Taking 4 years off from dentistry

[OhioOralOnc]

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If I did decide to go to medical school and then return to practicing dentistry (without the oral surgery route), is it possible to take 4 years off and then return to the profession? I do NOT want to be a physician. I WANT to be a dentist but I have an interest in medicine that persists and if for nothing else, I would like to go just for knowledge alone. I think as a dentist, it could give me an edge. I don't want a debate over if it will give me an edge. I would just like to know:

Can I take 4 years off from dentistry to go to medical school and then return to practice?

 

[toofache32]

If I did decide to go to medical school and then return to practicing dentistry (without the oral surgery route), is it possible to take 4 years off and then return to the profession? I do NOT want to be a physician. I WANT to be a dentist but I have an interest in medicine that persists and if for nothing else, I would like to go just for knowledge alone. I think as a dentist, it could give me an edge. I don't want a debate over if it will give me an edge. I would just like to know:

Can I take 4 years off from dentistry to go to medical school and then return to practice?

As long as you have a license you can do dentistry. It's probably easiest to keep your license active during med school. You can still do some dentistry on the side to make money while in med school (that's what I did during OMFS residency). I had way more free time than you would think...worked about 15-20 hours per week doing dentistry.

 

[Bifid Uvula]

if u do go this route and in 4 years u graduate with an MD then u should actually be planning for 5 years off and away from dentistry. u will have to do do at least 1 year od some medical internship or residency in order to obtain and activate some form of medical licensure... otherwise in most states u wont be able to even advertise or show u have an MD. some states consider it a 3rd degree felony.

another shorter option is go to an offshore med school for 1-2 years like american university antigua. they offered advanced standing to dds omfs people and u could probably get something similar and still get some residency spot to help with licensure.

 

[cel083]

If I did decide to go to medical school and then return to practicing dentistry (without the oral surgery route), is it possible to take 4 years off and then return to the profession? I do NOT want to be a physician. I WANT to be a dentist but I have an interest in medicine that persists and if for nothing else, I would like to go just for knowledge alone. I think as a dentist, it could give me an edge. I don't want a debate over if it will give me an edge. I would just like to know:

Can I take 4 years off from dentistry to go to medical school and then return to practice?

A pre-dent here babbling stuff off. You could possibly go to U.S. schools with advance standing (2-2.5 years to MD). That way if you decide to activate your medical license, you can do it with 1 year of internship. Or you can go to AUA or other offshore schools, as suggested by the previous poster, and activate your license with 2-3 years of residency, depending on your state. That way you can keep your dental license and study medicine at the same time. Whatever the case, best wishes to you.

 

[rarm1]

You can but -
without 4 years of practice of dentistry, it may be difficult. Speed, confidence, use of materials, new materials. To practice some dentistry while in medical would be hard because of time demands.
I would agree that maintaining a dental license would be a good idea. But, may be hard to get a job, without experience, speed.

If you don’t like medicine, you should not finish 4 years of school… it will not give you a licensure in medicine. All states want at least one year of medical residency, if not a full speciality program. It will not allow you to practice dentistry under your medical license.

 

[OhioOralOnc]

I really like that you guys aren't judging my intentions on wanting to go to medical school and practice dentistry afterward. Don't get me wrong. I want to practice dentistry first for maybe 5-7 years before applying to med school. This is a long term goal because I think it would open research avenues and influence my practice as well as a raw interest in medicine. I really appreciate all the great advice. I am wondering though:

What is this advance standing for med school? I never heard of that.

 

[cel083]

I really like that you guys aren't judging my intentions on wanting to go to medical school and practice dentistry afterward. Don't get me wrong. I want to practice dentistry first for maybe 5-7 years before applying to med school. This is a long term goal because I think it would open research avenues and influence my practice as well as a raw interest in medicine. I really appreciate all the great advice. I am wondering though:

What is this advance standing for med school? I never heard of that.

Well, the policies relating to this differ from school to school. You will need to write the administrator of the school(s) you are interested in. Technically, it refers only to persons transferring between schools offering like programs (medical-medical, dental-dental). However, you may petition the administration to not require you to retake courses which are like those you have taken. Consult the catalog(s) of the school(s) you are considering.

 

[Saddleshoes]

If you take 4 or 5 years of and then return to a dental practice I do not want to be a patient of yours for your first year.

Baby you got to kept the feel for the drill!

 

[rarm1]

I really like that you guys aren't judging my intentions on wanting to go to medical school and practice dentistry afterward. Don't get me wrong. I want to practice dentistry first for maybe 5-7 years before applying to med school. This is a long term goal because I think it would open research avenues and influence my practice as well as a raw interest in medicine. I really appreciate all the great advice. I am wondering though:

What is this advance standing for med school? I never heard of that.

most would want to do it the other way(medicine to dentistry)... hours are longer in medicine... residency can be rough... I am still in dentistry, but on the heart team, oncology team, transplant team... and full time in a hospital... I had chance to get MD degree but though it would effect my teaching... dental students would say you need to know this you are a MD...
I have the best of all worlds...

 

[S Files]

another shorter option is go to an offshore med school for 1-2 years like american university antigua. they offered advanced standing to dds omfs people and u could probably get something similar and still get some residency spot to help with licensure.

you're joking right??? don't buy a degree from this correspondence school that's only recognized in a couple states.
go to a legit school.
as long as your license is not expired you can practice dentistry. but you'll be out of practice and out of touch. i know you don't want to be questioned about this, but if oral onc is what you want do oral path or OMFS followed by a fellowship.

 

[Dr.Millisevert]

You could try the University of Calgary and McMaster in Canada they both have 3 year MD programs and are accredited by LCME (same as all American schools). So you would only have to do 1 year of internship to get your license. so 4 years total for MD and licensure. 🙂

 

[bpenly]

I really like that you guys aren't judging my intentions on wanting to go to medical school and practice dentistry afterward. Don't get me wrong. I want to practice dentistry first for maybe 5-7 years before applying to med school. This is a long term goal because I think it would open research avenues and influence my practice as well as a raw interest in medicine. I really appreciate all the great advice. I am wondering though:

What is this advance standing for med school? I never heard of that.

Do you think you could sell this to med school? I wouldn't take a spot away from somebody who is planning to actually practice medicine if I were an admissions officer for somebody who just has an interest in medicine, but no intention of practicing.