Questions, that's it.

[smsc2009]

Hi,
I have posted in many other forums so I just want to make clear that I am just asking questions about different medical professions. I am only in high school and I do not know if Dentistry is for me. I am intrested in Medicine and Pharmacy. I have posted in many forums however just asking questions. I do not want to end up in medical school in six years wishing I would have gone into Denistry or Pharmacy, this is why I am researching. I understand the route to Dentistry is eight years (or more) after high school, correct? B.S. - Dental School. (eight years) This will allow me to practice General Dentistry, and if I wanted to I could do a residency and continue my training in a speicalized field. Can someone please give me a list of these. I would love to hear why some of you choose Dentistry as apposed to Medicine. I also want to add that I do have a very minor physical disability. (leg braces, knee high) I can honestly say that it has never really truely affected me. When I walk with a slight limp that is noticeable, however. As current (pre)Dental students do you think this would affect me in pursuing a career in Dentistry? If I choose to apply to Dental schools do you think I should inform them about my disability? I ask because I do not think I will need any accomendations in the classroom. What do you guys think? I look forward to what you guys have to say.
Thank you

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[SugarNaCl]

First part of your question is yes, dentistry is GENERALLY 8 years after H.S. but on occasion people are accepted without a degree as long as they finished their prereqs. This is not common however. Most people have their B.S. degree. After this, every dental school in the states has a 4 year program with the exception of Pacific in CA. They have a 3 year program. There is one school with a joint MD/DMD degree (same as DDS degree) (Case Western) but from what I understand it is VERY difficult to get into and it is 5 years instead of 4.
As for the dental specialties... these are the main ones: Dental Public Health, Endodontics, Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopaedics, Pediatric dentistry, Periodontics and Prosthodontics.
As for your disability, I don't think it is an issue. If you can get to class and clinic on time you should be fine. Last I checked, running wasn't a requirement for dental school. Best I can think is it may help you in your personal statement about how it may help you relate to others with problems or how you overcame adversity. Some rec. you keep disabilities away from the admissions committee though. I don't think it will make or break you either way.

Dentistry rather than allopathic/osteopathic medicine is a personal opinion. For dentists though, there is more hands on work (unless you are a surgeon), more artistic --both reasons dentistry appealed to me, better hours and the compensation is about the same after insur. is taken into account. MDs still seem to have more prestige though and that bothers some people. Malpractice insur is MUCH less for a dentist though. Cool thing now is that dentistry and medicine are starting to bridge together. It seems like a good time to go into dentistry. Medicine is good too though Good luck

Oh, and keep this in mind. GPA/DAT trends are skyrocketting in dentistry. The average dental school applicant admitted in 2006 had an overall GPA of 3.52, the mean DAT Academic Average was 19.29 and a Perceptual Ability Test (PAT) score of 18.42. It looks like it is only going up from here. I'm interested to find out what the class admitted in 2007 is up to.

 

[smsc2009]

Thank you for your reply, of course I am looking for other opinions but the previous post answers all of my questions. No matter what profession I choose, Medicine, Pharmacy or Dentistry I will probably want to practice in either NY, PA, or CA. What are some well known Dental Schools in the Northeast?
Thanks again

Also, I don't want to start another topic for this but is there a website I can go to find out where my dentist went to Dental school?
Thanks

 

[Columbia07]

Some of the more well known schools in the northeast are NYU, Boston U., Tufts, SUNY SB & Buffalo, UMDNJ, Penn, Columbia, Harvard, Pitt and Temple (I actually think that's all of them).

Like SugarNaCl said, dentistry is appealing because of the artistic and scientific aspects of the field. Dentistry also allows you to build relationships with your patients (generally ortho and general) Beyond these aspects, dentistry was appealing to me because it was more of a specialization. Medicine can be this way too, but more often you are treating the entire body. Although, in the coming years, I think dentistry is going to take a more systemic (whole body) approach. Especially if researchers continue to uncover possible diseases that might arise from the oral cavity (atherosclerosis). The dental and medical field need to start paying more attention to the nutritional aspects of disease. It's very disturbing to think of the many oral cavity problems (periodontal disease, caries, glossitis, angular stomatitis) that arise from one's nutrition, and yet, the dental and medical field continue to lack a credible nutrition curriculum... We'll get there.

Good luck with your future endeavors

 

[smsc2009]

Some of the more well known schools in the northeast are NYU, Boston U., Tufts, SUNY SB & Buffalo, UMDNJ, Penn, Columbia, Harvard, Pitt and Temple (I actually think that's all of them).

NYU, Columbia, UMDNJ, Temple, and Penn are all in areas I could see myself in for four years or even longer. How far is SUNY SB in relation to NYC?
Thanks

 

[Columbia07]

SUNY SB is in Long Island. I'm not sure about the distance to NYC, but I would imagine it's probably at least 1.5 hours.

 

[DDSY]

NYU, Columbia, UMDNJ, Temple, and Penn are all in areas I could see myself in for four years or even longer. How far is SUNY SB in relation to NYC?
Thanks

Stonybrook is in Suffolk County of Long Island.

 

[smsc2009]

As for your disability, I don't think it is an issue. If you can get to class and clinic on time you should be fine. Last I checked, running wasn't a requirement for dental school. Best I can think is it may help you in your personal statement about how it may help you relate to others with problems or how you overcame adversity. Some rec. you keep disabilities away from the admissions committee though. I don't think it will make or break you either way.

I am fine in high school now, I am almost never late, and when I am it has nothing to do with my disability. I think it will be good in a personal statement to explain how I have overcome my physical disability. What other opinions do you guys have? Most of you have been through the admission process what do you think? Again, I said I wear leg braces knee high, and I walk with a slight limp. Do you think I will have a problem meeting the Technical Standards of each school? I know I should be fine, but I just want to get your opinions,
Thanks again

 

[lgwdnbdgr]

My brother did his undergrad there -- he claims there are frequent shuttles from campus to the Long Island Rail Road. 1.5 hrs from the LIRR to Manhattan sounds about right.

SUNY SB is in Long Island. I'm not sure about the distance to NYC, but I would imagine it's probably at least 1.5 hours.

 

[armorshell]

Also, I don't want to start another topic for this but is there a website I can go to find out where my dentist went to Dental school?
Thanks

First of all, kudos to you not only for having the foresight and ambition to think about your future and highschool, but also to present a topic such as this (Which would normally be met with heaping piles of sarcasm) in a way that doesn't offend even the forum's most sensitive entities.

Anyway, the best way to find out where your dentist went to school is to ask him, over the phone or in person. Mention in conversation that you're interested to a degree in pursuing dentistry and they may even let you job shadow them, allowing you to not only get some exposure to the field, but tick a requirement off of your list should you ever decide to apply.

Good luck!