pre-med vs pre-dental

[AllSmiles66]

just out of curiosity, i'm just wondering how you all chose the career profession of dentistry as opposed to medicine?

i started college pre-med, switched to pre-dent, and now i'm more confused than ever, i'm just looking to hear all your words of inspiration or why you all are working so hard to be doing pre-dental?

thanks in advance for your responses and i look forward to hearing from you all!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[rocknightmare]

what you want in life? what life-style? what type of skills you want to implement later on? answer those questions. then go out and shadow the fields and see which fits the answers.

 

[ucizotzot]

what you want in life? what life-style? what type of skills you want to implement later on? answer those questions. then go out and shadow the fields and see which fits the answers.

i second that. lifestyle is very important. i was pre-med up till just a few months ago! i realized that i wanted a lifestyle of flexibility more than i wanted to be an m.d.. there's a give and take for both and both are great! but check out what you really want and go all the way after you decide.

 

[rocknightmare]

one thing i wanted to add. don't give up on something if it doesn't happen at first for ones dreams to come true. and don't ever take the easy out. sorry getting too corny here

 

[Gulch]

You could try making a T-chart listing the pros and cons of each. Here's what I put on mine when I had to make the same decision as an ignorant undergrad. If I'm off on any of this stuff I hope that dental students and doctors will correct me or add to the list.

A few pros for Medicine:

1. lots of possibilities as far as what you actually end up practicing (more specialities, more research, etc.)
2. slightly more public status. This is sort of obvious, but there are at least two ways you can measure it: a.) # of television programs romanticizing the practice/ lifestyle of medical doctors b.) watch the reactions of people when you tell them you are going to medical school vs. dental school...just try it.
3. although most dentists and physicians are on par financially, medicine could possibly be more lucrative than dentistry
4. Lots of different scenarios everyday, absolute necessity to keep up with current literature, while most of the dentists I know toss the scholarly journals in the can just as soon as they get them.
5. get to save lives more directly, at least if you're working in the ER; ie, you might derive a greater sense of purpose and meaning from your career in medicine.
6. more resources/ funding, especially at med schools, while some dental schools are so short on funding they have to close (loyola, northwestern, georgetown...)

Cons of medicine:

1. Insurance/ hmo/ppo/corporate hospitals telling you who you can/cannot treat and how with what- decrease in autonomy
2. public recognition may inflate your ego and make you believe you are more important than you really are. (not necessarily, but it happens) I just knew that so much recognition might turn me into a jerk. Prevention is the best medicine!
3. residency can put a huge strain on marriage or relationship
4. being "on call" (if you are working for a hospital or group practice) reduces the activities you can engage in or where you can go on the weekend
5. typically less autonomy due to insurance, hospital and urgent need for care
6. Very stressful- some people are great stress managers, but I prefer less than more. I don't want to feel responsible for someone dying. I'm sure I'd eventually grow calloused, but still...
7. Sometimes the longhours of medicine can send the message to the family that work is more important- whether its true or not. I want to be a husband and dad before doctor so and so.

Pros for Dentistry:

1. More autonomy
2. Great pay
3. Little interference (at least at present) from insurance companies
4. Flexible schedule (see autonomy)- I anticipate working anywhere from 3-6 days a week once I am established in my practice
5. leave work at the office at 4-5 pm, then come home to the fam/ and more time to pursue my own hobbies like painting, backpacking, writing and gardening
6. don't have to deal with life and death situations as frequently
7. opportunities to specialize (albeit, fewer than medicine)
8. predictable workday
9. continuing education seminars in cabo!
10. opportunities for humanitarian aid/ and a dire need here in the states to provide oral health care to underserved communities (medicine might have lots of opportunites for public service too, so not mutually exclusive here)
11. Very hands on--as I mentioned before I like to paint/draw/sculpt, so I like to work with my hands, but Dentistry pays more
12. Less public oggling helps keep my head from bursting from an overinflated ego. I could see that happening to me if I pursued medicine...it would be tragic

Cons of dentistry

1. Its not fun to be called a premed washout or fake doctor. It can be hurtful even if its not true, just because of the hostile or condescending nature of the comment. So you've got to be confident with yourself and happy with dentistry in order to not develop an inferiority complex. Or if your into public admiration be a doctor, lawyer or american idol.
2. It can be boring if you are just drilling and filling all the time, although this is rarely the case
3. It may be a little harder than medicine to go home each day and say, "I really made a difference in someone's life today" even though you likely did
4. dental schools are not as well funded as med schools
5. reported high suicide rates among denists (I suppose they don't find real meaning or purpose in their lives-"existential vacuum"? is what victor frankl would call it, or maybe they have an inferiority complex to medical doctors) I don't know, but I;m sure there is something to be reckoned with there
6. a lot of patients, especially those of GPs are in dread and expect excruciating pain at the very site of your face as a dentist. that could get emotionally taxing after a while.
7. Less need to stay current with literature; consequently, it could be less challenging/intellectually stimulating than you care for

But at the end of the day, dentistry is a good job that pays well. For me, dentistry was not a "spiritual calling" like so many premeds claim to have had. It is just a great career that allows me to be have a life first.

 

[ISU_Steve]

Are you prepared to see people die? I've seen more than my share of death and that's why I don't want to be a doctor. That and every doctor I know in a specialty other than the cushy specialties (dermatology being the most perfect example) are miserable and complain about their jobs all the time.

 

[Pikeyman]

You could try making a T-chart listing the pros and cons of each. Here's what I put on mine when I had to make the same decision as an ignorant undergrad. If I'm off on any of this stuff I hope that dental students and doctors will correct me or add to the list.

A few pros for Medicine:

1. lots of possibilities as far as what you actually end up practicing (more specialities, more research, etc.)
2. slightly more public status. This is sort of obvious, but there are at least two ways you can measure it: a.) # of television programs romanticizing the practice/ lifestyle of medical doctors b.) watch the reactions of people when you tell them you are going to medical school vs. dental school...just try it.
3. although most dentists and physicians are on par financially, medicine could possibly be more lucrative than dentistry
4. Lots of different scenarios everyday, absolute necessity to keep up with current literature, while most of the dentists I know toss the scholarly journals in the can just as soon as they get them.
5. get to save lives more directly, at least if you're working in the ER; ie, you might derive a greater sense of purpose and meaning from your career in medicine.
6. more resources/ funding, especially at med schools, while some dental schools are so short on funding they have to close (loyola, northwestern, georgetown...)

Cons of medicine:

1. Insurance/ hmo/ppo/corporate hospitals telling you who you can/cannot treat and how with what- decrease in autonomy
2. public recognition may inflate your ego and make you believe you are more important than you really are. (not necessarily, but it happens) I just knew that so much recognition might turn me into a jerk. Prevention is the best medicine!
3. residency can put a huge strain on marriage or relationship
4. being "on call" (if you are working for a hospital or group practice) reduces the activities you can engage in or where you can go on the weekend
5. typically less autonomy due to insurance, hospital and urgent need for care
6. Very stressful- some people are great stress managers, but I prefer less than more. I don't want to feel responsible for someone dying. I'm sure I'd eventually grow calloused, but still...
7. Sometimes the longhours of medicine can send the message to the family that work is more important- whether its true or not. I want to be a husband and dad before doctor so and so.

Pros for Dentistry:

1. More autonomy
2. Great pay
3. Little interference (at least at present) from insurance companies
4. Flexible schedule (see autonomy)- I anticipate working anywhere from 3-6 days a week once I am established in my practice
5. leave work at the office at 4-5 pm, then come home to the fam/ and more time to pursue my own hobbies like painting, backpacking, writing and gardening
6. don't have to deal with life and death situations as frequently
7. opportunities to specialize (albeit, fewer than medicine)
8. predictable workday
9. continuing education seminars in cabo!
10. opportunities for humanitarian aid/ and a dire need here in the states to provide oral health care to underserved communities (medicine might have lots of opportunites for public service too, so not mutually exclusive here)
11. Very hands on--as I mentioned before I like to paint/draw/sculpt, so I like to work with my hands, but Dentistry pays more
12. Less public oggling helps keep my head from bursting from an overinflated ego. I could see that happening to me if I pursued medicine...it would be tragic

Cons of dentistry

1. Its not fun to be called a premed washout or fake doctor. It can be hurtful even if its not true, just because of the hostile or condescending nature of the comment. So you've got to be confident with yourself and happy with dentistry in order to not develop an inferiority complex. Or if your into public admiration be a doctor, lawyer or american idol.
2. It can be boring if you are just drilling and filling all the time, although this is rarely the case
3. It may be a little harder than medicine to go home each day and say, "I really made a difference in someone's life today" even though you likely did
4. dental schools are not as well funded as med schools
5. reported high suicide rates among denists (I suppose they don't find real meaning or purpose in their lives-"existential vacuum"? is what victor frankl would call it, or maybe they have an inferiority complex to medical doctors) I don't know, but I;m sure there is something to be reckoned with there
6. a lot of patients, especially those of GPs are in dread and expect excruciating pain at the very site of your face as a dentist. that could get emotionally taxing after a while.
7. Less need to stay current with literature; consequently, it could be less challenging/intellectually stimulating than you care for

But at the end of the day, dentistry is a good job that pays well. For me, dentistry was not a "spiritual calling" like so many premeds claim to have had. It is just a great career that allows me to be have a life first.

I bet you don't even go out without Abercrombie & Fitch and Starbucks.

Seems insecure even to utter those words.

As long as I know my stats, f'ck I care what others think.

 

[ecdoesit]

Not sure about number 7 of your cons.
As dentists, we better know our stuff and new stuff. I dont like a doctor who cant answer my questions. Physicians or dentists alike, our patients are equiped with the powerful internet. Nowaday, they can find as much information as they can and ask us questions. Unless u want to lose confidence from your patient's, you better know ur stuff.

You could try making a T-chart listing the pros and cons of each. Here's what I put on mine when I had to make the same decision as an ignorant undergrad. If I'm off on any of this stuff I hope that dental students and doctors will correct me or add to the list.

A few pros for Medicine:

1. lots of possibilities as far as what you actually end up practicing (more specialities, more research, etc.)
2. slightly more public status. This is sort of obvious, but there are at least two ways you can measure it: a.) # of television programs romanticizing the practice/ lifestyle of medical doctors b.) watch the reactions of people when you tell them you are going to medical school vs. dental school...just try it.
3. although most dentists and physicians are on par financially, medicine could possibly be more lucrative than dentistry
4. Lots of different scenarios everyday, absolute necessity to keep up with current literature, while most of the dentists I know toss the scholarly journals in the can just as soon as they get them.
5. get to save lives more directly, at least if you're working in the ER; ie, you might derive a greater sense of purpose and meaning from your career in medicine.
6. more resources/ funding, especially at med schools, while some dental schools are so short on funding they have to close (loyola, northwestern, georgetown...)

Cons of medicine:

1. Insurance/ hmo/ppo/corporate hospitals telling you who you can/cannot treat and how with what- decrease in autonomy
2. public recognition may inflate your ego and make you believe you are more important than you really are. (not necessarily, but it happens) I just knew that so much recognition might turn me into a jerk. Prevention is the best medicine!
3. residency can put a huge strain on marriage or relationship
4. being "on call" (if you are working for a hospital or group practice) reduces the activities you can engage in or where you can go on the weekend
5. typically less autonomy due to insurance, hospital and urgent need for care
6. Very stressful- some people are great stress managers, but I prefer less than more. I don't want to feel responsible for someone dying. I'm sure I'd eventually grow calloused, but still...
7. Sometimes the longhours of medicine can send the message to the family that work is more important- whether its true or not. I want to be a husband and dad before doctor so and so.

Pros for Dentistry:

1. More autonomy
2. Great pay
3. Little interference (at least at present) from insurance companies
4. Flexible schedule (see autonomy)- I anticipate working anywhere from 3-6 days a week once I am established in my practice
5. leave work at the office at 4-5 pm, then come home to the fam/ and more time to pursue my own hobbies like painting, backpacking, writing and gardening
6. don't have to deal with life and death situations as frequently
7. opportunities to specialize (albeit, fewer than medicine)
8. predictable workday
9. continuing education seminars in cabo!
10. opportunities for humanitarian aid/ and a dire need here in the states to provide oral health care to underserved communities (medicine might have lots of opportunites for public service too, so not mutually exclusive here)
11. Very hands on--as I mentioned before I like to paint/draw/sculpt, so I like to work with my hands, but Dentistry pays more
12. Less public oggling helps keep my head from bursting from an overinflated ego. I could see that happening to me if I pursued medicine...it would be tragic

Cons of dentistry

1. Its not fun to be called a premed washout or fake doctor. It can be hurtful even if its not true, just because of the hostile or condescending nature of the comment. So you've got to be confident with yourself and happy with dentistry in order to not develop an inferiority complex. Or if your into public admiration be a doctor, lawyer or american idol.
2. It can be boring if you are just drilling and filling all the time, although this is rarely the case
3. It may be a little harder than medicine to go home each day and say, "I really made a difference in someone's life today" even though you likely did
4. dental schools are not as well funded as med schools
5. reported high suicide rates among denists (I suppose they don't find real meaning or purpose in their lives-"existential vacuum"? is what victor frankl would call it, or maybe they have an inferiority complex to medical doctors) I don't know, but I;m sure there is something to be reckoned with there
6. a lot of patients, especially those of GPs are in dread and expect excruciating pain at the very site of your face as a dentist. that could get emotionally taxing after a while.
7. Less need to stay current with literature; consequently, it could be less challenging/intellectually stimulating than you care for

But at the end of the day, dentistry is a good job that pays well. For me, dentistry was not a "spiritual calling" like so many premeds claim to have had. It is just a great career that allows me to be have a life first.

 

[msf41]

Gulch,

Love the numbered lists man! Well said. I think you hit just about everything. Perhaps GavinC can copy your list and put it up as a sticky??

 

[v&andy_yankee]

allsmiles,

you can't really know which one you'd prefer until you've shadowed or worked in both, then compare. i volunteered in hospitals extensively throughout high school and college, but the medicine lightbulb never went off. however, i worked in a dental office and soon fell in love.

the good thing is that you really don't have to make up your mind until the summer when you apply. the premed and predental track are identical: the exact same courses (chem, orgo, bio), research work is favored, and shadowing a must. so just go ahead and shadow both fields, keep up the grades, because you have until that summer of applications to decide.

 

[AllSmiles66]

Would you say that being a dentist is less work or less taxing than being a doctor?

And do you feel that compassion is a necessary requirement for both jobs?

Would you say that dentists in the end, live more comfortably than doctors?

I'm just even more awed when pre-dental students chose to go this route without any parental influence (one of the parents being a dentist)

 

[Gulch]

I bet you don't even go out without Abercrombie & Fitch and Starbucks.

Seems insecure even to utter those words.

As long as I know my stats, f'ck I care what others think.

Thanks pikeyman, I'll have to take that up with my therapist. Just kidding, all I'm trying to say is that it is annoying to do something that is sometimes criticized or belittled after working so hard to acheive it. So, thanks for your ignorant comments but back off. I don't own one article of Abercrombie clothing and for what its worth I don't drink coffee, so the starbucks is pretty much out too. So go pound sand.

 

[Gulch]

Not sure about number 7 of your cons.
As dentists, we better know our stuff and new stuff. I dont like a doctor who cant answer my questions. Physicians or dentists alike, our patients are equiped with the powerful internet. Nowaday, they can find as much information as they can and ask us questions. Unless u want to lose confidence from your patient's, you better know ur stuff.

I agree 100%. Staying current with the literature and knowing whats going on chemically, physiologically, etc. is what sets apart a real doctor and a glorified technician. I too, plan to be one of the dentists who can field the hard questions by staying up to date with whats going on in the field.

 

[Gulch]

Gulch,

Love the numbered lists man! Well said. I think you hit just about everything. Perhaps GavinC can copy your list and put it up as a sticky??

thanks man

 

[ISU_Steve]

Would you say that being a dentist is less work or less taxing than being a doctor?

And do you feel that compassion is a necessary requirement for both jobs?

Would you say that dentists in the end, live more comfortably than doctors?

I'm just even more awed when pre-dental students chose to go this route without any parental influence (one of the parents being a dentist)

1. Less taxing. The dentists I know are some of the most laid back people I have ever come across as a group.

2. Of course.

3. Maybe not more comfortably, but definitely as comfortably and with FAR more free time to enjoy the fruits of their labors.

Why would parental influence have anything to do with this and make it any more awe-inspiring?

 

[AllSmiles66]

bump

 

[carn311]

I've been up cramming for finals...and struggling over whether I should become a physician or a dentist. I love the idea of both... but for some reason I cant give up medicine. I dont know why. I've done all but beat myself for not picking dentistry officially ESPECIALLY with all the great insight that ISU_Steve has shown with his posts about all of the death and gore that he has seen (I'm an EMT myself).

Its just a decision that I dont know how to make. Esspecially with finals tomorrow! lol

It just helps to see that there are other people in similar shoes....

lets start a support group

 

[Pikeyman]

Thanks pikeyman, I'll have to take that up with my therapist. Just kidding, all I'm trying to say is that it is annoying to do something that is sometimes criticized or belittled after working so hard to acheive it. So, thanks for your ignorant comments but back off. I don't own one article of Abercrombie clothing and for what its worth I don't drink coffee, so the starbucks is pretty much out too. So go pound sand.

Like I said, f'ck should you care or mind what people think or say. They are not dentists to begin with.

It's like f'ck you to the *****s.

 

[carn311]

Like I said, f'ck should you care or mind what people think or say. They are not dentists to begin with.

It's like f'ck you to the *****s.

I agree...

Just not with the that F-ing swearing part...
It makes people sound some how.....less intelligent

 

[Tzips]

Just not with the that F-ing swearing part...
It makes people sound some how.....less intelligent

Second the motion; that is one of my (unfortunately rather numerous) pet peeves. "F__" is neither an all-purpose adjective nor a space-filler to be used when the speaker cannot recall a word. And for those who use it every third word - well, they sound like sports announcers, and we all know how fabulously intelligent they are.

Sorry for hijacking the thread. Back to the discussion:

 

[rocknightmare]

you know what you guys remind me off??

king of the hill.... with that guy that guy that doesn't sound right..

 

[carn311]

you know what you guys remind me off??

king of the hill.... with that guy that guy that doesn't sound right..

I'm lost...

 

[rocknightmare]

all that bickering

 

[ISU_Steve]

Boomhauer?

 

[onetoothleft]

Thanks pikeyman, I'll have to take that up with my therapist. Just kidding, all I'm trying to say is that it is annoying to do something that is sometimes criticized or belittled after working so hard to acheive it. So, thanks for your ignorant comments but back off. I don't own one article of Abercrombie clothing and for what its worth I don't drink coffee, so the starbucks is pretty much out too. So go pound sand.

I went to BYU as well (same as Gulch) so I know what it is like to say "pre-dent" and feel judged. You have to understand the culture to appreciate this post. BYU supposedly sends out more medical and dental students than any other university and people often use their chosen profession (among other things) as a status symbol rather than material possessions. While people sometimes wear A&F clothes there, they definately do not hang out at starbucks. But pikeyman is right to point out that in the real world things are very different. Outside of BYU I have not run into that problem at all.

 

[Bullfan16]

Second the motion; that is one of my (unfortunately rather numerous) pet peeves. "F__" is neither an all-purpose adjective nor a space-filler to be used when the speaker cannot recall a word. And for those who use it every third word - well, they sound like sports announcers, and we all know how fabulously intelligent they are.

Sorry for hijacking the thread. Back to the discussion:

Havent heard many sports announcers cussing lately.....seeing that they are live on radio/tv.....I would say they have to be more choosy about what they say vs. say an ATHLETE whose vocabulary on the court/field/arena, etc. consists of vulgarities.

Gulch, all dentists have to stay up on the current procedures/techniques used in the modern office. My dad is always stressing to me that in order to keep his practice moving along he needs to stay current and cant rely only on what he learned in dental school 30 years ago. Those that do not continue to learn hinder their ability to practice so-called "good" dentistry. There are table clinics, presentations, lectures, literature, etc. Lastly, DDS/DMD's go through 4 years of school....so do MD's/DO's. In fact we will be taking pre-clinical coursework and the advanced sciences while they take all science courses. Forget about image...let the pre-meds be arrogant. Laugh later when your insurance costs 3/4 of what they pay.

Vandy has some good advice...it takes the same courses to get into either profession. Shadow both and decide. Apply to both if you want to do so.

 

[AllSmiles66]

i think both professions would be great, but is there really that big of a difference in lifestyle among the two?

i've just never been so confused in my life so any input you guys have to offer is greatly apprecaited!

 

[ISU_Steve]

Yes, basically unless you want to be a dermatologist (no emergencies, no call, pretty mundane teetering on boring- I could never work in a specialty where a case of pemphigus is a reason to get excited) free time will be a precious commodity if you become a phyisician.

This is opposed to dentistry where the average is a 35-40 hr work week, pay that rivals and/or surpasses (especially if specialize) that of many MD specialists (especially FP and internal med). No emergency call unless you choose to do it, you can set your own schedule, far less stress, and your patients don't have a tendency to just up and die on you with near the frequency of what happens in medicine. Here's a good test: Go to a hospital, stand in a ward, watch the docs- how many of them look stressed? Hurried? Frazzled (and residents don't count)? Now look at the dentists you know? Do any of them look stressed or frazzled?

Personally I'll take the cut in "respect" that supposedly accompanies the decision to not be an MD and become a DDS, because I don't care. I value my sanity far too much to put myself through the hell that is practice as an MD. Just my two cents......

 

[johnny_blaze]

Yes, basically unless you want to be a dermatologist (no emergencies, no call, pretty mundane teetering on boring- I could never work in a specialty where a case of pemphigus is a reason to get excited) free time will be a precious commodity if you become a phyisician.

This is opposed to dentistry where the average is a 35-40 hr work week, pay that rivals and/or surpasses (especially if specialize) that of many MD specialists (especially FP and internal med). No emergency call unless you choose to do it, you can set your own schedule, far less stress, and your patients don't have a tendency to just up and die on you with near the frequency of what happens in medicine. Here's a good test: Go to a hospital, stand in a ward, watch the docs- how many of them look stressed? Hurried? Frazzled (and residents don't count)? Now look at the dentists you know? Do any of them look stressed or frazzled?

Personally I'll take the cut in "respect" that supposedly accompanies the decision to not be an MD and become a DDS, because I don't care. I value my sanity far too much to put myself through the hell that is practice as an MD. Just my two cents......

This is the dumbest thing I have ever heard. It is possible to have a life as a doctor… and you don’t have to be a dermatologist! The best example is diagnostic radiology, I grew up around radiologists and these guys make loads of cash and work good hours. I even know some physicians (and surgeons too) that have chose sub-specialties that are not too demanding.

Bottom line… if anybody out there is having issues as to which profession to choose: med or dent, get experience in both and make the decision yourself! I can go on and on as to why I think medicine is better than dentistry… but who cares? It’s my opinion… go make your own because that’s the one you should really care about!