I've also considered medicine and pharmacy as an undergrad I never applied to anything other then dentistry because for me that was the best choice. That said, I dont believe that we are like enzymes in the sence that only one career is appropriate for us. I think that medicine and pharmacy are decent careers, however, it is my perogative that dentistry is superior. That said, there are similarities in medicine and dentistry. The theme of this conferance that ADEA once had was "The head is conntected to the body"
As a dentist, do u not pulpate the patient's neck in the "head and neck exam"? Do u not pulpate the oral cavity when u suspect oral diseases?
 
As a dentist, do u not pulpate the patient's neck in the "head and neck exam"? Do u not pulpate the oral cavity when u suspect oral diseases?

No, "Pulpate" is what the Hertwigs Epithelial Root Sheath does with respect to the enamel epithelium during morphodifferentiation of the tooth.

"Palpate" is what you do to the body structures.
 
im glad someone finally cleared that up. it doesnt make 'sence' to keep using the wrong terminology...
 
Although I've also considered medicine and pharmacy as an undergrad I never applied to anything other then dentistry because for me that was the best choice. That said, I dont believe that we are like enzymes in the sence that only one career is appropriate for us. I think that medicine and pharmacy are decent careers, however, it is my perogative that dentistry is superior. That said, there are similarities in medicine and dentistry. The theme of this conferance that ADEA once had was "The head is conntected to the body"
As a dentist, do u not pulpate the patient's neck in the "head and neck exam"? Do u not pulpate the oral cavity when u suspect oral diseases?

I agree with everything except the part about dentistry and medicine being similar. Simply put, the only thing similar about them is the perscribing of medications. Physicians (atleast the majority of them) have a greater depth of knowledge about the basic and clinical sciences than we do as dentists. As general dentists, our main goal is to restore the health of the oral cavity (and even that is restricted to certain areas of the OC).
 
I agree with everything except the part about dentistry and medicine being similar. Simply put, the only thing similar about them is the perscribing of medications. Physicians (atleast the majority of them) have a greater depth of knowledge about the basic and clinical sciences than we do as dentists. As general dentists, our main goal is to restore the health of the oral cavity (and even that is restricted to certain areas of the OC).

I agree. Medicine and dentistry are not at all similar outside of the first two years of training -- even then it's only similar, not remotely equal. I finished dental school, and I'm in the third year of medical school. Little to nothing of what I learned in dental school prepared me to take the USMLE Step I or get me ready for third year rotations with the various services. Even though I'm going to finish medical school and get an M.D., I still won't be nearly as competent as a physician as most of my classmates. I don't need to be to feel good about my chosen career. Just as my medical classmates will not be competent dentists, they shouldn't feel any more or less special about medicine because of it.
 
I agree with everything except the part about dentistry and medicine being similar. Simply put, the only thing similar about them is the perscribing of medications. Physicians (atleast the majority of them) have a greater depth of knowledge about the basic and clinical sciences than we do as dentists. As general dentists, our main goal is to restore the health of the oral cavity (and even that is restricted to certain areas of the OC).

let me guess...you've never been in private practice have you? yes if every patient needed simple restorative, wasn't medically compromised in any way, never been hospitalized, etc etc, then i'd agree with you.
at the end of the day i guess some people have this view of all facets and specialties of medicine being a certain way, probably due to what they see on tv. in reality, a huge chunk of MDs just focus on one aspect/portion of the human body as well. the fact of the matter is we don't make sweeping statements like the one above about them, because both dent and med fields are trained a certain way and rely on knowledge and skills in order to diagnose and treat the complex, multidisciplinary cases that present to us, so you won't hear me saying of that ophthalmologists aren't real doctors b/c they do simple lasik 75% of the time, or derms pop zits and do facials so that's not medicine, what about the odd skin cancer case that comes in etc....my opinion.

now b/c of the 3rd and 4th yr med student rotations ya they have more practical knowledge, and we have to rely on being trained mostly on didactic knowledge.

now back to the original point.....ya , sometimes it is disgusting to work in the oral cavity....won't lie about that.....but hey you get used to it, and often it's a sight to see.
 
No, "Pulpate" is what the Hertwigs Epithelial Root Sheath does with respect to the enamel epithelium during morphodifferentiation of the tooth.

"Palpate" is what you do to the body structures.

:laugh: I should have proof read it. I c what u meant.:laugh:
 
let me guess...you've never been in private practice have you? yes if every patient needed simple restorative, wasn't medically compromised in any way, never been hospitalized, etc etc, then i'd agree with you.
at the end of the day i guess some people have this view of all facets and specialties of medicine being a certain way, probably due to what they see on tv. in reality, a huge chunk of MDs just focus on one aspect/portion of the human body as well. the fact of the matter is we don't make sweeping statements like the one above about them, because both dent and med fields are trained a certain way and rely on knowledge and skills in order to diagnose and treat the complex, multidisciplinary cases that present to us, so you won't hear me saying of that ophthalmologists aren't real doctors b/c they do simple lasik 75% of the time, or derms pop zits and do facials so that's not medicine, what about the odd skin cancer case that comes in etc....my opinion.

now b/c of the 3rd and 4th yr med student rotations ya they have more practical knowledge, and we have to rely on being trained mostly on didactic knowledge.

now back to the original point.....ya , sometimes it is disgusting to work in the oral cavity....won't lie about that.....but hey you get used to it, and often it's a sight to see.

I agree.
 
let me guess...you've never been in private practice have you? yes if every patient needed simple restorative, wasn't medically compromised in any way, never been hospitalized, etc etc, then i'd agree with you.
at the end of the day i guess some people have this view of all facets and specialties of medicine being a certain way, probably due to what they see on tv. in reality, a huge chunk of MDs just focus on one aspect/portion of the human body as well. the fact of the matter is we don't make sweeping statements like the one above about them, because both dent and med fields are trained a certain way and rely on knowledge and skills in order to diagnose and treat the complex, multidisciplinary cases that present to us, so you won't hear me saying of that ophthalmologists aren't real doctors b/c they do simple lasik 75% of the time, or derms pop zits and do facials so that's not medicine, what about the odd skin cancer case that comes in etc....my opinion.

now b/c of the 3rd and 4th yr med student rotations ya they have more practical knowledge, and we have to rely on being trained mostly on didactic knowledge.

now back to the original point.....ya , sometimes it is disgusting to work in the oral cavity....won't lie about that.....but hey you get used to it, and often it's a sight to see.


Well, it could be because my brother is an MD and knows more about clinical medicine than I would like to know. And that's fine with me. I couldn't honestly care any less. Someone has MVP with regurg? Medical consult. Someone has an abnormal mass in his oral cavity? Refer to an oral surgeon. My point wasn't to bash dentistry (hell, Im a dentist in a year myself). My point was to note that MDs have a broader scope of knowledge of the body than we do (atleast the majority of them do). And it's not because they are any smarter. It's their JOB to know certain things.
 
in reality, a huge chunk of MDs just focus on one aspect/portion of the human body as well....you won't hear me saying of that ophthalmologists aren't real doctors b/c they do simple lasik 75% of the time, or derms pop zits and do facials so that's not medicine, what about the odd skin cancer case that comes in etc....

There is still a huge difference between a dermatologist and a dentist, even if all he does is pop zits all day long. The difference is that the dermatologist had to complete all the medical rotations, pass all the medical boards, and do rotations with other medical services during his derm residency. The medical boards and the dental boards are not even remotely comparable -- anyone who has taken both will agree with me on that. You have to have a pretty damn good general knowledge of medicine to pass them. We are not taught good history taking and physical exam skills in dental school -- this includes the head and neck. The only part of the body with which we, as dentists, are better trained to examine is the oral cavity. You may think you have some great knowledge in physical diagnosis, until you step into a medical school. How many times have you used an otoscope or an ophthalmoscope, actually tested all the cranial nerves, etc? There is a lot to be said for the statement "The more you learn, the more you realize you don't know."

I'm not trying to say that a person that goes into medicine is better than someone who goes into dentistry, or that they are smarter, better looking, more respectable, etc. You just cannot compare yourself to a physician and think you are on the same playing field because you can manage a patient's DM while they are in the dental chair in your private practice. In the same regard, a physician cannot begin to presume that he can diagnose and treat caries. Dentistry and medicine are two totally different entities, each respectable in its own right.
 
There is still a huge difference between a dermatologist and a dentist, even if all he does is pop zits all day long. The difference is that the dermatologist had to complete all the medical rotations, pass all the medical boards, and do rotations with other medical services during his derm residency. The medical boards and the dental boards are not even remotely comparable -- anyone who has taken both will agree with me on that. You have to have a pretty damn good general knowledge of medicine to pass them. We are not taught good history taking and physical exam skills in dental school -- this includes the head and neck. The only part of the body with which we, as dentists, are better trained to examine is the oral cavity. You may think you have some great knowledge in physical diagnosis, until you step into a medical school. How many times have you used an otoscope or an ophthalmoscope, actually tested all the cranial nerves, etc? There is a lot to be said for the statement "The more you learn, the more you realize you don't know."

I'm not trying to say that a person that goes into medicine is better than someone who goes into dentistry, or that they are smarter, better looking, more respectable, etc. You just cannot compare yourself to a physician and think you are on the same playing field because you can manage a patient's DM while they are in the dental chair in your private practice. In the same regard, a physician cannot begin to presume that he can diagnose and treat caries. Dentistry and medicine are two totally different entities, each respectable in its own right.

my point had nothing to do with who's training was/is more in depth, board exams, intelligence, etc. as i mentioned above you cannot compare the 3rd/4th yr med rotations to dent school didactic training and the odd practical training here and there. what i'm saying is when it comes to everyday practice, procedures that are done 80% of the time by numerous MD specialists such as the ones i mentioned above lasik, zits etc has very little to do with what most ppl consider to be "medicine" and i related that to say there's no reason to dumb down dentistry in such a way either - b/c there is a significant amount of "medicine" involved - a lot more than saying that the only similarity is the medications, or saying they are completely separate entities. perhaps b/c i'm not the type to say MVP w/ regurg - med consult. i simple use the ADA/AHA guidelines on heart murmurs and treat accordingly. these are based on opinions of the leaders in both fields, are more evidence based and would stand up in the court of law more than a med consult. oral mass - gen dents must also be competent enough to at least diagnose and triage instead of "referring everything to o.s" don't mean to piss here, this discussion is great, and probably reflective of the different philosophies of dent schools we attend/attended.
 
...there's no reason to dumb down dentistry in such a way either - b/c there is a significant amount of "medicine" involved...i simple use the ADA/AHA guidelines on heart murmurs and treat accordingly...gen dents must also be competent enough to at least diagnose and triage instead of "referring everything to o.s"...

I'm not dumbing down dentistry -- I will always consider myself a dentist first. I'm comfortable with being a dentist. I don't have an inferiority complex. I just don't understand the constant need to prove that dentistry is like medicine. I feel like you're one of the ones that subconsciously thinks that physicians are better than dentists. Otherwise, you wouldn't feel the need to convince everyone how much dentistry is like medicine.

You're dumbing down the medical specialties of ophthomology and dermatology with your comments -- which is exactly what you don't want someone to do to dentistry.

Following the ADA/AHA guidelines is not medicine. Neither is recognizing an oral mass. I'm confused about your "diagnose and triage" statement. So, you find an oral mass, it looks like SCCA. You perform a biopsy, and it is SCCA. Now what? Call your oral surgeon...who, in most cases, will probably send the patient on to someone else.
 
my point had nothing to do with who's training was/is more in depth, board exams, intelligence, etc. as i mentioned above you cannot compare the 3rd/4th yr med rotations to dent school didactic training and the odd practical training here and there. what i'm saying is when it comes to everyday practice, procedures that are done 80% of the time by numerous MD specialists such as the ones i mentioned above lasik, zits etc has very little to do with what most ppl consider to be "medicine" and i related that to say there's no reason to dumb down dentistry in such a way either - b/c there is a significant amount of "medicine" involved - a lot more than saying that the only similarity is the medications, or saying they are completely separate entities. perhaps b/c i'm not the type to say MVP w/ regurg - med consult. i simple use the ADA/AHA guidelines on heart murmurs and treat accordingly. these are based on opinions of the leaders in both fields, are more evidence based and would stand up in the court of law more than a med consult. oral mass - gen dents must also be competent enough to at least diagnose and triage instead of "referring everything to o.s" don't mean to piss here, this discussion is great, and probably reflective of the different philosophies of dent schools we attend/attended.

I have a buddy of mine who is almost done with his radiology rotation and when I was asking him about Gastric reflux rx, he looked at me and said that doesnt remember enough to give any advice on it but at some point in med school, he could have told me. I wonder if thats also a phenominon (I'm not spell checking) that may exist in dentistry. Does an orthodontist have trouble making a partial denture or at the very least, do they not make it as good as a pros. or general dentist would?
 
I have a buddy of mine who is almost done with his radiology rotation and when I was asking him about Gastric reflux rx, he looked at me and said that doesnt remember enough to give any advice on it but at some point in med school, he could have told me. I wonder if thats also a phenominon (I'm not spell checking) that may exist in dentistry. Does an orthodontist have trouble making a partial denture or at the very least, do they not make it as good as a pros. or general dentist would?

I have talked to a couple of specialists (dentists) that said that they vaguely remember how to prep a crown or a MOD, but that they were sure that if they tried, it would suck to the point that it would be malpractice. A lot of those guys haven't picked up a drill since school.
 
I'm not dumbing down dentistry -- I will always consider myself a dentist first. I'm comfortable with being a dentist. I don't have an inferiority complex. I just don't understand the constant need to prove that dentistry is like medicine. I feel like you're one of the ones that subconsciously thinks that physicians are better than dentists. Otherwise, you wouldn't feel the need to convince everyone how much dentistry is like medicine.

You're dumbing down the medical specialties of ophthomology and dermatology with your comments -- which is exactly what you don't want someone to do to dentistry.

Following the ADA/AHA guidelines is not medicine. Neither is recognizing an oral mass. I'm confused about your "diagnose and triage" statement. So, you find an oral mass, it looks like SCCA. You perform a biopsy, and it is SCCA. Now what? Call your oral surgeon...who, in most cases, will probably send the patient on to someone else.

please re-read both my posts. i'm not the type to do a point by point rebuttal on sdn, so just re-read. for instance, i said just b/c an ophthalmologist does lasik and is focused on only one tiny part of the body 80% of time DOES NOT mean it's not "medicine" b/c the other procedures that they are needed to do once in a while.
you're bringing a lot of preconceived notions and assumptions and applying them to me, or more specifically my subconsious! - you're dead wrong about any complex i have about trying to convince anyone anything. i am stating my opinion, which is based on my education and experience that there are more similarities to medicine and dentistry than simply the "medications" which is what someone else had wrote on here. AGAIN, i'm not saying it is medicine, i'm saying it's more than just some simple medications - there's a heckuva lot more overlap than that. when i hear the medications only type comments from dentists, who are dumbing down dentistry then i feel like it's a cop-out. everytime they get something even slightly medically involved they feel the need to consult with all sorts of medical specialists and are afraid to make decisions themselves in order to tx the patient. imo they should acknowledge that there are more similarities to med and dent than just the medications and tx the darn patient already.
 
everytime they get something even slightly medically involved they feel the need to consult with all sorts of medical specialists and are afraid to make decisions themselves in order to tx the patient. imo they should acknowledge that there are more similarities to med and dent than just the medications and tx the darn patient already.

I agree with you on that. However, I think we'll just have to agree to disagree about the rest. If you ever pursue any medical training, I'll be very interested to see if your opinion changes.
 
People in my family and close friends understand what dentistry is and its competitiveness. My uncle is a doctor and he says all the time that if he had to do it all again he would go to dental school. All of my close friends know understand. Rest of the ignorant people in this world that would make stupid comments on hearing that I am dental student, I don't care and don't give a damn about it.
 
People in my family and close friends understand what dentistry is and its competitiveness. My uncle is a doctor and he says all the time that if he had to do it all again he would go to dental school. All of my close friends know understand. Rest of the ignorant people in this world that would make stupid comments on hearing that I am dental student, I don't care and don't give a damn about it.

ya but this thread is not about that. i could care less

we were discussing if the similarities b/w dent and med is only about some medications, and if they are entirely different entities.

actually, we were discussing if it's disgusting first!
 
Top