WHICH ONE TO SPECIALIZE IN??--Please comment!

[simpledoc]

hey yall! I will be graduating from my DDS program very soon.As I am planning to start applying to graduate programs, I have narrowed down my choices to only 3 specialities: Endo, Pedo and Prosthodontics. Ortho is out of question with my stats (part 1- 89; part 2- 88)
and OMFS does not fascinate me due to the amount of time required for completion. Perio is so boring..as are the other non-clinical subjects.
Honestly speaking, I am in a situation where I can actually create and grow my interest towards any of the remaining choices....
Now, out of the three, my personal inclination is towards Pros due to the diverse nature of the subject (removable, fixed, impant and maxillo-facial) AND due to the fact that I feel that the subject has tremendous amount of potential to grow, with the current rate of growth of geriatric population, baby-boomers etc etc....Am I correct here? Will Prostho really be a hot field in future? and do Prosthodontists really make good money??
Endo is fine with me but am scared that life would be too monotonous in a canal! but Ive also heard that Endodontists make more than Prosthodontists, and that too most Endo programs are only 2 years compared to 3 years of Prostho! In contrast I've also heard that most general dentists do the Endo work themselves, hence by-passing Endodontists!
My stake on Pedo is simply due to the fact that among all residencies Pediatric Residencies provide the maximum amount of stipend!! but what scares me is whether it is lucrative enough to be a Pedodontist in the long run...i mean how many would actually call upon a Pedodontist for consultation purposes?
Can anyone brief me more on this issue? Also, can I apply to like 2 specialities at a time (ofcourse no two diferent ones in the same school)
ALL OPINIONS ARE WELCOME!
thank you so much in advance!

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[Barry20]

Hi,

I'm not even in dental school, but I've worked in a dental office for 2 years and was extremely close to the Drs. They shared info with me that many others didn't know.

You said that many GP's do endo, but I would argue that MORE GP's refer out to endo's than to prostho's. There aren't many Drs. who don't do crowns, bridges etc., but there are many that don't do endo. This leads me to believe that endo would be a better choice as far as referrals are concerned. I assume that many of your prostho cases would be dentures, which is another thing many GP's hate to do. Atleast this is what I've heard.

I have 2 recent pedo grad friends who say they are making 3 times the amount they would have as a GP. Of course, success is dependant upon many things, but I think there is a great need for it.

Endo is quite lucrative from what people on this board have said. But, it is monotonous. There was a guy on here, EndoTom, that was quite helpful with information regarding this. Perhaps you could PM him. Good luck.

 

[Mo007]

(part 1- 89; part 2- 88)
and OMFS does not fascinate me due to the amount of time required for completion.

So, do you think your chances would be ok if you applied to OMFS with your stats?

 

[Dr.SpongeBobDDS]

I'm only a first year student (sophomore in 8 weeks. ) but I think you'd be crazy to commit to any of these specialties without having a real love for the practice. Here's why.

Prosth doesn't really get a lot of referrals; ask a couple of dentists in town when they last referred to a prosthodontist. The answer will be probably be given in years (or decades ) Many, many, prosthodontists actually just do general dentistry and field the occasional complex case from the GPs. Don't believe me? Leaf through your phonebook and look at the number of prosthodontists vs. the doctors advertising as "family dentistry and prosthodontics". There's no real financial incentive for prosth.

Pedo. It takes a very special person indeed to do pedo. I have heard that many people think they want to do pedo but either drop out of the program or switch to GP after a few years because the specialty is not what they thought. Is a moderately larger bank account really worth your sanity? The government is going to confiscate half of everything you earn over $100,000 anyway. I wouldn't do pedo unless I absolutely LOVED the specialty.

Endo. Good money and ummm... well... yup that's about it. You see a patient once or twice never to hear from them again. You spend your whole day looking for little teeny holes to put your little teeny files in. An endodontist on this board (endotom I think) once posted that endo is consistently ranked as one of the most psychologically stressful jobs in the US. Can you really see yourself doing this for the next 20-30 yrs? My personality would not allow for it, but maybe you could handle it.

Just out of curiosity, what's the big push to specialize? You don't sound like you're really excited about any of these options. Why not just do a little of everything for the next few years and save some money to go back to school if and when you find your life's calling is to only do pedo/prosth/endo?

 

[UBTom]

hey yall! As I am planning to start applying to graduate programs, I have narrowed down my choices to only 3 specialities: Endo, Pedo and Prosthodontics. Ortho is out of question with my stats (part 1- 89; part 2- 88)

Endo PG programs are pretty hard to get into. I don't know if an 89 on your NBDE I will cut it.. You might need to do a GPR or AEGD first before applying to Endo.

Your stats are good enough for Prostho... It's good enough for some peds programs too.

I think you need to do some externships over this summer and see how you like them. Then you can decide.

I did my externships at several places in the NYC area... Loved the Peds program at Long Island Jewish and the OMFS program at NYU/Bellevue. But I'm going into private practice instead because while those programs are nice, in the end I'm just sick of school.

HTH!

 

[ItsGavinC]

So, do you think your chances would be ok if you applied to OMFS with your stats?

I don't think he was saying that. He was pointing out that he wouldn't consider OMS, regardless of his stats, because it doesn't interest him. The way it was written did make it seem that he thought that he could get in if he had an interest, but I don't think that was what was intended.

 

[Mo007]

I don't think he was saying that. He was pointing out that he wouldn't consider OMS, regardless of his stats, because it doesn't interest him. The way it was written did make it seem that he thought that he could get in if he had an interest, but I don't think that was what was intended.

He made it sound like he could and didn't want to by saying "OMFS does not fascinate me due to the amount of time required for completion." - which still makes me wonder even if he wanted, would he have a shot?

I think the only things that's hindering his chances to Endo is his stats, the other programs like pedo and prostho might be at ease with his scores.

 

[simpledoc]

ok guys...am back..firstly, thank you for each one of your inputs! i appreciate each one of yall!
well Mo007, GET A LIFE! when i said OFMS doesnt fascinate me, i only meant that I wasn't interested in it simply cuz of the time factor, and not anything related to whether I will get it or not with my stats...as Gavin C said, it was just a way of writing....oh yeah! if i was one of those really motivated types for OFMS I would have decided to re-take my part

DrSponge and Barry20 thank you for your messages. I have decided one thing for sure now, after reading these messages...and that is, I have eliminated Pedo from my list...so I have decided to apply only for Prostho and Endo.
Also, I have another question to you guys...both of you have clarified the referral part, but what if (after specilization) I decide to practice only Prosthodontics, wouldn't that be a lucrative job? how much do you think, I would make then?

UbTom, I have actually been accepted to an AEGD program starting this July, and am planning to apply for Endo for July 2005...do you still think I am gonna find it tough to get into Endo? Also, which places do you suggest me to apply? I was thinking of LSU and UIC for sure...what say??

thanks again to all!
simpledoc

 

[no2thdk999]

Of all the prosth residents I knew in school only one was not a foreign trained dentist trying to get licensure in the U.S. This way they only have to do 3 years instead of 4 and they get advanced training that they wouldn't have in dental school.

The prosthodontist in one of my study clubs even jokes his is not a "real" specialty. If you do decide to do prosth you'll get experience in making appliances for cancer/trauma patients that replace maxillas, eyes, ears, etc..., you'll get an intimate knowledge of the lab work involved in complex cases and you'll be able to be board certified and teach at a university. As far as private practice I agree that this is the least referred to specialty and you probably won't like what is referred. Regionally I think some patients will seek out a prosthodontist but where I am that is a minority.

Penn does have a r year perio/prosth program that I think would be an incredible educational experience.

JMHO
Rob