Seriously Though...What Are Some Downsides To Being A Dentist?

[anonymousername]

Practicing Dentists/Dental students,

I hear interns, residents, and attendings always talking about how much medicine sucks. I get PMs from practicing physicians telling me to steer clear of the field entirely.

Dentistry is pretty awesome from my perspective, I would prefer more responsibility and more respect from the lay public. But apart from the intangible things that don't really matter in the long run, what are some downsides to the field of dentistry?

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[lotexigeus]

dental school

 

[yuppers]

dental school

Just a minor detail.

 

[yuppers]

To be serious, I would say possible neck/back issues and the enormous debt are two cons.
Also, owning your own practice requires you to be a businessman/woman... sometimes that means stepping out of your comfort zone (especially in the beginning).

 

[The Hammer]

1. massive debt
2. running a business with no training in how to run a business

 

[gryffindor]

Very repetitive especially as a specialist since I only do one procedure. I find myself giving the same speech all day long. I say "no caramels, no Tootsie Rolls, and no Starbust" so much that yesterday I came across a bowl of Starburst at a party and dove in. However, I won't complain. I have to remember that I am getting paid well to tell kids not to eat Starburst and that is a pretty good gig. One real negative I've found so far as an associate working for someone else is having to deal with often incompetent staff who seem to have mush for brains when it comes to following very simple directions to get the job done efficiently and fast. The faster we finish, the more time I get to stand around and drink coffee and they get to surf facebook, but they don't seem to understand that concept.

 

[Saddleshoes]

Practicing Dentists/Dental students,

I hear interns, residents, and attendings always talking about how much medicine sucks. I get PMs from practicing physicians telling me to steer clear of the field entirely.

Dentistry is pretty awesome from my perspective, I would prefer more responsibility and more respect from the lay public. But apart from the intangible things that don't really matter in the long run, what are some downsides to the field of dentistry?

The funny thing is this...
The up side and the down side are the same issue. That would be -- dealing with people. On any given day I deal with people in a one-on-one basis that break my heart one minute and lift my sole the next.

 

[pixidust]

that break my heart one minute and lift my sole the next.

you mean lift your SOUL? 😉

(i'm just teasin! the first thought that came to mind was break my heart one min and lift my feet the next hahaa)

 

[jay47]

you mean lift your SOUL? 😉

(i'm just teasin! the first thought that came to mind was break my heart one min and lift my feet the next hahaa)

It was a Freudian slip; look at his avatar, lol.

 

[Ostracized]

Just a minor detail.

Don't discount how much it will suck. I have no doubt that these will be the worst four years of my life by far.

 

[yuppers]

Don't discount how much it will suck. I have no doubt that these will be the worst four years of my life by far.

 

[Andre3k]

Don't discount how much it will suck. I have no doubt that these will be the worst four years of my life by far.

Yeah this **** really sucks

 

[Streetwolf]

Oh a sarcasm detector. That's a REAL useful invention.

 

[DrReo]

Don't discount how much it will suck. I have no doubt that these will be the worst four years of my life by far.

Come on guys, DS isn't THAT bad!

 

[datdat]

Back pain (little movement), tough on eyes, repetitive, dealing with people who hate the dentist (aka almost all patients) and dealing with screaming little kids

any suggestion to deal with those problems? do you get a massage a lot or do you have to learn how to make a fun of people?

 

[Slack3r]

-Limited prescribing rights
-Know a lot about a little (focused on the mouth)
-Can be affected pretty significantly by the economy
-Dental school costs almost 2x as much as med school in most cases
-Not as many specialization choices
-Have to pay for most residencies
-Massive overhead in practice
-Can only really make the big bucks if you open your own practice
-You have no training to do the above

 

[stdmufin27]

Come on guys, DS isn't THAT bad!

I'm going to say that dental school pretty much really really stinks. Been studying may brains out for a pathology test tomorrow. I mean really.....what dentist gives a crap about pancreatic cancer?

 

[DrReo]

I'm going to say that dental school pretty much really really stinks. Been studying may brains out for a pathology test tomorrow. I mean really.....what dentist gives a crap about pancreatic cancer?

The same one that had to dissect the lovely, and yet, extremely under appreciated pudendal nerve

 

[Drabuisa]

I actually don't think dental school is all that bad. I freakin' hated undergrad way more. Gen chem, physics, calculus....now that stuff sucked for real.👎

I enjoy the fact that we do learn some very interesting and sometimes practical material.

 

[yuppers]

I enjoy the fact that we do learn some very interesting and sometimes practical material.

So what do you do most of the time?