pedo. specialty for those who can't get into ortho?

[DoctorHappyFeet]

So, I was talking to a pedo resident at my school the other day. She said that a lot of people who go into pedo are people who didn't have what it takes to get into orthodontics. And they decided on pedo because they still wanted to specialize and get the pay of a specialist.

Any thoughts on this?

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[seablaster]

I think it is unfortunate that a resident thinks that of her own specialty.

The potential to generate more income is a poor reason to pursue any specialty. Most of the pedodontists I have met have had an innate ability to put children at ease and really enjoyed treating them. That being said, treating them is not always the easiest task. Those who specialize in something that they truly don't enjoy are going to be miserable no matter how much money they make.

 

[drhobie7]

The people I know doing pedo had no desire to do ortho. Pedo definitely wasn't their second choice.

 

[oms fan]

One of my friends was thinking heavily about ortho but finally decided on pedo. During her first couple months of residency, her program learns a lot of ortho. She called me saying how glad whe was she chose pedo and that she would have killed herself had she done ortho (she could've gotten in...she was very competitive).
I wouldn't say pedo as sub for ortho is the norm...

 

[DoctorHappyFeet]

I think it is unfortunate that a resident thinks that of her own specialty.

I agree. I was surprised by her comments.

I was curious if anybody else felt the same way.

 

[gryffindor]

I thought about both fields in dental school and started considering pedo even more after graduation if I hadn't gotten into ortho on my last try. What appeals to me about both fields is working mostly with a younger population. To put it simply, what drew me to ortho was the non-invasive nature of the field. What made me consider that I could do pedo was the restorative procedures are much simpler compared to adult procedures and most of the treatment is fast-paced. I think I could have been happy doing either one, but since I had to chose, I went with ortho since the results of treatment tend to be more dramatic and the restorative is minimal in this specialty. I had a co-resident in my GPR who was also undecided between the two fields, and she choose to go with pedo.

 

[ItsGavinC]

Working with younger populations is about the only similarity between the two fields. I'm also surprised by the comment. Nobody in their right mind should specialize in a profession that they have no interest in. That goes for pedo, ortho, OMS, endo, prosth, and hygiene (err, perio ). It just doesn't make any sense.

 

[MrVagus]

Working with younger populations is about the only similarity between the two fields. I'm also surprised by the comment. Nobody in their right mind should specialize in a profession that they have no interest in. That goes for pedo, ortho, OMS, endo, prosth, and hygiene (err, perio ). It just doesn't make any sense.

You're correct about that one, it just doesn't make any sense. And besides its much simpler and alot less heartache to just morph the specialty name to something..like... err... periodontal plastic surgery

 

[docj1]

So, I was talking to a pedo resident at my school the other day. She said that a lot of people who go into pedo are people who didn't have what it takes to get into orthodontics. And they decided on pedo because they still wanted to specialize and get the pay of a specialist.

Any thoughts on this?

You can get the pay of a specialist being a GP without doing a residency. If the reason someone does a residency is to make more money than they are missing the boat.

 

[ItsGavinC]

You can get the pay of a specialist being a GP without doing a residency. If the reason someone does a residency is to make more money than they are missing the boat.

You can, but it isn't commonplace. You're right about missing the boat, though. The idea of specializing is learning more about something that you love--and then implementing that on a daily basis.

 

[REGENR8R]

You can, but it isn't commonplace. You're right about missing the boat, though. The idea of specializing is learning more about something that you love--and then implementing that on a daily basis.

Yes...that includes perio plastic surgery, and hygiene.

 

[docj1]

You can, but it isn't commonplace. You're right about missing the boat, though. The idea of specializing is learning more about something that you love--and then implementing that on a daily basis.

That's the truth

 

[Jone]

the more pedo's, ortho's, and residents of pedo and ortho i meet, the more i get the feeling that pedo's can make absurd amounts of money, and much easier than an ortho or GP. not easier in the sense of how hard they work, rather the ease of successfully building a practice or finding an associateship that pays you the megabucks. i know 5 ortho residents who are graduating this summer, all of whom can't find jobs in the location they want. pedo seems to have less saturation at the moment, and i've had various GP's tell me "set up a pedo practice in my neighborhood, don't even bother to put your name in the phone book, and i guarantee you'll be booked 6 months out". i almost get the feeling that some pedo's hide the fact that it is such a lucrative specialty, since they don't want to tarnish its reputation as being the most "noble" of them. personally i think they deserve all the money they get.

So, I was talking to a pedo resident at my school the other day. She said that a lot of people who go into pedo are people who didn't have what it takes to get into orthodontics. And they decided on pedo because they still wanted to specialize and get the pay of a specialist.

Any thoughts on this?

 

[Pedo RoDeO]

From my experience, there are pedo applicants that are more qualified than ortho applicants and vice versa...

Sure, someone who wants to do ortho MAY get into pedo (though I doubt it, b/c you really have to be passionate about working with kids... and it shows in your interview)... but I guarantee you, that if their heart was in ortho, they will suck as a pedodontist. They are totally different fields.

Most pedodontists could be orthodontists (why would we though, its boring as hell!!!), but very few orthodontists could do pedo....

 

[cuneatus2]

Most pedodontists could be orthodontists (why would we though, its boring as hell!!!), but very few orthodontists could do pedo....

O

 

[dentH]

i know some people at our school who couldve matched for ortho decided to pursue pedo as their speciality... i feel bad for that pedo resident who thinks of her speciality that way....

 

[Pedo RoDeO]

Oh brother....you've got to be kidding me.

You know it true cune... any dental student can be taught to straighten teeth. Only certain people can deal with the tough kids day in and day out. More and more general dentists are doing ortho as well... new technologies such as invisalign are making the task of "straightening teeth" much simpler than in the past. Pedo is definitely harder.... that's reality. It takes a "unique personality" to do pedo (those are tougher to find than your average ortho applicant who wants an easy life and his assistants to do all the work).

 

[capisce?]

You know it true cune... any dental student can be taught to straighten teeth. Only certain people can deal with the tough kids day in and day out. More and more general dentists are doing ortho as well... new technologies such as invisalign are making the task of "straightening teeth" much simpler than in the past. Pedo is definitely harder.... that's reality. It takes a "unique personality" to do pedo (those are tougher to find than your average ortho applicant who wants an easy life and his assistants to do all the work).

Fortunately, not everyone has the same feelings about ortho as this.

I personally have a lot of respect for orthos, and pedo and ortho are two distinct fields IMO.

 

[Pedo RoDeO]

I have respect for orthos as well...

but if someone wants to start a thread "pedo. specialty for those who can't get into ortho"... pedos should get some respect as well

 

[capisce?]

I have respect for orthos as well...

but if someone wants to start a thread "pedo. specialty for those who can't get into ortho"... pedos should get some respect as well

Not really...you should realize that such a ridiculous thread is not worth arguing over.

 

[dentH]

this is a stupid thread. i have friends in both fields and my pedo friends did not get into the field because they couldn't get into ortho.... this thread is making me mad anyhow, this is a question for those who are debating between pedo vs ortho, what are pros and cons of each fields? future in ortho vs pedo ? practice management/income for each field? i know this a lot to ask but i am curious

 

[Pedo RoDeO]

Not really...you should realize that such a ridiculous thread is not worth arguing over.

Sorry for not realizing it sweetheart....

 

[Firm]

There is a huge need for pediatric dentist. Where I live there are only 7-8 compared to about 30 orthodontists. I've been thinking about going back to school for pedo. It makes an ortho practice run so much better when the patients don't have to do back an forth to get their teeth cleaned, or for extractions.