Reality of dentistry.

[iheartz]

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Hey i have a question for all the dentists here. Why did you choose dentistry? Is the path to becoming a dentist as rigorous as one the path to become a physician?

 

[KOM]

Hey i have a question for all the dentists here. Why did you choose dentistry? Is the path to becoming a dentist as rigorous as one the path to become a physician?

The business aspect, the details, the lifestyle, the people, the challenge.

I can't really comment on becoming a physician except that there is a greater academic difficulty at my wife's med school than my dental school.

Having said that, some of the technical aspects of dentistry have been among the most challenging things I've done in my life.

 

[armorshell]

Hey i have a question for all the dentists here. Why did you choose dentistry? Is the path to becoming a dentist as rigorous as one the path to become a physician?

In no way is the path as rigorous to become a dentist as it is a physician. Denta school and medical school may be somewhat comparable, but 3-7 years of mandatory residency sort of kick our butts in terms of rigor.

 

[nickd]

Hey i have a question for all the dentists here. Why did you choose dentistry? Is the path to becoming a dentist as rigorous as one the path to become a physician?

Im going to like the money.

 

[iheartz]

little off topic but... are there any dentists here who got rejected from med school prior to goin dental

 

[HawkeyeDDS]

little off topic but... are there any dentists here who got rejected from med school prior to goin dental

Isn't that the standard joke?

It goes both ways, dentistry is alot more hands on and artistic, medschool is alot more didactic. we had several people in my class that got sick of med school and switched to dental, and we had one that got sick of dental school and went to med school. It's not comparing apples to apples. Although many dentist have an inferiority complex about their profession. "oh you didn't get into med school?" Get over it and enjoy the ride.

I like the diversity of dentistry, the artistry, that's why I chose it over medicine. Oh and the fact that I didn't want to deal with anything below the waist.

 

[eson]

Because I came up with a business plan where I will be able to hire a hygienist to do all the work while I relax and watch ESPN every day and because it pays a lot of money.

Plus, I don't think other jobs would allow you to build a lounge in the office just for watching ESPN, but with dentistry I can do that because I would own the office. (otherwise, I would have chosen pharmacy)

I haven't been able to watch ESPN as much as I am used to lately, so this has factored into my decision quite heavily.

 

[eson]

Can pharmacists watch ESPN too? My dad said 'depends on the pharmacy'. Hmm... got to research this more.

 

[novaman]

I've been lurking here for a while, but it is time to start contributing and I think this would be a good thread to reply to.

I was attracted to dentistry ever since junior high. Why? Because I loved to work with my hands, I'm artistic, I have a n interest in science (especially physics), and I wanted to help people and enjoyed working with people.

I had thought about being an MD, but my good childhood friend's dad was a thoracic surgeon, and my friend kept telling me not to be an MD because her dad worked such long hours, she hardly ever saw her dad. decent working hours and Family life were (and still are) important to me, so that made dentistry even more appealing.

The problem I had was that most every one was discouraging me from becoming a dentist. Now this was the late 1970's mind you, and everyone thought that the insurance industry was going to drive dentistry down the tubes (as it has done to some parts of medicine). My orthodontist discouraged me, my dad did not encourage me and wanted me to be an engineer, so I started undergrad in engineering. I spent my first summer of college after freshman year working for an engineering group, and quickly realized that engineering was NOT for me. I needed to interact with people.

So I transfered out of Engineering into whatever could get me to dental school quickest.. My undergrad premed advisor spent 2 years telling me not to do it...that dentistry would be a waste. My advisor was saying this because I was a top notch student who could go to med school if i wanted to and in his words "be a real doctor". But I didn't listen to any of them and followed my heart. I graduated in 3 years with a 3.79 in Biochem.

I have been a dentist now for 20 years and have no regrets. I am living the life I always dreamed. I have a beautiful family, I'm able to spend lots of time with them, I have a very successful practice, I absolutely love what I do, and my income is beyond anything I had imagined.

So that's why I became a dentist

 

[reapply2007]

Being a physician involves years of additional effort after medical school that are not necessarily required of dentists after dental school. However, medical students at this school seem to be in a pretty good mood almost all of the time, and have shorter study hours than the dental students.

Beyond surveying the obvious ... you'll need to answer the questions on your secondary applications yourself.

 

[setdoc7]

I've been lurking here for a while, but it is time to start contributing and I think this would be a good thread to reply to.

I was attracted to dentistry ever since junior high. Why? Because I loved to work with my hands, I'm artistic, I have a n interest in science (especially physics), and I wanted to help people and enjoyed working with people.

I had thought about being an MD, but my good childhood friend's dad was a thoracic surgeon, and my friend kept telling me not to be an MD because her dad worked such long hours, she hardly ever saw her dad. decent working hours and Family life were (and still are) important to me, so that made dentistry even more appealing.

The problem I had was that most every one was discouraging me from becoming a dentist. Now this was the late 1970's mind you, and everyone thought that the insurance industry was going to drive dentistry down the tubes (as it has done to some parts of medicine). My orthodontist discouraged me, my dad did not encourage me and wanted me to be an engineer, so I started undergrad in engineering. I spent my first summer of college after freshman year working for an engineering group, and quickly realized that engineering was NOT for me. I needed to interact with people.

So I transfered out of Engineering into whatever could get me to dental school quickest.. My undergrad premed advisor spent 2 years telling me not to do it...that dentistry would be a waste. My advisor was saying this because I was a top notch student who could go to med school if i wanted to and in his words "be a real doctor". But I didn't listen to any of them and followed my heart. I graduated in 3 years with a 3.79 in Biochem.

I have been a dentist now for 20 years and have no regrets. I am living the life I always dreamed. I have a beautiful family, I'm able to spend lots of time with them, I have a very successful practice, I absolutely love what I do, and my income is beyond anything I had imagined.

So that's why I became a dentist

I have been a dentist for 25 years. You have said it all. And we are real doctors, ask anyone with a toothache.

 

[mm78]

Being a physician involves years of additional effort after medical school that are not necessarily required of dentists after dental school. However, medical students at this school seem to be in a pretty good mood almost all of the time, and have shorter study hours than the dental students.

Beyond surveying the obvious ... you'll need to answer the questions on your secondary applications yourself.

Sounds like an easy medical school. Which one is it?

And by the way, I agree that dentistry involves less effort and sacrifice than medical school. Before the flame war begins, this is based on my conversation with friends in dental school, and they aren't ashamed.

However, it looks like all of us health care providers are going to see the toilet salaries within the next 10 years. As lazy filthy Americans see fit to get someone's work as a right, we will all be slaves.

 

[WannaBeDentist]

Sounds like an easy medical school. Which one is it?

I don't think the word "easy" will ever be appropriate to describe either dental or medical school.

 

[shabu2]

I find med school to be MUCH easier than dental school, but the path to become a physician is much harder to the the already stated reasons above (USMLE, residency, etc)

 

[desert rat]

My brother is a phycisian and I am a dentist. My brother is always telling me he wished he went dentistry instead. He works 7 days a week for less than I make at 4 days a week.

 

[bipolardoc]

My brother is a phycisian and I am a dentist. My brother is always telling me he wished he went dentistry instead. He works 7 days a week for less than I make at 4 days a week.

Hmmm sounds too much like the rich dad poor dad story. What specialty was your brother in? How much difference was your salaries. Not all doctors work a lot of hours and not all dentists make it big. I have dental friends who are 7 years out still making 90K and orthopedic surgeon buddy making 1 million plus 55 hours a week 3 years out. I also have a buddy who owns his own dental practice, works MD resident hours, and nets 500K plus and the typical internist who makes 150K for most their life.
I think it all depends, if your business smart you will make alot of money on either field. Some people just dont invest their money wisely or dont take enough risks to set up practices or research areas of where to open a practice.

 

[NapoleonD]

Hey i have a question for all the dentists here. Why did you choose dentistry? Is the path to becoming a dentist as rigorous as one the path to become a physician?

I was a dentist. Actually, I still am! I'm also a medical student. I decided on a career change.

Initially, I liked dentistry because I thought there were some really nifty aspects of the profession--working with my hands, always performing some sort of surgical procedure (yes, fillings count as surgery too)., and having an easier lifestyle.

Sure enough, I got all of those things. But I had a lot of problems with the profession as a whole. Specifically, it has become too commercial. Now all you see are useless jerks advertising "the smile". That's all dentistry has become. Smile this, smile that. It's not like plastic surgery. Cosmetic dentistry is, in comparison, an exceedingly simple task; glueing veneers onto teeth. Trust me, I've done it. Dentists are losing respect among the public. We are less and less coming across as doctors who specialize in oral health, and more and more coming across as salespeople.

The other problem I had with the profession is the over-specialization. Yes, medicine has many specialties, but NINE dental specialties is simply absurd! As a GP, I got tired of performing molar endo with a deep-seeded fear that it might fail down the road and some endodontist prick might find fault with it and encourage the patient to sue. Same thing with removing wisdom teeth. Same thing with perio surgery. As a GP, the only discipline where I am considered an authority is amalgam and composite restorations.

You'd think the dental profession would try and reign-in the specialization. It's getting worse. In 2001 I believe, oral and maxillofacial radiology became a specialty. Unbelievable.

 

[NapoleonD]

Hmmm sounds too much like the rich dad poor dad story. What specialty was your brother in? How much difference was your salaries. Not all doctors work a lot of hours and not all dentists make it big. I have dental friends who are 7 years out still making 90K and orthopedic surgeon buddy making 1 million plus 55 hours a week 3 years out. I also have a buddy who owns his own dental practice, works MD resident hours, and nets 500K plus and the typical internist who makes 150K for most their life.
I think it all depends, if your business smart you will make alot of money on either field. Some people just dont invest their money wisely or dont take enough risks to set up practices or research areas of where to open a practice.

I don't think so, pal. You're belittling other peoples' stories, yet you come up with a whopper of your own with that "I have dental friends......" crap.

I made well over $90k my first year in private practice. If you friends are that far out of school and still making $90k, either they are keeping their work schedule and patient schedule very light, or they are absolute *****s who don't know that they're long overdue for a very hefty raise.

One year, I made $175k working 4.5 days a week with a very, very light schedule. I had huge, gaping holes in my schedule because I had joined a dental practice that was still building up its patient pool to support another doctor, and I still pulled down $175k. Your story is full of you-know-what, pal.

 

[NapoleonD]

I find med school to be MUCH easier than dental school, but the path to become a physician is much harder to the the already stated reasons above (USMLE, residency, etc)

It totally blows my mind that they award OMFS residents in 6-year programs an M.D. degree after two years of medical school.

It's almost as if these medical schools have no idea just how significant the difference is between medical and dental school basic science courses.

 

[armorshell]

It's almost as if these medical schools have no idea just how significant the difference is between medical and dental school basic science courses.

Yeah, those fly-by-nite med schools like, UCLA, UCSF, Columbia, UMich, and UPenn 🙄

 

[gryffindor]

It totally blows my mind that they award OMFS residents in 6-year programs an M.D. degree after two years of medical school.

It's almost as if these medical schools have no idea just how significant the difference is between medical and dental school basic science courses.

Since those MD oral surgeons pass the same USMLE as their medical student counterparts before being awarded the MD, why should it matter how different the basic science courses are? Also, some of us went to dental schools where the med and dental basic science courses were exactly the same, so we weren't all fed the watered down community college versions.

Why do you think going into medicine will allow you to escape the commercialism in dentistry that upset you? There is plenty of it in medicine too so it isn't some sort of safe, purely academic refuge.

 

[OceanDMD]

It totally blows my mind that they award OMFS residents in 6-year programs an M.D. degree after two years of medical school.

It's almost as if these medical schools have no idea just how significant the difference is between medical and dental school basic science courses.

Next time I'll read the whole thread.

 

[Cold Front]

I was a dentist. Actually, I still am! I'm also a medical student. I decided on a career change.

Sounds like dentistry was just a job for you and not a career.

 

[Visceral]

Sure enough, I got all of those things. But I had a lot of problems with the profession as a whole. Specifically, it has become too commercial. Now all you see are useless jerks advertising "the smile". That's all dentistry has become. Smile this, smile that. It's not like plastic surgery. Cosmetic dentistry is, in comparison, an exceedingly simple task; glueing veneers onto teeth. Trust me, I've done it. Dentists are losing respect among the public. We are less and less coming across as doctors who specialize in oral health, and more and more coming across as salespeople.

Yah, that's something I see now too. Some people are alright with it, and to each their own, but when I see all this "smile specialist" and "free gift if new patient" garbage I feel slightly embarrassed to be in the same profession.

Dentistry is gradually drifting from a profession to a commercial service. For people who want money, it'll still be there, but the public perception will change, if it already hasn't.

I guess all I can do is try to hold myself to my own standards, but I already see some classmates who will definitely be the type to open up a practice in a mall and advertise themselves as "smile fixers". Perhaps I'm too judgmental...