Pediatric Residency vs. General?

[JustFlossy]

I'm a rising D3 and have been interested in pediatrics for quite some time now. I 100% know that that's what I want to do after dental school, however, part of me doesn't want to pick up and move again in 2 years. I am an in-state student and the 2 current dental schools here do have pediatric programs, but, of course, there's no guarantee I'm admitted to either of them. I wanted to ask what are the benefits of completing residency vs. working in a pediatric office as a general dentist? I've been a little torn since I would also love the option of finally working after school as well. But at the moment I'm still setting myself up to apply just in case so I don't miss my opportunity.

Thank you!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Boat on the Chesapeake]

Moving for two years is not a big deal if you’ll hate doing crowns and fillings on old folks all day.

The average income is higher as a pediatric dentist than a general dentist. You’ll see more kids and do treatment more efficiently as a specialist than as a GP in a peds group. If you’re certain you like peds go for it. There are lots of peds programs and most are paid.

 

[Teeth and Titanite]

Its just two years vs. the rest of your decades-long career.

You sound passionate for peds, so I say apply and don't look back! I don't think working as a general dentist in a pediatric office will make up for the residency. You don't know what you don't know and general dentists usually don't get much peds training as it is.

 

[JustFlossy]

Thank you so much both @Boat on the Chesapeake + @Teeth and Titanite! I love pediatrics and special needs/care dentistry without question, so I'll still stay on track to apply! I just wanted to get some feedback and outside opinions. Very appreciative!

 

[Lemillion]

Go ahead and plan on applying. Sounds like you enjoy it! You never know where it will take ya. Most dental schools don't expose you well enough to pediatrics during your 4 years so if you did join as a general dentist coming right out....the learning curve will be a lot higher.
I agree, most programs are paid (hospital based) and the two years will fly by. I used it as an opportunity to move out of state, gain some new experiences and grew overall as a result. Good luck!

 

[allDAT]

There’s a huge difference.
If you want to focus on kids and be great, you need to specialize.

 

[ToothyMctoothface]

I was in a similar boat to you mate, I was a practicing GP for 3 years and am half way through my peds residency currently. I can honestly say my approach to treating kids even with 1 year or residency is completely different to what it was in my 3 years at the FQHC ( YMMV if its a private office). If that is what you see yourself doing, then do it. You will probably be more happier in the long run.

 

[PerioDont]

Do the residency. It’s worth it.

two years in a different state May be a wonderful adventure or could suck. Either way you won’t really know as you will be on call and working hard! Time will fly by and you can then go wherever you want

 

[schmoob]

Go for the residency.

 

[yappy]

I cannot imagine going back to the inefficient dental school environment full of miserable unmotivated support staff to “help” you see patients using crappy materials and antiquated equipment. Chances are you will not either once you experience the real world. So if you’re going to do residency it’s best to do it right out of school before you know better.

 

[FutureDent020]

I cannot imagine going back to the inefficient environment full of miserable unmotivated support staff to “help” you see patients using crappy materials and antiquated equipment.

Lol, you just basically described military dentistry. Which is why the transition back to school is SUPER easy for us.

 

[flowerbomb18]

To become a pediatric dentist you need to do a pediatric residency, period. Nothing else will amount to what you will learn during your peds residency so don’t waste your time working in a GP office, taking additional CE courses in peds, etc if that’s the route you want to go. You will be wasting your time and money.

 

[hhk0036]

To become a pediatric dentist you need to do a pediatric residency, period. Nothing else will amount to what you will learn during your peds residency so don’t waste your time working in a GP office, taking additional CE courses in peds, etc if that’s the route you want to go. You will be wasting your time and money.

How many patients do peds dentists see daily? How much daily production average?

 

[Blueshirts]

How many patients do peds dentists see daily?

 

[CharlieAF]

I was in a similar boat to you mate, I was a practicing GP for 3 years and am half way through my peds residency currently. I can honestly say my approach to treating kids even with 1 year or residency is completely different to what it was in my 3 years at the FQHC ( YMMV if its a private office). If that is what you see yourself doing, then do it. You will probably be more happier in the long run.

I practiced for 17 years before going back, and am also halfway through my residency. I agree 100%. My behavior management, treatment planning, comfort level…everything is different.

I cannot imagine going back to the inefficient dental school environment full of miserable unmotivated support staff to “help” you see patients using crappy materials and antiquated equipment. Chances are you will not either once you experience the real world. So if you’re going to do residency it’s best to do it right out of school before you know better.

This actually bothered me less than I thought it would. I think it depends on your personality and perspective.

How many patients do peds dentists see daily? How much daily production average?

This is very difficult to answer. It depends on how you structure your days. On the low end you might see 4 or 5 on your GA days. On the other hand if you have a day where you‘re running a couple of hyg chairs and a couple of ops chairs you might see 30. As far as production, it depends VERY much on where you practice…in terms of geography, and type of practice.

I love pediatrics and special needs/care dentistry without question

If this is your main area of interest, I would definitely go for residency. That being said, there’s nothing wrong with working in a peds heavy practice or doing a peds heavy GPR for a bit before you do residency. If nothing else it helps you get your speed up, clarifies your decision, and can be a plus on your application.

 

[DocMon16]

I practiced for 17 years before going back, and am also halfway through my residency. I agree 100%. My behavior management, treatment planning, comfort level…everything is different.


This actually bothered me less than I thought it would. I think it depends on your personality and perspective.


This is very difficult to answer. It depends on how you structure your days. On the low end you might see 4 or 5 on your GA days. On the other hand if you have a day where you‘re running a couple of hyg chairs and a couple of ops chairs you might see 30. As far as production, it depends VERY much on where you practice…in terms of geography, and type of practice.


If this is your main area of interest, I would definitely go for residency. That being said, there’s nothing wrong with working in a peds heavy practice or doing a peds heavy GPR for a bit before you do residency. If nothing else it helps you get your speed up, clarifies your decision, and can be a plus on your application.

^^This...do the residency, you won't regret it.

 

[JustFlossy]

Thank you all SO much. I wanted to get some real input because I don’t know anyone personally who was in this position, and being a D3 know, it’s about that time that I start planning to apply. We will pray on it and see how the application cycle goes next year 🤞🏽 I appreciate all of you!