- Joined
- Jun 9, 2013
- Messages
- 228
- Reaction score
- 32
I like working with children and both of these involve children, which you find more fun?? I like the idea of creating a fun environment in the clinic for instance.
Which is more fun, Orthodontics or Pediatric Dentistry?
- Thread starter InformMe123
- Start date
- Joined
- Mar 2, 2015
- Messages
- 1,389
- Reaction score
- 1,520
Some of my best experiences in dentistry were those when I was a patient of a pediatric dentist. These dentists have the responsibility of creating a warm and inviting environment that will shape their future relationships with dental professionals, so you can really make an impact on someone's life. Most of my patients with dental phobias have experienced traumatizing events in the dental chair as children, and so establishing those positive experiences early on will hopefully carry on to adulthood. You also see developmentally challenged individuals and offering care to this population is very fulfilling and rewarding. It is a rather difficult specialty since you have patients that can be uncooperative or emotional, but if you are great at interpersonal skills with children and you have talented staff, it is a fulfilling career.
In orthodontics, you not only see adolescent patients but adult patients as well. A good half of our patients are adults, with the oldest being in her 70s. What drew me to orthodontics is the ability to converse with people across all walks of life. Seeing older patients is what I personally prefer because they generally have more interesting life histories than a 12 year old. Unless there needs serious intervening care, you will typically see children after their 12 year molars have erupted. Pedodontists generally see a broader range of children whereas orthodontists see an age range that extends well into adulthood.
In orthodontics, you not only see adolescent patients but adult patients as well. A good half of our patients are adults, with the oldest being in her 70s. What drew me to orthodontics is the ability to converse with people across all walks of life. Seeing older patients is what I personally prefer because they generally have more interesting life histories than a 12 year old. Unless there needs serious intervening care, you will typically see children after their 12 year molars have erupted. Pedodontists generally see a broader range of children whereas orthodontists see an age range that extends well into adulthood.
- Joined
- Oct 10, 2007
- Messages
- 1,079
- Reaction score
- 34
if you like using your hands ... pedo. if you want to wear a tie to work and tx plan all day and never touch a handpiece .. go to ortho.
yea i know i know there are some ortho's that are more hands on ... just giving some generalizations
yea i know i know there are some ortho's that are more hands on ... just giving some generalizations
I am a pedo specialist so my 2 cents.
As a pedo doc you generally work with much younger patients (2 to 10 year olds). In ortho, it is 9-13 year olds. It is a very different age group.
I don't think I would enjoy Ortho as much as I do pedo. Ortho is very referral based. You have to get out and get to know every GP and pediatric dentist in your area. You seem to need to be taking Doc's out to lunch or always Doing after hours " beer discussions " with potential or current referrals.
I get calls all the time from ortho's who want to get together for some reason or another. Ortho's' I refer to or don't. They are always trying to " hustle me " to discuss how great they are are and why I should refer more patients to their practice.
Seriously, I can't imagine having to do this.... As a pedo , I did a little of the this the first few years out. But now 12 years out, I do not need many referrals. I get 80% of my new patients from internals referrals ( existing patients who refer friends or family). The referrals I get from other GP's are not from effort I give to refer. It is generally just good word of mouth from the community,in general.
I am incredibly busy,,, I have found my nitch in dentistry. I love it!
Pedo is awesome if you have the right personality. It is can be intense at times ( as is all dentistry ) but I think so much easier than every other dental specialty or by far being a GP.
It really is much about your personality in the end.
As a pedo doc you generally work with much younger patients (2 to 10 year olds). In ortho, it is 9-13 year olds. It is a very different age group.
I don't think I would enjoy Ortho as much as I do pedo. Ortho is very referral based. You have to get out and get to know every GP and pediatric dentist in your area. You seem to need to be taking Doc's out to lunch or always Doing after hours " beer discussions " with potential or current referrals.
I get calls all the time from ortho's who want to get together for some reason or another. Ortho's' I refer to or don't. They are always trying to " hustle me " to discuss how great they are are and why I should refer more patients to their practice.
Seriously, I can't imagine having to do this.... As a pedo , I did a little of the this the first few years out. But now 12 years out, I do not need many referrals. I get 80% of my new patients from internals referrals ( existing patients who refer friends or family). The referrals I get from other GP's are not from effort I give to refer. It is generally just good word of mouth from the community,in general.
I am incredibly busy,,, I have found my nitch in dentistry. I love it!
Pedo is awesome if you have the right personality. It is can be intense at times ( as is all dentistry ) but I think so much easier than every other dental specialty or by far being a GP.
It really is much about your personality in the end.
Since I did and ortho and pedo residency I am on both sides of the fence.
Pedo is fun because you really have no idea how the day is going to go or what the kid is going to do. You may be dancing for a 4 yr old, singing the RIO song with a 6yr old, or trying to bribe a 5yr old for an exam all in a span of 15 min.
Ortho is fun because it is really laid back. You can interact with the staff and patients in a totally different manner. Trying to figure out multiple options for tx planning cases is also fun, but at the end of the day your brain is going to feel like mush.
Pedo is fun because you really have no idea how the day is going to go or what the kid is going to do. You may be dancing for a 4 yr old, singing the RIO song with a 6yr old, or trying to bribe a 5yr old for an exam all in a span of 15 min.
Ortho is fun because it is really laid back. You can interact with the staff and patients in a totally different manner. Trying to figure out multiple options for tx planning cases is also fun, but at the end of the day your brain is going to feel like mush.
- Joined
- Jul 10, 2007
- Messages
- 3,304
- Reaction score
- 3,244
I’d like to echo what Pedodel said above. The job (pedo or ortho) can only be fun when your office has a lot of patients for you to treat. Pedodel enjoys his/her job because he/she has a busy office. It’s depressing when your office has a problem with filling the appointment book. What’s the point of having a job that you like to do but have very few patients to work on? When your office has no patient, it’s like being unemployed. Actually, it’s worse than being unemployed because you still have to pay rent, utilities, staff salaries, and other operating expenses.
The reason a lot of dental students want to specialize in ortho is it is really a fun job that deals with mostly healthy teenagers who want to see the doctor, instead of being afraid of seeing the doctor. So why do many orthodontists (new grads and older grads) come to this forum saying negative things about orthodontics and convince the students not to pursue orthodontics? That’s because they are struggling to find jobs after graduation. When they started their own offices, they coudn’t get enough patients to help them pay bills. And they feel miserable about their profession.
At the beginning when you start own your office, you’ll need to meet a lot of GPs to introduce yourself. When your office has patients, it’s important to do good work and take good care of your patients so they refer friends and relatives to your office. Once your office becomes more known to the community, you won’t have to rely too much on GP referrals. That’s the beauty of pedo and ortho. To stay successful, Endo, OS, Perio continue to rely on GP referrals.
I am doing fine without GP referrals but it’s always better if the GP offices continue to send patients to my office. That’s why every Xmas/New Year, I ask my staff to deliver gifts to GP offices. The more referrals (from GPs, patients, insurance companies, advertisements etc) you get, the better it is. If you don’t like the fact that you have to go door to door to meet the GPs, then you shouldn’t specialize.
The reason a lot of dental students want to specialize in ortho is it is really a fun job that deals with mostly healthy teenagers who want to see the doctor, instead of being afraid of seeing the doctor. So why do many orthodontists (new grads and older grads) come to this forum saying negative things about orthodontics and convince the students not to pursue orthodontics? That’s because they are struggling to find jobs after graduation. When they started their own offices, they coudn’t get enough patients to help them pay bills. And they feel miserable about their profession.
At the beginning when you start own your office, you’ll need to meet a lot of GPs to introduce yourself. When your office has patients, it’s important to do good work and take good care of your patients so they refer friends and relatives to your office. Once your office becomes more known to the community, you won’t have to rely too much on GP referrals. That’s the beauty of pedo and ortho. To stay successful, Endo, OS, Perio continue to rely on GP referrals.
I am doing fine without GP referrals but it’s always better if the GP offices continue to send patients to my office. That’s why every Xmas/New Year, I ask my staff to deliver gifts to GP offices. The more referrals (from GPs, patients, insurance companies, advertisements etc) you get, the better it is. If you don’t like the fact that you have to go door to door to meet the GPs, then you shouldn’t specialize.
Last edited:
