when it clicked

[cluelessdr]

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when/how did you guys find that spark of "oh yes, I want to be a dentist for sure?" I am apply in June, but I just do not know for sure. Like the amount of debt accrued throughout school just scares me, because what if going through all that school and I end up not liking it?

 

[HappyPomme]

after shadowing, i knew for sure i loved the profession. I suggest u do the same as u r right about the commitment it requires (in terms of time and money), so try to research and observe as much as u can before making this decision. Good luck!

 

[deleted696582]

Not liking it is possible. There are some of my classmates who don't like it so far, but stay in due to the large debt already accrued. Some have dropped out before the debt got any larger. And there are a lot of us who are indifferent to pre-clinic restorations and waxing right now. Hopefully seeing patients will be better.

I figured dentistry would be a good idea after assisting with extractions at a free clinic. The relief on the faces of patients was a cool thing to watch - they hadn't seen a dentist in forever due to finances. Also, the dentist I spent a lot of time shadowing told me about his work hours and shared his business numbers with me.

 

[Faux]

....Around middle of 2nd year of dental school.

 

[cluelessdr]

Not liking it is possible. There are some of my classmates who don't like it so far, but stay in due to the large debt already accrued. Some have dropped out before the debt got any larger. And there are a lot of us who are indifferent to pre-clinic restorations and waxing right now. Hopefully seeing patients will be better.

I figured dentistry would be a good idea after assisting with extractions at a free clinic. The relief on the faces of patients was a cool thing to watch - they hadn't seen a dentist in forever due to finances. Also, the dentist I spent a lot of time shadowing told me about his work hours and shared his business numbers with me.

hey do you mind if i message you about a couple things?

 

[ncide]

Honestly, it's rather difficult to really understand whether you will enjoy a field while on the periphery. You can peep in and see what others think, have some vague idea and self reflect on cursory notions, but really, unless you are the individual providing the treatment and understanding the technical side of dentistry, you don't, and, most likely, won't know. I was an assistant for a few years and on reflection, there was so much I didn't know.

There are some who will love treatment planning, cutting perfect preps, making conversation with patients, and bringing out the best smile in people. Others will not handle the stresses (emotional and physical) and will just end up tolerating the job. There are aspects that make this profession difficult. Some will be talented with their hands right off the bat, others will struggle every step of the way. It's hard to predict where each of us fall on the spectrum.

We all have to jump in somewhat blindly and see where life leads us.

With that said, there were many moments that discouraged me, many moments that made enthusiastically happy, and I'm sure there will be many days with experiences in between. I don't think there was a singular "ah hah" moment, but so far I'm satisfied with my decision.

 

[Kristin1]

You just know it, like it's inside of you. Also I would recommend shadowing to get exposed with the field and make sure you really want it. For me I aways wanted to be a dentist, I have a weird obsession with teeth and I love the idea of fixing teeth and working with them.

 

[cluelessdr]

Honestly, it's rather difficult to really understand whether you will enjoy a field while on the periphery. You can peep in and see what others think, have some vague idea and self reflect on cursory notions, but really, unless you are the individual providing the treatment and understanding the technical side of dentistry, you don't, and, most likely, won't know. I was an assistant for a few years and on reflection, there was so much I didn't know.

There are some who will love treatment planning, cutting perfect preps, making conversation with patients, and bringing out the best smile in people. Others will not handle the stresses (emotional and physical) and will just end up tolerating the job. There are aspects that make this profession difficult. Some will be talented with their hands right off the bat, others will struggle every step of the way. It's hard to predict where each of us fall on the spectrum.

We all have to jump in somewhat blindly and see where life leads us.

With that said, there were many moments that discouraged me, many moments that made enthusiastically happy, and I'm sure there will be many days with experiences in between. I don't think there was a singular "ah hah" moment, but so far I'm satisfied with my decision.

this is exactly what i needed to hear and just about every sentence you said constantly goes through my head everyday. I just get confused with this topic though, especially for PS; if we really don't know until we are actually in the chair helping patients... how do we really know "why dentistry." I guess we just go off of our shadowing experiences huh

 

[schmoob]

Dental school is very different from shadowing experiences. It's so much lab work that you did not see in private practice. Lots of plaster, lots of wax (different kinds for different purposes - i can think of 4 different kinds off the top of my head), acrylic, and articulating. It was different from what I expected.

I'd be willing to guess the dentist you shadowed had paid off both his/her student and practice loans (apologies if I'm wrong). But that will easily be six figures in payments a year by the time you are ready to start a practice. These are things you should keep in mind. But if you can get to the point of the dentist you shadowed, it seems like you'll enjoy it.

....Around middle of 2nd year of dental school.

No way! That's the worst time in dental school! Everyone looks like a zombie.


I don't mean to sound so negative. If one can make it through the gauntlet, do good dentistry, and make solid professional decisions, they will do well. But I have a feeling it will be more difficult for you than the dentists you shadowed. Best of luck!

 

[iLikeTrains]

I understand that others may have found this "spark" or "burning passion" for dentistry, but I haven't. There was never a moment "when it clicked," but I chose dentistry because it is an attainable goal for me and seems it would provide decent pay and hours to spend time doing more worthwhile things with people I care about. Contrary to popular belief, I don't think you need to have passion for a profession - after all, work is work, right?

As for debt, I agree the debt is insane (and I'm starting dental school this year). I sometimes wonder if becoming a dentist is really only for those who have relatives that are dentists. My tentative plan with debt is to be frugal and to quickly become a partner or open my "iLikeTrain's Family Dentistry Clinic". But if I still find myself drowning in debt 10 years later, I'm going to fake my death and join the French Foreign Legion under a new identity.

 

[JLT223]

It was different from what I expected.

That's the best way I can think of it. I haven't had that "aha moment" and who knows, I may never have it. It's mentally stimulating and that's about all I need. My profession won't be my life, I just need to not entirely hate it when I wake up every morning. I know dental school isn't real life and sometimes it can be hard to realize that at the end of the day. You won't be waxing this and that, setting dentures, doing as much lab work etc.

 

[deleted696582]

hey do you mind if i message you about a couple things?

For sure.

 

[Pirateslifeforme]

Shadowing always peaked my interest but it wasn't until I had an internship my senior year of undergrad where I got to do hands on things and procedures on extracted teeth that it really "clicked" for me. The moment that initially peaked my interest was the day I got my braces off, a girl was rushed into my ortho office after she got hit in the face by a golf ball and my orthodontist immediately had to help and treat her. After seeing that it really started my interest in dentistry.

 

[Stanelz]

Clicked for me when I started assisting and saw the dentists I work for doing (relatively) easy work and getting paid boatloads of cash to do it. Since then it has become the enjoyment I get from being in the dental setting vs the medical setting or other. Yes theres pressure but a a dentist I am never really jeopardy of "losing my job" or having to "make ends meet" even if I am not doing amazing production wise. If you want you can find tons of negatives about the field but when you compare it to other professions its gravy imo. I cant say that I will for sure love being a dentist but I for sure love being an assistant right now especially because my bosses have taken me under their wing and I get to do tons of stuff that normal assistants don't get to do and have fallen in love with the clinical side of things.

Consider that if you worked part time you would be making more than most peoples yearly salary..let that sink in.

Also you can help a lot of people in need simply by your ability to safely extract teeth. Its costs you basically no overhead and you help someone a great deal.

 

[whosnisarg]

It clicked for me after realizing that dentistry combines both of my passions: science, and important to me, art. Not only do dentists care for those in need, but they are also artists. They craft smiles and put their work out for all to see. Those who care at least.

This is all aside from the good hours and awesome pay, of course!

Coming from an almost film major (glad I didn't), dentistry is a profession that will surely fulfill me.

 

[Likkriue]

Has not fully clicked yet, so still waiting for it. Do I want to be a dentist? Yes. Am I 10000% in? Not too sure, but these loans are making that decision pretty quick.

 

[ssdent18]

I did a day long program at a dental school which introduced undergrad students to the field. they talked about the profession, outlook, dental school, how much work is required, pros/cons of the lifestyle...etc. by this time i had shadowed plenty but i was like 60% sure. at the end of the day though we did some lab exercises where we did impressions, restorations, and some dental forensics. i was very intrigued and needless to say i decided i was gonna apply. so if you ever find an opportunity like that, definitely do it!

 

[Advance]

That's the best way I can think of it. I haven't had that "aha moment" and who knows, I may never have it. It's mentally stimulating and that's about all I need. My profession won't be my life, I just need to not entirely hate it when I wake up every morning. I know dental school isn't real life and sometimes it can be hard to realize that at the end of the day. You won't be waxing this and that, setting dentures, doing as much lab work etc.

Amen. Setting denture teeth is my least favorite thing to do in Dental school.😡

 

[caffeine jitters]

I had braces in high school. I thought it was really cool to watch my smile change over a relatively short timeframe; when those braces finally came off, I felt so confident and happy because I was proud of my smile. This is what initially peaked my interest, so I just followed the typical Pre-Dent path through undergrad.

It wasn’t until I observed a local dentist extract #22-27 where I thought “wow... this is pretty gnarly” (these were the patient’s only remaining teeth on his mandible). This feeling, coupled with my love for biomedical science, helping others (I’m sure someone is cringing at this point), and desire to have a respectable and stimulating career are what led me to continue on.

I knew I had taken the right path when I was accepted to Dental School on December 1st, and my my entire body surged with adrenaline and I started to uncontrollably cry with my parents. With all this said, I haven’t begun Dental School as of yet. There is a chance I get bogged down and lose my passion; however, all I can say right now is that I am thrilled to be continuing on with dentistry.

 

[whosnisarg]

I knew I had taken the right path when I was accepted to Dental School on December 1st, and my my entire body surged with adrenaline and I started to uncontrollably cry with my parents. With all this said, I haven’t begun Dental School as of yet. There is a chance I get bogged down and lose my passion; however, all I can say right now is that I am thrilled to be continuing on with dentistry.

That is amazing, Caffeine Jitters. I hope to feel as strongly as you did discovering your acceptance. All the best! 🙂

 

[Stanelz]

Smh.....you have a lot of challenges ahead of you my friend.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

do explain. I hope you dont feel as though im doing it for the money. If I wanted money I would have gotten an engineering degree.

Im just simply stating that dentistry is a field I can see myself in while being able to have the income to do what I want and give back as much as I can. I started out as premed and ended up in dentistry because I find that I would enjoy the work much more even though its not as lucrative and also because I have such great mentors who have been practicing for many years and have gone through the finances and challenges that they have gone through.

I read back through my last post and felt it might come across that I am a bit selfish and ignorant so I just wanted to clarify since SDN posts dont have vocal tone or background information associated with them.

 

[Stanelz]

If I may add to my previous post, I wanna say that dentistry is a great field going forward who want to do a lot of good. It is not as lucrative as it once was but it is better now as a service profession as it ever was considering the more affordable routes to achieve care. I was discussing this with my boss the other day, he started in dentistry at a private practice and made tons and tons of money but over the years with corporate take over the prices have come down and yes it hurts dentists but if you are in the profession for the right reasons you will still make a comfortable living and help so many people. The bests dentists are the one who are the most genuine and actually care to help people rather than just worrying about his production levels. My boss now works in a corporate/private hybrid practice through comfort dental and is happy as he ever was. He gets to provide excellent care and makes near what he was making prior. The down side is that he has to work harder because his prices are lower but since he is such a lovable guy he has tons of patients that keep coming back.

I always tell people who are premed and predent, if you want money get an engineering degree. Thats easy money! but if you want to help people even if it means working harder and having more stressful situations occur then choose medicine or dentistry ( or whatever health/service industry you are interested in).

 

[StudentDentistsRock]

....Around middle of 2nd year of dental school.

Damn really? So you went in semi-blind about the profession (not knowing if it's really what you want to do) and you ended up enjoying it in the long run? I got accepted and am attending this upcoming fall, and there is this thought in the back of my head :/

Has not fully clicked yet, so still waiting for it. Do I want to be a dentist? Yes. Am I 10000% in? Not too sure, but these loans are making that decision pretty quick.

Same here. Start in the fall. Not sure what to think.

I had braces in high school. I thought it was really cool to watch my smile change over a relatively short timeframe; when those braces finally came off, I felt so confident and happy because I was proud of my smile. This is what initially peaked my interest, so I just followed the typical Pre-Dent path through undergrad.

It wasn’t until I observed a local dentist extract #22-27 where I thought “wow... this is pretty gnarly” (these were the patient’s only remaining teeth on his mandible). This feeling, coupled with my love for biomedical science, helping others (I’m sure someone is cringing at this point), and desire to have a respectable and stimulating career are what led me to continue on.

I knew I had taken the right path when I was accepted to Dental School on December 1st, and my my entire body surged with adrenaline and I started to uncontrollably cry with my parents. With all this said, I haven’t begun Dental School as of yet. There is a chance I get bogged down and lose my passion; however, all I can say right now is that I am thrilled to be continuing on with dentistry.

Feeling is mutual

 

[Faux]

Damn really? So you went in semi-blind about the profession (not knowing if it's really what you want to do) and you ended up enjoying it in the long run? I got accepted and am attending this upcoming fall, and there is this thought in the back of my head :/


Same here. Start in the fall. Not sure what to think.



Feeling is mutual

I'm just not sure how anyone can really know 100% until they're the ones behind the person and sitting in the chair with a hand-piece in their hand. I personally had a lot of work done, so I always had a appreciation/perspective of the field. But my shadowing experience was one of the most boring things I've ever done. I think its a poor method for this particular field to make a decision. I'm sure it turns off a lot of people, unfortunately. The only thing I really got an insight on and enjoyed was the patient/doc interaction.

I just wanted to work with people, wear scrubs, work with my hands and be a able to buy cool work related toys. I did most of that during my second year lol. Just two months ago I bought a new set of loupes too, with changeable magnification. I'm looking forward to buying an iPad/DSLR during my 4th year and try playing around with those for patient education/presentations. Little things like that, I get a kick out of.

I tried office work and that wasn't going to fly with me. Pretty much eliminated most career choices. Only thing I was interested in medicine for was for surgery/emergency medicine but wasn't going to do the hours or the training. Not enough independence either. Teacher didn't have the pay or the toys. Mechanic didn't have the people or the pay. Dentistry is my happy middle ground.

 

[StudentDentistsRock]

I'm just not sure how anyone can really know 100% until they're the ones behind the person and sitting in the chair with a hand-piece in their hand. I personally had a lot of work done, so I always had a appreciation/perspective of the field. But my shadowing experience was one of the most boring things I've ever done. I think its a poor method for this particular field to make a decision. I'm sure it turns off a lot of people, unfortunately. The only thing I really got an insight on and enjoyed was the patient/doc interaction.

I just wanted to work with people, wear scrubs, work with my hands and be a able to buy cool work related toys. I did most of that during my second year lol. Just two months ago I bought a new set of loupes too, with changeable magnification. I'm looking forward to buying an iPad/DSLR during my 4th year and try playing around with those for patient education/presentations. Little things like that, I get a kick out of.

I tried office work and that wasn't going to fly with me. Pretty much eliminated most career choices. Only thing I was interested in medicine for was for surgery/emergency medicine but wasn't going to do the hours or the training. Not enough independence either. Teacher didn't have the pay or the toys. Mechanic didn't have the people or the pay. Dentistry is my happy middle ground.

I also thought that the shadowing experience was extremely boring as well as awkward for both me and the dentist (I don't think that anyone would want to be followed and watched through a work day). Nonetheless, the orthodontist I shadowed was really cool and I enjoyed my interactions with him as well as with his patients. I guess I just have to get my feet in the water to really get a feel for dentistry (probably not until third year when I start working with patients).

I decided to pursue dentistry because it's something I have always said I wanted to do ever since I was a little kid (with no reason as to why). Now that I'm older and shadowed a bit, I started questioning my career choice but I still think it's worth a shot. Not to mention that I don't know what other career path I would have chosen had I not chosen dentistry (maybe a phd in chemistry?). But yeah, I just get this feeling in the back of my head sometimes (biology isn't my strong suit, student debt, very difficult school curriculum...etc).

 

[DenTalFluoride]

It didn’t click for me until the month before I turned in my application. I started my dental assistant employment with ortho responsibilities on the side that was back breaking work. It was very rewarding seeing certain patients every month and becoming physically efficient on ortho skills that used to take me 30 minutes decreased to 10 minutes. This definitely helped shape my personal statement.

However, I did leave that clinic on December once I received an acceptance due to unethical practices I didn’t agree with.

 

[cluelessdr]

I'm just not sure how anyone can really know 100% until they're the ones behind the person and sitting in the chair with a hand-piece in their hand. I personally had a lot of work done, so I always had a appreciation/perspective of the field. But my shadowing experience was one of the most boring things I've ever done. I think its a poor method for this particular field to make a decision. I'm sure it turns off a lot of people, unfortunately. The only thing I really got an insight on and enjoyed was the patient/doc interaction.

I just wanted to work with people, wear scrubs, work with my hands and be a able to buy cool work related toys. I did most of that during my second year lol. Just two months ago I bought a new set of loupes too, with changeable magnification. I'm looking forward to buying an iPad/DSLR during my 4th year and try playing around with those for patient education/presentations. Little things like that, I get a kick out of.

I tried office work and that wasn't going to fly with me. Pretty much eliminated most career choices. Only thing I was interested in medicine for was for surgery/emergency medicine but wasn't going to do the hours or the training. Not enough independence either. Teacher didn't have the pay or the toys. Mechanic didn't have the people or the pay. Dentistry is my happy middle ground.

on point with what goes through my head. especially this last paragraph. would something like this be okay in the PS? I just never want to mention how schooling is much longer (seems like im coming off as lazy lol) and how teachers don't make any money.