What questions should I ask myself before pursuing Dentistry?

[Smooth Operater]

Hello guys! I am interested to pursue Dentistry as a career.

What questions should I ask myself before pursuing Dentistry? Maybe you guys can put down the questions you guys ask yourself as pre-dental students? Plz share!! thanks !

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[drPheta]

Hello guys! I am interested to pursue Dentistry as a career.

What questions should I ask myself before pursuing Dentistry? Maybe you guys can put down the questions you guys ask yourself as pre-dental students? Plz share!! thanks !

What makes dentistry "better" for ME that other professions don't offer.
Does dentistry pose any downsides for ME?
How do I see myself practicing dentistry 10 years, 20 years, 30 years out of school and in practice?
Do I really know what dentistry is all about? Have I truly seen as much as I need to make an educated decision to take on a big financial, emotional, familial, social burden?

Funny thing is I still ask myself these questions today.

 

[trypmo]

Hello guys! I am interested to pursue Dentistry as a career.

What questions should I ask myself before pursuing Dentistry? Maybe you guys can put down the questions you guys ask yourself as pre-dental students? Plz share!! thanks !

Here are the first 10 things that come to my mind.

1. Am I willing to go through four more years of training, being a poor student, taking out loans, studying and taking exams in Dental school, and am I willing to play any political games that might be required to get through?

2. Am I willing to do what it takes to be a good leader in an office setting, including learning how to manage workers, arbitrate, hire/fire, and treat everyone fairly, even if it requires my making some personal sacrifices?

3. Am I willing to be compassionate toward total strangers in an effort to help them get the best possible care? Am I willing to be (or become) a trustworthy person?

4. Am I willing to put the care and treatment of others before my own goals when it's necessary?

5. Am I willing to put aside personal and political differences with others and focus on acting professionaly towards them?

6. What are the things that draw me toward dentistry? Are those good reasons for pursuing it?

7. What's the worst that could happen to me if I choose this path? A lot can happen in 4 years: what if something (family tragedy, extended illness, etc.) blindsides me and screws up the normal progression of Dental school? Do I have a fall-back position?

8. What's the personality type that I have the hardest time getting along with? Can I imagine an unlucky day filled with ONLY that type of person, over and over again? Do I have what it takes to get through such a day, interacting with that type of person repeatedly, without going bonkers or getting angry?

9. Am I willing to put up with the Continuing Education requirements that I'd have to complete to keep my license to practice, even if they are inconvenient and/or expensive to do?

10. Years down the road, when the novelty of the practice of dentistry may seem to wear off, are there enough exciting, intellectually stimulating opportunities in the field to keep me content in the long run?

 

[DrTacoElf]

Excellent post trypmo

 

[Eddie830]

11. Would I like looking into people's mouths all day?
12. Would I mind messing up my back before age 50?
13. Would I overreact if someone were to bite down on my finger(s)?
14. Would I mind the smell of ass in some people's mouths?
15. Could I even live to age 50 after all this?

 

[Literati81]

1. Where can I volunteer so I can actually get hands-on experience (versus deluding myself with cozy visions of a comfortable job with a >six-figure salary)?

Maybe that wasn't so much a question. Rather, a lengthy suggestion. In addition, volunteering at a dental clinic will help you answer the questions listed in previous posts.

 

[Sprgrover]

I would like to add to Trypmo's great list:

16. Am I a 'people' person?
17. Can I manage other individuals and motivate them to perform at their optimum? Am I good at conflict resolution and smoothing over any possible intra-office troubles? Am I the kind of person I would like to work for?
18. Do I have a good sense of business practices and ethics?
19. Can I work in a repetitive motion environment?
20. Will I be willing to stay late or come in on weekends for any emergencies my patients may develop?
21. Can I leave any personal baggage at the door and focus on providing good service for my patients and a postive work environment for my staff?

 

[msf41]

Smooth...

Like almost every person who has ever watched an episode of ER on television, I once wanted to be a physician. But that is television, not reality.

I'm not saying working in a hospital is bad, or being a doctor is bad, or that dentistry is the ONLY logical career choice for everyone.

What I am saying is that (in my opinion) if you want to know what being a doctor or dentist is like, you can't do it here at SDN.net. Also you can't do it by taking biology classes at college. I've looked at some of the other posts that you have made in other forums, you've been saying since the end of june that you needed to get into a MD/DDS office and SEE what it is really like.

My advice...take your own advice (because it's really good).