No actual dental experience until..

[whc235]

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Hi!! I'm wondering if you guys know.. does it look bad that I won't have any actual dental hands on experience until this summer? I'm taking the DAT on June 3.. hopefully submit my apps by June 15th. I have 2 dental internships lined up.. and they both start second week of June... but that means by the time i submit my apps.. i barely have any dental work hrs.... I've done a lot of other stuff in the past.. psych research, volunteer in general.. mentored.. ect.. have pretty decent grade.. go to a tier one school.. and think the DAT will be ok.. i think my biggest problem is this now.. any advice would be appreciated! 🙂

 

[uclaDDS101]

That's a tough call. You said that this will be your first "hands on" experience. But I'm assuming that youve at least had some general dentistry shadowing hours. If you have, then the rest of your profile sounds ok (a little vague, but ok). If you haven't had much shadowing hours, then your motivations come into question. Why would you want to be a dentist anyway if you don't have a mature understanding of the profession? It's a simple question: Why dentistry? If you have an INFORMED and HONEST answer to that question, then you should be fine.

 

[kitejunky27]

I am in a similar position

I just decided I want to go to dental school my second semmester of junior year and I am planning on applying this cycle. As a result I really havent had alot of time to shadow. I only have 3 hours of shadowing as of now.

However I have a good relationship with my dentist and I am happy with the reasons I have selected the dental route so I feel I can definitely answer the why dentistry question honestly.

Whats more important then answering that question or actually having the hours

 

[purplepanda]

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that there are multiple people in your situation or close to it. I just see a lot of people putting it off, etc. I put it off until my Junior yr. So that doesn't look too good either.

 

[Vicviper]

The thing is that this hurts you in the dedication department, and that's something that the schools really want to see - where you can make up for this is really getting into why you want to be a dentist with some really awesome and sincere reasons in your PS.

I might even go as far to wait a little more to submit your app, like if you're doing shadowing for an entire week, you could easily get 20 hours, and that would be a good chunk. If you REALLY want to know what they think, call the dental schools you're interested in and ask, they will be completely honest with you.

 

[DrReo]

Shadowing is an investment for you to see if dentistry is your calling. My question is, how can you say you want to be a dentist without shadowing?


After you answer that, how do you acquire a statement from a general dentist stating you shadowed 30+ hours?

Finally, how do you have a dentist, without shadowing, write a letter recommending you to the profession.



"Procrastination is the grave in which opportunity is buried"

 

[Vicviper]

Shadowing is an investment for you to see if dentistry is your calling. My question is, how can you say you want to be a dentist without shadowing?

After you answer that, how do you acquire a statement from a general dentist stating you shadowed 30+ hours?

Finally, how do you have a dentist, without shadowing, write a letter recommending you to the profession and submitting your "early".

All very good points to consider. Remember that the schools will want to know if dentistry is really for you, because they are investing that seat in you when they could be giving it to someone else.

 

[BaylorDDS]

Shadowing is an investment for you to see if dentistry is your calling. My question is, how can you say you want to be a dentist without shadowing?


After you answer that, how do you acquire a statement from a general dentist stating you shadowed 30+ hours?

Finally, how do you have a dentist, without shadowing, write a letter recommending you to the profession and submitting your "early".



"Procrastination is the grave in which opportunity is buried"

This is exactly the question they will ask you in your interview as well

 

[whc235]

Hmm i guess it's not so much about the dedication on my part.. I've been on the prehealth track for all 3 years.. I was ready to take the MCAT.. etc.. was in the process in getting everything set.. decided to show up for those premed meeting .. which happened to be joint with predental.. and from that i realized dentistry might be more suiting for me. I shadowed a little bit in the NYU dental clinic..got in touch with several dental students and their reasons for their choice.. talked to a student who specifically has been in this field before but in another country.. and understood why he chose this profession once again.. I guess my shadowing experience ended up being more of an in depth emotional search of what i really want in life.. before my shadowing with these people.. i knew i wanted to be in the health field.. but i didn't exactly know which one was right for me.. I chose medicine initially cuz it left the option wild open..i can choose any field after my 4 yrs of school.. but now i see dentistry as more of a specialty. with a lot of good advantages/perks from which i've never seen or knew about... By the time i did my part of "soul searching.." and made my decision to change my path.. it was already.. in late March/April of this year... im a jr.. fml.. Right away.. I knew i lacked the technical part?.. so I took the effort in scrambling for internships... Luckily.. i managed to obtain one with an oral surgeon.. one with a private practice..... but of course they take time to get started/paper work..checked.. etc.. so.. i wont start til june...

The schools i'm looking at aren't asking for 30 hrs minimum.. and i thought schools are willing to wait on the dental recs... some even willing to accept them when u come in for interviews? .. I guess overall .. my shadowing so far done is 15 hrs (over the course of 1-2 months.. with school and work.. was tough)... maybe i should wait til end of June to submit my forms.. that way they can see that i really am putting in the hours? What do u guys thnk :\??

Thank you so much for every1 who has commented so farr!!!

 

[mx41]

Not all schools require a letter from dentists...

You should go ahead and apply and shadow this summer. There's nothing wrong with your plans. Other people are suggesting that you apply next year so that you spend this summer shadowing, but ultimately you would just be wasting a year of your life.