WHICH ONE TO SPECIALIZE--Please Comment!

[simpledoc]

(ps: I've posted the same message in the Dental Forums)

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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[ivanBG]

OK, here is what I think:
The most patients we refer out from our general practice office is to periodontist. That is for 2 reasons : periodontist places the implants, and our doctor doesn't like to treat gum deseases.
Wright now perio is not very hard to get in.
But I don't like it.
I am planing to try prostho. Eventhough NOBODY refers patients to prosthodontist. Or if they do, that's the nastiest complete denture patient that doesn't have any ridge.
But I've been working in prostho for the last 2.5 years.
I feel almost married to it. And it is realistic to think that I might get in.
Where are you planing to apply in?

 

[Meggs]

Eventhough NOBODY refers patients to prosthodontist. Or if they do, that's the nastiest complete denture patient that doesn't have any ridge.

You can said tha outloud!!

 

[azzure221]

It great that youv'e narrowed your choices down but what you should be asking yourself is not which sub should i take but "What subject would they let me take?"
I'm not trying to dicourage you or anything but thats the truth. And not to burst your bubble or anything but Endo is THE #2 subject or as tough to get as ortho in most schools and some schools have reserved endo seats only for US citizens. Belive me dude coz i've been there done that.
Perio wil be tough because you'll be applying through PASS and might face heavy competition from other people who've got better scores.
Even Prostho is real tough because of your'e scores unless you've applied to schools that dont need NDBE.

I would say your best bet on getting any of these subs would be if you had more than 2 years of work exp and have done clinical research. Clinical research i would say is THE most impressive stat you could have when ur applying for masters and especially if you've published any papers. It far out wieghs NB scores too.
I'm just telling you as it is. I hope your third and final year scores are good because they will look at those too.
I would suggest you not think of any 1 field but be open to what ever you get. because however you feel about a subject, in the end its upto them and they'll give you whatever sub they feel like. Best of Luck!!

And as for Prostho- its implants, FPD and cosmetic dent and can be even more lucrative than ortho. Implants are the future man! You dont even have to care about CD's and RPD's.

 

[dentaldoc]

And as for Prostho- its implants, FPD and cosmetic dent and can be even more lucrative than ortho. Implants are the future man! You dont even have to care about CD's and RPD's.

Do students doing MS in protho- learn & practice implants too I never knew abt that!

All I was thinking is Implant dentistry is as such a special course

 

[simpledoc]

ok guys, firstly, thank you for each one of your inputs! i appreciate each one of yall!
Ivan BG and Azzure, I sincerely appreciate your inputs about Prosthodontics (for which I have a slight inclination already ) well, I am gettin my DDS in just a couple more days and starting my AEGD program July 2004, so i am planning to apply for to graduate school for JUly 2005. So, do you think that my AEGD program with my scores (P1-89; P2-88) and my GRE (1900) (donno whether required or not) will make me competitive in both Endo and Prostho? The only reason I am planning to apply to both is simply because, what would I do if change my mind later on? Applying to 2 progs would atleast give me some food for choice!
Also Azzure do you really think that prostho (implants) would be more lucrative than Ortho in future? The main future prospects I saw for Prostho is the current explosion in the geriatric population all over the world (which also brings a lot of scope for Periodontics--which I am not interested in)
thanks again
simpledoc

 

[toothmail]

simpledoc may i ask what visa u are on?

arent aegd programs very tough to get into too?

 

[azzure221]

with implants you dont need to be stuck with just the geriatric population. theres a whole lot of younger people who need them as well. like people with injuries, avulsed teeth etc. and out of these a fair share of them could be models too
And unlike ortho which is age specific(even though a lot of people disagree) with prostho you have a lot of choice.

And with your scores you should have no probs getting prostho. Try to ask one of the profs at your school to let you voluntarily help them in research.

 

[toothlord]

i thought that implant placement is done by a surgeon or a periodontist.
i dont think that the prosthodontist is responsible for anything else other than the final restoration planning.

 

[Meggs]

i thought that implant placement is done by a surgeon or a periodontist.
i dont think that the prosthodontist is responsible for anything else other than the final restoration planning.

Currently a lot (if not most) of prostho programs include implant placement in their curriculum, not only post-implant restoration.

 

[dentaldoc]

Currently a lot (if not most) of prostho programs include implant placement in their curriculum, not only post-implant restoration.

Thats cool! isn't it?

I wish I could become a prosthodontist