It is impossible to be in the military and not realize the differences between enlisted and officer lifestyles. A google search for military lifestyle will pull up more information than you can shake a stick at.
As a dentist you will be commissioned as a "noncombatant" and treated by most of the combatant "line" as not a "real" officer as your training and disposition as a medic is not the same as most of the line. The military medical community's reputation is to overthink processes, to lack military discipline, be top heavy in rank structure, to not be fully responsive to the rest of the military's needs, and to be riddled with barriers to receiving medical attention. Not all of these stereotypes are without merit.
Enlisted troops cannot go to a doctor's appointment without permission of their supervisor. However, supervisors can command direct subordinates to go to mental health evaluations, urinalysis, or medical visits if they see fit. If a military doctor decides someone is too sick to work or deploy the individual's supervisor can order the individual to go back to work or deploy just the same. As such, most people go to doctor's visits because they must.
Dentists' work falls mostly between annual exams for all active duty troops and sick call. Ask a recruiter if you can speak with a military dentist that has been in the military less than 5 years-someone who still remembers how life as a civilian feels. If you are close to a military installation find out, either call the installation dental clinic or ask your recruiter, if you can shadow a military dentist for a couple days (get someone ranked O-3) and you can see about where you'll be when you finish school. You should be able to get pretty good information.
Military Lifestyle problem not related to health care-you live in military housing, your dog barks at neighbor's cat, you cannot get the dog to stop barking unless you leave the dog in the house all day. The neighbor calls installation police, they show up, see the dog in your filthy house and the yard with dog poop and note it as such in their report. The police ask you to keep your dog quiet. The next day at work your supervisor calls you in to tell you that they read the police report and want you to either move, get rid of the dog, get the dog surgically corrected, or figure out a way to keep the police from coming to your house. You are on duty 24/7 and your dog is interfering with your career.
Military medicine is a similar issue for most of the military, a distraction from the real job until you need it-then you need to talk to your supervisor, work the appointments around your work schedule and try to not be sick enough to miss work, as your supervisor may take issue with your illness. Long term illnesses and your supervisor may decide it is easier to just discharge you instead of dealing with your constant absenteeism and malingering.
