Should I pursue a career in Dentistry?

[dr straingelove]

Hi,

I am a non-traditional student in my junior year at college and I am considering taking the DAT and applying to dental school. However, I'm not sure if this would be possible for me as I have had quite a bit of dental work done. Growing up my parents never took me to see a dentist for cleanings or anything which contributed to me having to have quite a few cavities filled and a partial crown done as an adult.

I have worked very hard in school and have maintained good grades (3.9 GPA) and I feel that I would truly love to be a dentist. Would the dental work I have had keep me out of dental school? Do all of those of you applying have excellent dental histories?

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[4thMolar]

Of course you can still apply. Your dental history has no effect on your chances for admission. It doesn't matter if you've had fillings on all 32 of your teeth..it'll never be a factor. It's like seeing an oncologist who smokes or something like that. Even though their habits may be hypocritical to their career, you still see plenty of them.

 

[Kneecoal]

it's funny you should ask that today... i was shadowing a dentist this morning and he joked about how some people who decide to become dentists never thought about taking care of their teeth when they were younger, and so can have a non-exemplary pair of chompers (and i'm not saying that you never thought about taking care of yours, it was just his comment).

and it's the truth with what 4thmolar said. when i used to work at a hospital, i always found it hilariously ironic when i would drive up and see all the nurses and doctors outside sneaking a cigarette on their break.

 

[Murl]

It's true, my wife is a physician, and guess when the last physical or checkup I had was?

 

[dr straingelove]

Of course you can still apply. Your dental history has no effect on your chances for admission. It doesn't matter if you've had fillings on all 32 of your teeth..it'll never be a factor. It's like seeing an oncologist who smokes or something like that. Even though their habits may be hypocritical to their career, you still see plenty of them.

That's the thing...I'm concerned that I will be viewed as a hypocrite by everyone in dental school because of factors that were largely out of my control. But, it is what it is I guess. I can't make decisions about my career based entirely off of what other people will think. I feel I could still be a good dentist and the flip side is, I feel that the fact that I have had some work done puts me in a better position to empathize with the patient in the the chair who is facing dental procedures. I mean I have had a bad experience with a dentist who seemed not to care about being gentle and I wonder if he would have paid more attention to the care he was providing if he had had the same procedures done on him at some point in his life.

 

[Kneecoal]

That's the thing...I'm concerned that I will be viewed as a hypocrite by everyone in dental school because of factors that were largely out of my control. But, it is what it is I guess. I can't make decisions about my career based entirely off of what other people will think. I feel I could still be a good dentist and the flip side is, I feel that the fact that I have had some work done puts me in a better position to empathize with the patient in the the chair who is facing dental procedures. I mean I have had a bad experience with a dentist who seemed not to care about being gentle and I wonder if he would have paid more attention to the care he was providing if he had had the same procedures done on him at some point in his life.

there you go. empathizing is good! however, if you're worried about your peers judging you... you need a thicker skin, fast. if anything, worry about what your patients would think. but maybe while you're in d-school you can get some other students to do some cosmetic work on your teeth!

 

[dr straingelove]

there you go. empathizing is good! however, if you're worried about your peers judging you... you need a thicker skin, fast. if anything, worry about what your patients would think. but maybe while you're in d-school you can get some other students to do some cosmetic work on your teeth!

Go to dental school to get my teeth fixed, lol. That really is awesome, and it would only cost over a hundred grand to do it.

No but seriously, my teeth are in pretty good shape now.

 

[4thMolar]

You'll be fine. I mean, i haven't even been to my dentist in a year, plus I have a cavity on my wisdom tooth that I am supposed to have extracted, but have neglected to do so far. Nobody is going to care about the shape your teeth were in, and if they do, it's not something to worry about at all. The important thing is that you have reversed your habits and shouldn't be concerned about how others may see you.