Hey everyone. I got into some dental schools, but throughout my undergrad journey I have had 3 surguries on my lower back. I wanted to become a dentist as a profession, but should I change career paths because of my back history. Or will I be able to remain healthy as a dentist?
Should I go to Dental School with 3 lower back surgeries?
- Thread starter OVODental
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I think it depends on how much work you are willing to put into maintaining correct ergonomics while working. As long as you aren't putting unnecessary stress on it you should be fine. Also keep in shape!
R
rivarat
You will never get disability insurance to cover your back.
Even with proper posture, your back will still likely ache.
Working out is great advice, back and core.
Even with proper posture, your back will still likely ache.
Working out is great advice, back and core.
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alternating days of Bikram yoga and Pilates, yo.
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Having been warned by my professors to not follow in their foot steps and acquire severe back pain from bad ergonomics, and having had back pain myself from long pre-clinic hours while trying to maintain proper ergonomics, I would not recommend becoming a dentist at the risk/cost of worsening your back and having a severely debilitating lower back pain in your situation. Of course you can become a dentist that doesn't practice dentistry like a researcher/academic, but I would assume you're interested in dentistry with the intention of actually practicing dentistry. There are other healthcare fields similar enough to dentistry like becoming a physician and specializing as an ENT that does minor surgeries in their own private practice office.
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You can always teach, do research, go into dental business industry, work for a little and invest $$, or become an ortho and have all your assistants do work for you (not my words lol). There's always more to dentistry than just dentistry.
I would say absolutely not. Most dentists experience back pain after a few years in the field. And as someone mentioned your disability policy will Not cover your back, and you will have approximately 300k in loans. This is a no brainer for me. Unless you want to teach dental I would say no way.
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dont let a bad back stop you from becoming a dentist. do some pilates/physical therapy, pop some pain meds and get ready to grind. you can do this!
This isn't just chronic back pain/weak back muscles, this is a back with 3 surgeries. Give the poster a realistic answer, come on
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What is the nature of these surgeries? For all we know you had a few moles removed from your lower back.
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Only under certain conditions:
1. Limit school loans to cheapest state schools. No private schools or expensive states.
2. Note that you will not be able to get an individual disability plan so get a group plan in dental school/residency
3. Specialize in a field that requires no or little chair time. Public health, oral radiology, pathology, maybe even ortho
4. Work for a large practice/hospital with great benefits
Overall, I'd say it's probably not worth it. However if you can do all of the above it just might work out.
1. Limit school loans to cheapest state schools. No private schools or expensive states.
2. Note that you will not be able to get an individual disability plan so get a group plan in dental school/residency
3. Specialize in a field that requires no or little chair time. Public health, oral radiology, pathology, maybe even ortho
4. Work for a large practice/hospital with great benefits
Overall, I'd say it's probably not worth it. However if you can do all of the above it just might work out.
Herniated disc surgeries on the same Disc. L5-S1, the surgeon said if it happens again it'll be a fusion. So I wanted insight, if pursuing dentistry as a profession would be foolish, and was considering pharmacy as an alternative option
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No, dentistry is very physically demanding - if you go into medicine you will have lots of passive sitting options - up to you though - GL
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Considering that you have the back of an old man when you are presumably in your twenties, you may want to think long and hard about a job that will stress your lumbar spine even further.
Exactly dentistry has some red flags so I wanted more insight. Pharmacy is less direct stress, and both have the option of academia. I just don't know which way to go as of now
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If both sound equally appealing then it would seem that pharmacy is the obvious choice. Whatever choice you do make, go with it and do not look back.
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Depends on your range of motion currently, and level (if any) of discomfort.
I've got the 20yr perspective here - for probably my first 10 yrs or so of practice, I didn't have the best posture and didn't have a workout routine in place that did a bunch of core stretching and some core strength exercises - I was an all cardio (run, cycle, walk, hike, etc) exerciser
Then, when I did start to have some lower back soreness and stiffness on a fairly frequent basis at the end of my work days, I talked to a physical therapist friend of mine, who put me on an exercise routine that in addition to the cardio that I enjoy, now has regular (3 to 4 times a week) sessions of core stretching and resistance training exercises focusing on my lower back, neck and core, and frankly, in my mid 40's, with 20 years of practice wear and tear on my lower, lower back soreness at the end of a work day is a rare event now, but yes it still does happen occasionally, but far less than it did 10 yrs ago for me.
Additionally, I am now quite aware of my own posture when sitting in my doc's chair working on my patients, and most certainly nowadays move my patient chair into positions that make it easier, and less taxing on my back/neck. than I used to.
If you're fairly functional and comfortable with your back now, then with a solid commitment to a physical fitness routine to help develop and maintain the muscles that you use while working, you'll likely be able to practice. If you have a decent amount of discomfort already, even with PT work to help with those areas, then you'll likely be looking at issues in this profession....
I've got the 20yr perspective here - for probably my first 10 yrs or so of practice, I didn't have the best posture and didn't have a workout routine in place that did a bunch of core stretching and some core strength exercises - I was an all cardio (run, cycle, walk, hike, etc) exerciser
Then, when I did start to have some lower back soreness and stiffness on a fairly frequent basis at the end of my work days, I talked to a physical therapist friend of mine, who put me on an exercise routine that in addition to the cardio that I enjoy, now has regular (3 to 4 times a week) sessions of core stretching and resistance training exercises focusing on my lower back, neck and core, and frankly, in my mid 40's, with 20 years of practice wear and tear on my lower, lower back soreness at the end of a work day is a rare event now, but yes it still does happen occasionally, but far less than it did 10 yrs ago for me.
Additionally, I am now quite aware of my own posture when sitting in my doc's chair working on my patients, and most certainly nowadays move my patient chair into positions that make it easier, and less taxing on my back/neck. than I used to.
If you're fairly functional and comfortable with your back now, then with a solid commitment to a physical fitness routine to help develop and maintain the muscles that you use while working, you'll likely be able to practice. If you have a decent amount of discomfort already, even with PT work to help with those areas, then you'll likely be looking at issues in this profession....
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I ruptured a disc doing deadlifts the December before starting dental school. It took me almost a year, but I eventually got back to deadlifting heavy weight again. As @DrJeff says above, strength training can do wonders for your back and functional motion. I have no pain today, and I think that it is thanks to strength training (yes, even deadlifts).
D
deleted696582
Is it a good idea to continue heavy lifting when starting school or just focus on lighter weight an more reps? I like to lift, but is it rough when you're sore and having to do dental student stuff?
I've heard from some students that they just don't even risk lifting at all.
MAN
Lifting, and then trying to do dental work the day after, is a pain! Dunno how people do it
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I still lift heavy when I can. The hard thing for me is keeping consistency and having the energy to do leg days. I don't usually get DOMS when I am lifting consistently though.
OP you really need to be thinking hard about this. Speak with other dentists rather than pre dental students on an online forum before you make your choice. I told you my opinion, and I stand by that 100 percent. A workout routine is okay for those experiencing minor back issues. You on the other hand have had three surgeries. Before you make this mistake I highly urge you to go out there and talk to people in the field. Just my humble opinion. Sorry to disappoint but there are lots of other options including med school, and you'll thank me later for warning you. Dentist of 10 years here
Thank you I appreciate the honest advice. I'll ask some dentists and my surgeon if this is an appropriate path for me. The only question I have is is it possible to practice dentistry if someone had a lower lumbar spinal fusion, or would that be out of the question?
I believe that once they fuse two vertebrae, the other joints become compromised because they have to accommodate more stress than normal, so it's not uncommon for someone to need more fusion surgeries after the first. I don't know much about it, but again, you should talk with other professionals. I imagine cartilage degeneration is more common in dentists. It won't hurt you to open yourself up to other options. Again, with essentially no disability policy, you are gambling with 300K student loans.
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look into other careers (MD/PA/Pharm)
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I realize this thread is a little old, but I was wondering if anyone could give some insight on whether or not you would consider changing fields if you had a rupturing herniation of your lumber disc? I recently had to get an operation during my first year and although I am in the recovery process what are the odds of my back continuing to deteriorate at a rate much faster than your average dentist?
No dentist would know this. Ask your doctor.
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There are many fields and specialties that are not as bad on the back in dentistry like orthodontics, some oral surgery, academia, sales, etc.
