Trouble Deciding b/w Dental School and Medical School

[Daneosaurus]

Personality of a lamp? Makes no sense.

But, hey.. I understand.. I can see your garbage DAT scores and it makes sense that your on the lower end of the intellectual spectra.

Hey man, whatever you need to tell yourself about my intellect is fine. If that makes you feel better about being an obviously unlikable individual I'm glad I could help.

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[Hannah Banana]

Hey man, whatever you need to tell yourself about my intellect is fine. If that makes you feel better about being an obviously unlikable individual I'm glad I could help.

Gosh he was so rude. No matter how smart someone is, with that personality....ain't gonna go far. I was disappointed to find out that the OP chose dentistry over medicine. I hope the adcoms can see his posts. Wonder if he would say all of these if we have to use our real names/identities on this forum?

 

[mgc]

If there is a will, there is a way.

 

[mgc]

He bashes my personality and I'm rude for countering? @hannah_hoac

I also realized after that I shouldn't be stooping to his level and deleted the comment.

 

[Daneosaurus]

I'm sorry if my opinion of you came off rather strong. I obviously don't know you, and for all I know you are a delight in person. However, I found your general perception of dentistry, a field which I'm actually very passionate about, to be belittling and incorrect. I wish you luck in figuring out which one suits you best. @mgc

 

[mgc]

I didn't mean any disrespect in my original post and my perception of dentistry is really not what you think it is.

Thanks for the good wishes. Best of luck to you as well. @Daneosaurus

 

[BrazilianRider]

I didn't mean any disrespect in my original post and my perception of dentistry is really not what you think it is.

Thanks for the good wishes. Best of luck to you as well. @Daneosaurus

Pretty sure @Daneosaurus is illiterate and can't understand your good wishes anyway. He's too low on the intelligence spectrum, IMO.

 

[ICUrunning]

Pretty sure @Daneosaurus is illiterate and can't understand your good wishes anyway. He's too low on the intelligence spectrum, IMO.

You two should be roommates. Or at least anatomy lab partners.

 

[tinman831]

Keep it on topic everyone.

 

[deleted662474]

OP, do both.

 

[mgc]

How so? @BornToBeASurgeon

 

[tobefrank]

Bud, if your reasoning skills are such that you think any dental student got into dental school by proudly exclaiming, "I LOVE TEETH!" after being asked "So why do you want to do dentistry?" during the dental school interview, I don't think you should be insulting anyone's DAT scores.

I think you're a better fit for medicine based on your stated interests.

 

[DentalDoge]

When you talk to an overweight girl, you don't walk up to her and say "You are fat".

There are some things you say and some things you don't say. It's just professionalism and social etiquette.

But back on topic. I personally think medicine might be a better fit for you. You might be thoroughly disappointed if you go into dentistry.

 

[mgc]

What's your reasoning for thinking med would be the better fit? @DentalDoge

 

[tobefrank]

Hello all,

I've recently been stuck deciding between medical school and dental school. I've spent countless hours reading SDN forums and I still can't seem to come to a decision. I spent the summer shadowing an OMFS and dental clinic in NY and for the most part I spent the majority of my time with the OMFS residents. I got to observe orthognathic cases, maxillofacial trauma , implant, extractions, TMJ cases, etc. I loved the OR and OMFS. However, watching the dental procedures was so damn boring... the whole time I was in the clinic I was praying that an OR case would come up. I doubt I would feel the same if I was actually in dental training and operating myself, however watching this stuff was brutal.

This got me thinking... should I attend dental school with the sole purpose of specializing in OMFS? I KNOW that it is the most competitive specialty and that does not worry me one bit (I am a hardcore gunner and I'll get anything I set my mind to). I just don't know if I'd be happy in general dentistry - Who knows? I could be after going through the training and I'm sure that getting good at dental procedures after so many frustrating hours of practice is rewarding. I don't believe somebody can be born wanting to practice dentistry and loving teeth, that is pure BS. Everyone I've spoken to that is doing dental is doing it because of the lifestyle/$$$ that comes along with it (Take the salary away from dentistry and see how many dental school spots get filled). I feel that the passion is developed in training and further in practice and there comes the love for the field.

Now for the Medicine part: it def has more to offer in terms of opportunities, however there seems to be a ton of issues with the field and it is worrying me. Gov't intervention/insurance and the # of unhappy docs appears to be rising. I keep hearing of doctors that recommend going into other fields of healthcare, malpractice costs/lawsuits, dealing with difficult patients, etc... all this general info that appears and reappears time and time again on this forum.

Aside from the issues, I think medicine has a lot to offer. The cases are interesting and you get to see/do some incredible things. I like diagnostic component of medicine as well as the option of a wide variety of specialties (surgical and non-surgical). Also, I am not an artistic person and I have no idea if I'll be any good with my hands -- so if I end up sucking, I can still succeed in medicine, although the same can not be said with dentistry. The severity of medical cases also appeals to me (life/death, cancer, traumas, medical management, etc.) I've always had a leader personality and I like working under high pressure.

Thus, given all these factors and my situation: would you recommend to go Dental, try it (possibly like it once I begin the training), with the option of OMFS (which I abs loved when shadowing) OR go the medical route with a wide range of options.

Has anybody been in a similar situation? What do you guys think?

Thanks for reading through this and helping me out.

Best, MC

The things I bolded made me think you're a better fit for medicine. Addressing the three main sections below:

-If you're bored with dental procedures and cannot imagine that doing them would be fun then I 100% would not recommend going into dentistry. Assuming you get in, you'll have a miserable 4 years of learning general dentistry and... even if you make it into OMFS, you'll still be doing clinic with all the boring procedures you observed. I don't understand how posters are not picking up on the fact that you said you were bored by OMFS clinic. If you don't make it into OMFS, it seems like you'll definitely be doing something you dislike.

-Yes, medicine has a lot to offer in terms of opportunities. It also has a lot to offer in the head and neck department, so I'm not sure why you're writing it off in favor of OMFS. There is a whole bunch of overlap with ENT/Head & Neck/Plastics/Oral Surgery. And there are even more fields than that that are interesting if you're just wanting to do surgical specialties. If you like the bony aspect of OMFS maybe you'll like orthopedic surgery.

-You really laid out why you should go to medicine here. After saying all of this...what reasons do you have to go into dentistry? Because you're afraid the ACA might cut into your bottom line? Doctors are still doing well $-wise. No MDs are going to into hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt if they couldn't pay it off afterward. Not to mention that it's hypocritical of you to judge the pre-dents you know as money-hungry when your reasoning for choosing dentistry is what it seems to be.

The biggest mistake I see you making is making this decision without fully exploring the options in front of you. Instead of listening to the heart of what posters are saying, you're jumping on the defense and being snarky and allowing anger to make your mind up. But how can you have made your mind up without having done the proper research? Go shadow doctors of various specialties.

It seems like you will like medicine at its core better than dentistry at its core. After that, it's about picking the right specialty and getting into it. You should be fine if you're as much of a gunner as you claim to be.

 

[mgc]

That's certainly not my reason for choosing dental. Please re-read some of previous posts as to what I like about dentistry. @tobefrank

I liked OMFS clinic actually. They mostly did extractions, follow-ups from orthognathic/TMJ, consults and implants. It's just that after watching OMFS, the GPR work seemed relatively dull to me and I started to question myself. Also, I didn't really get to shadow the full scope of general dental procedures, so maybe some more exposure to general dentistry would be helpful. However, I really enjoyed being in the OR. Watching them reconstruct the patient's face and comparing the before and afters of the orthognathics/trauma patients was incredible. Not to mention, observing implant dentistry was EPIC. The precision/planning and the idea of osseointegration is really cool. I'm just not sure I'll able to give up OMFS -- it might come to haunt me forever. I like to have my plan all figured out early and not having a clear cut direction really makes me anxious and uneasy, so I apologize to anyone whom I've upset. This was truly not my intention.

Also, could you please tell me if it's common and practical for people to go to Dental school for the sole purpose of OMFS? Someone else on this thread mentioned that there have been dental students with that mindset, but I want to know if it's common and the general outcomes for those students.

Also, what are opportunities for students that have lower NBDE/CBSEs and weaker ranks/gpa? I've heard of intern years and GPRs that might aid the dental student in improving the app and matching.
One resident told me that OMFS is possible for anyone as long as they have the perseverance. It might take some an extra year or two to match, but that is really irrelevant in the scope of a potentially 30+ year long career.

Thanks.

 

[mgc]

One last thing. Has anyone tried using youtube/ORlive/other online sites as resources to watch different med/dental specialties? I have a lot on my plate and I don't think I'll have the time to shadow a bunch of different doctors. Plus, I need to make a decision sooner than later since I will need to start planning my application/exams. Could this be used as a way of potentially getting an idea for different specialties, or should I physically be present to get the full picture?

Just an idea.. what do you guys think?

 

[irishmom]

Also, could you please tell me if it's common and practical for people to go to Dental school for the sole purpose of OMFS? Someone else on this thread mentioned that there have been dental students with that mindset, but I want to know if it's common and the general outcomes for those students.

Dude, practically everyone goes into dental school wanting to do OMFS, or at least a majority do. Then reality sets in and they realize there is a finite number of people who will actually be in the top 5% of the class.

I vote with others, go the med school route. I have been in the dental field for over 10 years, and yes I do love teeth and the mouth in general. If I didn't I wouldn't have quit an 80K a year job as a hygienist to go back to school to get my Bachelors degree (yes I was making that much with just an AA in dental hygiene), so I MIGHT get into dental school and graduate with 300K of debt when I am 10+ years older thn the other students in dental school.

SMH. GTFOOH.

 

[ICUrunning]

Dude, practically everyone goes into dental school wanting to do OMFS, or at least a majority do. Then reality sets in and they realize there is a finite number of people who will actually be in the top 5% of the class.

I vote with others, go the med school route. I have been in the dental field for over 10 years, and yes I do love teeth and the mouth in general. If I didn't I wouldn't have quit an 80K a year job as a hygienist to go back to school to get my Bachelors degree (yes I was making that much with just an AA in dental hygiene), so I MIGHT get into dental school and graduate with 300K of debt when I am 10+ years older thn the other students in dental school.

SMH. GTFOOH.

I would say a significant chunk of students would like to specialize or are interested in a specialty but I highly doubt most would want to do specifically OMFS coming in.

 

[mgc]

I'm not everyone. @irishmom

Like I said: If there is a will, there is a way.

If you want something hard enough, you'll find a way to get it. People have worked hard as hell in almost every industry to get where they wanted. This is harder to do in paths that are not so linear (finance, law, etc.). You never know what connection you will make or who you will meet. My friend's uncle became one of richest developers in NY by randomly meeting a baseball player. Getting into surgery is not like this: your ability to match is purely a product of your abilities and work ethic (although good networking skills will always help). The status of super genius is not required for success, rather hard work, perseverance and consistent motivation will get you in the door. Luck is always good, however I don't believe that luck is purely random; to me it's a product of your work ethic (work hard = seem to get "lucky" more).

I know only the best make it. I know how difficult and competitive it is. You know what else is hard? Destroying the MCAT (more difficult imo) and getting into med school, ranking against a generally more competitive minded group of med students, destroying the USMLE, involving yourself in tons of research and EC's that are required for top residencies, and finally matching in the most desired surgical subspecialties. These are all equally, if not more difficult, than matching OMFS. All these professions are extremely difficult and competitive. Luckily, I'm competitive in nature.

I looked at previous match statistics and it doesn't seem like OMFS is that much more desired than other dental specialties. Seems like ortho, endo, and recently pedo have been almost the same in terms of competition. Also, I feel like the majority of students wouldn't really seek out OMFS since the shorting training/lack of residency are some of the factors that attracted them to dental school in the first place. I have a few friends entering dental school and they can not fathom the idea of doing OMFS (they want to be done with school and start working). I told my dentist about OMFS and he said that surgery disgusted him and he couldn't look for more than 5 minutes. I think it's a self-selecting group rather than everyone applying and only the top %5 matching. It's the top 5% of a much smaller population. The OMFS residents I've met are OMFS or nothing. These guys and gals could not see themselves doing anything else. Some wanted OMFS before undergrad and others realized their passion for surgery in dental school. Bottom line is: they were regular people who worked hard enough for something they envisioned. (Btw, not all of them were top students... some were very average, but excelled in showing their dedication and desire for oral surgery through tons of externships, EC's, and research).

 

[Dipdoc]

Dude, practically everyone goes into dental school wanting to do OMFS, or at least a majority do. Then reality sets in and they realize there is a finite number of people who will actually be in the top 5% of the class.

I vote with others, go the med school route. I have been in the dental field for over 10 years, and yes I do love teeth and the mouth in general. If I didn't I wouldn't have quit an 80K a year job as a hygienist to go back to school to get my Bachelors degree (yes I was making that much with just an AA in dental hygiene), so I MIGHT get into dental school and graduate with 300K of debt when I am 10+ years older thn the other students in dental school.

SMH. GTFOOH.

I doubt 'most' people go in to dentistry hoping to do another 5+ years of residency after they graduate. A majority go in wanting to be general dentists. The shorter training time is one of things that makes dentistry appealing to a lot of people.

 

[swindoll]

OP, I actually heard of people who applied to BOTH medical and dental schools. Of course, that's extra $$$, but if you're still having a hard time deciding, maybe try that and see where you get in!

 

[swindoll]

I doubt 'most' people go in to dentistry hoping to do another 5+ years of residency after they graduate. A majority go in wanting to be general dentists. The shorter training time is one of things that makes dentistry appealing to a lot of people.

Actually, the majority of pre-dents think they'll specialize, but after first year of DS those plans quickly change for most people

 

[Dipdoc]

Actually, the majority of pre-dents think they'll specialize, but after first year of DS those plans quickly change for most people

Do you have any concrete evidence to support this? Not everyone is willing to pay an extra 200K and defer loan payments for another 3+ years, Different people want different things out of life.

 

[swindoll]

Do you have any concrete evidence to support this? Not everyone is willing to pay an extra 200K and defer loan payments for another 3+ years, Different people want different things out of life.

Believe it or not, that's definitely the case at my school. Everyone wants to be either an orthodontist or an oral surgeon. lol

 

[Dipdoc]

Believe it or not, that's definitely the case at my school. Everyone wants to be either an orthodontist or an oral surgeon. lol

Well I guess we can just agree to disagree based on different experiences.

 

[swindoll]

Well I guess we can just agree to disagree based on different experiences.

 

[baby tooth]

1st year d-student here. Gonna tell you what I told my lil sister. She's already taken DAT but might switch. If you don't like the dental procedure you saw don't do d-school. Do med school. You sound like a med school type. D-school's a hell of a ride and it's worse than shadowing becuz you're expected to do lab skills within small units, ex millimeters.

My hand skills are rough when comparing to classmates and I had to remind myself when I'm feeling bad why I wanted in this field. I can't imagine what I'd do if I didn't like dentistry. Improving hand skills is the hardest part. I do as best I can with extra practice but it just doesn't come fast so if you want omfs but your hands are bad you'll need to think about that. You have to study basic sciences at the same time so if you take more time to do better in lab your science grades can drop.

I'm passing and know with practicing and determination I can develop to be a good dentist but getting grades for ortho and omfs is hard. Most of my classmates were wanting those specialties coming into d-school. Everyone comes in thinking they'll be top of the class and specialize in what they want (ortho and omfs are big draw bcuz of $$$$) but reality sets in and most students who don't have grades give up on the dreams and don't apply to match. Applicants are self-selected. Yea you can do internship but internship does not guarantee omfs residency placement after.

Believe it or not, that's definitely the case at my school. Everyone wants to be either an orthodontist or an oral surgeon. lol

Yes swindoll. Most of my classmates thought they'd specialize and revealed it in orientation. ~90% of that group had sights set on ortho or omfs. I'm not at a Ivy school but my friend who is said her entire class wants ortho or omfs.

 

[baby tooth]

I'm not everyone. @irishmom

Like I said: If there is a will, there is a way.

If you want something hard enough, you'll find a way to get it. People have worked hard as hell in almost every industry to get where they wanted. This is harder to do in paths that are not so linear (finance, law, etc.). You never know what connection you will make or who you will meet. My friend's uncle became one of richest developers in NY by randomly meeting a baseball player. Getting into surgery is not like this: your ability to match is purely a product of your abilities and work ethic (although good networking skills will always help). The status of super genius is not required for success, rather hard work, perseverance and consistent motivation will get you in the door. Luck is always good, however I don't believe that luck is purely random; to me it's a product of your work ethic (work hard = seem to get "lucky" more).

I know only the best make it. I know how difficult and competitive it is. You know what else is hard? Destroying the MCAT (more difficult imo) and getting into med school, ranking against a generally more competitive minded group of med students, destroying the USMLE, involving yourself in tons of research and EC's that are required for top residencies, and finally matching in the most desired surgical subspecialties. These are all equally, if not more difficult, than matching OMFS. All these professions are extremely difficult and competitive. Luckily, I'm competitive in nature.

I looked at previous match statistics and it doesn't seem like OMFS is that much more desired than other dental specialties. Seems like ortho, endo, and recently pedo have been almost the same in terms of competition. Also, I feel like the majority of students wouldn't really seek out OMFS since the shorting training/lack of residency are some of the factors that attracted them to dental school in the first place. I have a few friends entering dental school and they can not fathom the idea of doing OMFS (they want to be done with school and start working). I told my dentist about OMFS and he said that surgery disgusted him and he couldn't look for more than 5 minutes. I think it's a self-selecting group rather than everyone applying and only the top %5 matching. It's the top 5% of a much smaller population. The OMFS residents I've met are OMFS or nothing. These guys and gals could not see themselves doing anything else. Some wanted OMFS before undergrad and others realized their passion for surgery in dental school. Bottom line is: they were regular people who worked hard enough for something they envisioned. (Btw, not all of them were top students... some were very average, but excelled in showing their dedication and desire for oral surgery through tons of externships, EC's, and research).

LOL so you want omfs becuz you think getting omfs is easier than getting surgery in medicine? omfs is like derm of dental school. GL bro.

Guessing when 2/3 of the poll says to go med it mean nothing bcuz we "don't know you". So why'd ya post?

 

[irishmom]

Actually, the majority of pre-dents think they'll specialize, but after first year of DS those plans quickly change for most people

This is what I meant.
I don't understand the ortho, because just from actually working in the dental field, ortho is on the way down in terms of $$$. (A lot of GP do invisalign, 6 month smile , etc and only refer the very complicated cases), same goes for endo, but a lot of DDS still do not like pulling teeth. YMMV of course.

 

[trisigmagirl]

.

 

[Mad Jack]

Dental school if you want to keep your soul. Medical school if you are willing to lose it for the greater good.

 

[mgc]

@trisigmagirl

I'm an econ major and have been working at a middle market investment bank for about 3 years. I'm part of the M&A research division.

 

[mgc]

LOL so you want omfs becuz you think getting omfs is easier than getting surgery in medicine? omfs is like derm of dental school. GL bro.

Guessing when 2/3 of the poll says to go med it mean nothing bcuz we "don't know you". So why'd ya post?

Please quote me saying that getting OMFS is "easier" than surgery in medicine???????????????????????

You're not reading. Instead you're direct your anger towards me and are putting words in my mouth.

I did consider the poll and have not made a finite decision yet (I'm prob going to delay applying to figure out for sure). But based upon your post, I should choose my career path based upon what other SDN users vote?

Common man.

 

[ICUrunning]

Please quote me saying that getting OMFS is "easier" than surgery in medicine???????????????????????

From your post above which is #72 in this thread:
"I know only the best make it. I know how difficult and competitive it is. You know what else is hard? Destroying the MCAT (more difficult imo) and getting into med school, ranking against a generally more competitive minded group of med students, destroying the USMLE, involving yourself in tons of research and EC's that are required for top residencies, and finally matching in the most desired surgical subspecialties. These are all equally, if not more difficult, than matching OMFS. All these professions are extremely difficult and competitive. Luckily, I'm competitive in nature."

You might want to proofread what you write before you attack others. Their reading comprehension is fine.

 

[ICUrunning]

Dental school if you want to keep your soul. Medical school if you are willing to lose it for the greater good.

Sell your soul for a high Step I score, Mad Jack. Set for life.

 

[mgc]

Let me break my post down for you. @ICUrunning

1) "I know only the best make it. I know how difficult and competitive it is." : This indicates that I do think OMFS is difficult and competitive and that only the BEST make it.

2) "You know what else is hard?" - What else is difficult IN ADDITION to OMFS.

3) "Destroying the MCAT (more difficult imo) and getting into med school, ranking against a generally more competitive minded group of med students, destroying the USMLE, involving yourself in tons of research and EC's that are required for top residencies, and finally matching in the most desired surgical subspecialties." - Posters have recommended Med school and said that I should look into medical surgical specialties such as ENT or plastics or ortho... I was simply noting that these are also extremely difficult and going the med school path does not in any way guarantee matching one of these highly desired fields. In no way is it an easier process than OMFS.

4)" These are all EQUALLY, if not more difficult, than matching OMFS." - Since when is the statement 'equally, if not more difficult' imply that OMFS is easy? Some fields are more competitive than others and matching any one of these fields is a great achievement.

5) "All these professions are extremely difficult and competitive." - Please highlight the word "All".

So in all of my posts I never once said that OMFS was easy. I also never said that my reasoning for choosing OMFS b.c it's easier than medical specialties ??? WTH


I realize that you dislike me and I don't really care, but the nit picking is getting really annoying.

 

[Hannah Banana]

This is out of topic but mods, if you're reading this; I think it's time to put this thread to an end because:

1. OP knows exactly what he wants to do already.

2. There is no respect in most of the back and forth discussion here.

3. Too much personal attack and criticizing.

 

[ICUrunning]

@mgc

Last post to you since I don't want to rustle your jimmies further, accidentally or purposely.

I know you never once said that OMFS was easy. You wanted babytooth to quote you on "Please quote me saying that getting OMFS is "easier" than surgery in medicine???????????????????????" End quote.

I have done so, which is highlighted in bold red in my above post and satisfies your request to him.

You wrote to babytooth "You're not reading. Instead you're direct your anger towards me and are putting words in my mouth." And yet here your are putting words in my mouth when you write
QUOTE "4)" These are all EQUALLY, if not more difficult, than matching OMFS." - Since when is the statement 'equally, if not more difficult' imply that OMFS is easy?" End quote.
Twisting some words in there, champ. You were arguing about matching into OMFS, then you implied that I said that you said that the field of OMFS easy.

The phrases "getting into OMFS is easier" and "OMFS is easy" are two different things buddy.

Good luck to whatever field you decide to gun for, you're gonna need it. If you aren't happy in a few years or you are unsuccessful getting OMFS, then tough.

 

[mgc]

This is what you bolded:

"These are all equally, if not more difficult, than matching OMFS. All these professions are extremely difficult and competitive."

It certainly does not satisfy my request since the statement you bolded never quotes me saying that OMFS is easier than surgery in medicine. I wrote: "equally, if not more difficult".

Let's take a look at the thesaurus:


1. if not - perhaps; indicating possibility of being more remarkable (greater or better or sooner) than (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/)


I'll lyk how it goes in a few years.. buddy.

 

[tobefrank]

@mgc What you said means that if it's not equal in difficulty, then getting a surgical specialty via the medical route is harder than matching OMFS.

Seems like we all got that. I'm sure we all know perfectly well what "if not" means and understood where @baby tooth was coming from.

 

[EasternMer]

if one is going through 4 years of grueling training and investing an average of 300K, i think its fair to say they expect some type of return on their investment. As should everyone. In every profession. To say that is the only reason people want to do dentistry doesn't seem fair.

I suggest shadowing more people in medical and see if you have the same passion as you do for OMFS. If nothing really clicks or you don't like it in general (wasn't a fan of being responsible for peoples lives), than the answer should be easy.

I'm a Pre-Med and maybe this has already been said (don't have the patience to read through all 90-some posts) but I would say AT LEAST 80%+ of Med students are in it for the money.


In the end, most people are in it, in part, for the money. Dentists do an honest job, and yes are rewarded for their skill. What's the wrong in that?