Why dentistry..other than I am just really interested in it?

[FlossFloss]

I have wanted to be a dentist since..idk freshman year. I had prepared these reasons for wanting to be one, obviously money, being able to use my hands, my own hours, etc.

Today, I met a brain surgeon who started talking to me about how I shouldn't do dental and go to medical school. how he makes over a million dollars a year, and how he never stops working hard to get a better position each year. He asked why I want to be a dentist, and I answered, with the above, etc, and then...I got stuck...He was right, He makes more money, uses his hands, and he argued that there are so many dr. positions that make their own hours and practice, etc. I just sort of awkwardly told him..that I think a doctor might not be able to understand why someone's gut tells him that dentistry will be something he enjoys..

So here I am, really just afraid of that question that will come up if I get interviews...and how I will explain myself.. So this isn't me asking you to give me a good answer so I can go parrot it to my interviewers the coming year. I am actually stumped now as to how to answer that question. It's in my gut..yea..I enjoy using my hands..and I want my family life to be just as important to me as my occupation...all of the above can be found in medical also..so my arguments are basically not valid.

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[Slumber]

Because dentistry is awesome. Honestly, if you can't figure out why you want to become a dentist, no one here can figure it out for you. We'll give you some generic answers but in the end, it's up to you. Shadow a surgeon and various other physicians and dentists, and go from there.

 

[Illfavor]

It seems like...if both careers offer the same options........you should do the one.................that you want to.

 

[Allaboutteeth5]

I say do what your heart desires. There's many people who go to dental school for the wrong reasons, (money, hours, prestige) that's all fine but if you don't love dentistry and have a passion for it you'll hate your career. I know for me personally money has NEVER been the motivation for my career choice, i knew for a long time i absolutely love dentistry and can't see myself in any other field. So find out what your passion is and you'll make the right choice 🙂

 

[hs2013]

He may be a brain surgeon making over a million a year, but let's not forget how long it took him to get there. As a dentist you can start after graduating, you still can have the freedom of having your own practice/ your own hours, and if it's something you would be happy doing then why not. I can't imagine the amount of residency/extra training post med school you have to do to be a brain surgeon, and if money is on your list(not bad, it's on mine too), you'd probably be better off becoming a dentist because you start making money after graduating.

 

[FlossFloss]

Thanks for your responses guys. I just want to make it clear if I didn't already that I'm already set on dentistry. maybe my title was a little misleading. I know I want to do it, I have already shadowed a dentist for a while now. I just dont know how to explain myself to adcoms without it not makign sense.

hs2013, I feel the exact same way about residency as well, but I've been thinking that might not be the best thing to tell adcoms, or is it ok to say that you want to work right after, without residency, etc.? Does that show laziness or bad qualities? I just feel like whatever answer I have, there's a pitfall with it.

 

[Troyvdg]

A guy in my interview group answered that question the same way you did...they asked him...why not carpentry. Might want to do some soul searching before you apply, the application alone is a costly process...oh, and you will most definitely be asked "why dentistry" during interviews.

 

[FlossFloss]

It seems like...if both careers offer the same options........you should do the one.................that you want to.

Hey thanks for your reply..I must've not made myself clear, but I want to do dentistry, and I'm sure of it. That is not my question, however. My question is how to explain my love and interest for dentistry without it not making sense at the end (i.e. all the things I love about it is also offered in medical).

Imagine I'm in an interview. Interviewer asks me "why dentistry?" I say all the things I really like about it, and he says, "thats in medical field also", then I just awkwardly say.. "I love dentistry"..or something like that..is my fear

 

[FlossFloss]

A guy in my interview group answered that question the same way you did...they asked him...why not carpentry. Might want to do some soul searching before you apply, the application alone is a costly process...oh, and you will most definitely be asked "why dentistry" during interviews.

Thanks for your response =). I did plenty of soul searching and shadowing loll I guess I'm just afraid I won't be articulate or convincing enough ><

 

[ktran17]

He probably worked 100 + hours a week a majority of his 20s and 30s..

 

[Hippo529]

Well for me, my love for dentistry stem from my personal experience with the field--braces, orthognathic surgery, & dental implant on tooth #8, just to name a few of the more significant ones. Maybe there is something similar that had happened for you?

 

[FlossFloss]

He probably worked 100 + hours a week a majority of his 20s and 30s..

He definitely did hahaha, but how do I make that point to adcoms without sounding lazy or wanting easy way out?

 

[FlossFloss]

Well for me, my love for dentistry stem from my personal experience with the field--braces, orthognathic surgery, & dental implant on tooth #8, just to name a few of the more significant ones. Maybe there is something similar that had happened for you?

I liked a prosthodontic implant too =) but more interested in orthodontics though i'm not confident to be top 1% of my class =(

 

[ramborhino]

yes be prepared to answer:
why dentistry and not medicine?
why dentistry and not [insert whatever your mom or dad does]?
why dentistry and not [insert irrelevant temporary job you currently hold]?

 

[Ferneezy]

A guy in my interview group answered that question the same way you did...they asked him...why not carpentry. Might want to do some soul searching before you apply, the application alone is a costly process...oh, and you will most definitely be asked "why dentistry" during interviews.

any smug interviewer can offer an alternative career in such a scenario. doubt i'd have much patience for that question (maybe because the mere fact i would have spent thousands in app fees, travel, lodging, testing fees, not to mention the countless hours preparing for the big test, in addition to the toiling done semester after semester in regular classes...all to sit in that chair, would be enough indication that i desire to enter the dental profession) and say: "because carpentry isn't dentistry"

for the record, i was asked why dentistry in about half of my interviews. i answered similar to the way OP intends to, or any of us that had answered in this or previous cycles. in all cases we moved right along because it felt like a silly formality. it's an important question, but it also isn't.

 

[RUlaxin]

I am a medical scribe working in the ER and love getting asked questions like 'why dentistry' and 'why not medicine'. I have experience in the medical and dental arenas and can clearly align my personal preferences towards dentistry based on what I see everyday. I try not to bash medicine, but touch on things that are missing.

I've been also been asked 'why not carpentry' before lol, after mentioning wanting to work with my hands. I have actually done some work with a contractor and tell the adcom's that it isn't intellectually stimulating enough for me, even though it still requires massive amounts of skill and move on to the next question.

 

[techyguy]

Thanks for your response =). I did plenty of soul searching and shadowing loll I guess I'm just afraid I won't be articulate or convincing enough ><

Right, you have to speak with a certain amount of conviction, but you also have to an application that can come close to backing it up. If you like to "help people," then you should be able to point to some volunteer work. If you like working with your hands, then you should have something that proves it. All that stuff.

Mock interviews with a dentist, or with some career services people help. You may think you're convincing, but you may have some nervous tick that'll make people doubt your own belief in your words. Practicing your interviews is what I would recommend for you.

 

[sjv]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/why-dentistry-question.962568/

 

[NMC2010]

Didn't bother reading the other posts, but think about it this way. Which is more stressful, operating on a brain, or operating on a tooth? Which profession can you be more sociable in: one where you're doing 10 hour surgeries, or one where you're constantly meeting with patients?

This commercial might help you make the decision:

 

[FlossFloss]

Didn't bother reading the other posts, but think about it this way. Which is more stressful, operating on a brain, or operating on a tooth? Which profession can you be more sociable in: one where you're doing 10 hour surgeries, or one where you're constantly meeting with patients?

This commercial might help you make the decision:

That's the point I was making though =); medical route has a lot of options that are very much like dentistry as well in terms of hours, difficulty etc. meaning you dont have to be a brain surgeon =p, and u can also have a sociable medical occupation as well. I just don't want to seem ignorant when I say these are the things I want in dentistry without acknowledging that those are also available in medicine as well.

 

[NMC2010]

That's the point I was making though =); medical route has a lot of options that are very much like dentistry as well in terms of hours, difficulty etc. meaning you dont have to be a brain surgeon =p, and u can also have a sociable medical occupation as well. I just don't want to seem ignorant when I say these are the things I want in dentistry without acknowledging that those are also available in medicine as well.

Sure, you can get those in bits and pieces in other medical careers... but dentistry combines them all together. That or I've just not cared enough to research them, because dentistry looked enjoyable to me. But let's be realistic here. You will get asked this question in your interview. Know what's going to happen? You'll say, "I like dentistry because... blah blah blah... helping people... hands... social aspect... free toothpaste... rabble rabble rabble... teeth... and I think your school can provide that." There's a great chance that they'll say, "Ok, excellent," and move on. If they grill you, use your imagination. You might love carving up pieces of wood with your hands, but unfortunately the stock of talking trees isn't as high as it used to be. That and they're dead (carpentry).

 

[BYU4you]

If dentistry was a specialty in medicine it would be the most sought after and desirable.

 

[Glimmer1991]

I didn't read all of these posts, but seriously, your answer doesn't have to be earth-shattering here. Mine wasn't. The career just simply fit my life goals and aspirations.

I got the, "Don't you think you could do those same things in a medical specialty?" question at one of my interviews. I just responded honestly. I basically said, "Yes, there are probably medical specialties that have similar job components. In fact, I'm sure I could be happy as a physician. I'm also sure, though, that I could be happier doing dentistry. To me, it's basically just like I've already chosen my specialty."

The answer was well-received. There is no shame in having considered medicine. IMO, it's sort of just a fluke of history that dentistry isn't a medical specialty.

 

[Bottle]

Because every possible outcome of going to dental school and graduating it, interests me and satisfy me aswell. Whether it's general practice, speciality, or research.

 

[NMC2010]

also: https://blogs.law.harvard.edu/abina...go-to-medical-school-a-gleefully-biased-rant/

+ Comment #16. Obvious choice is obvious.

Also, dentists usually have their own mansions, sports cars, and serfs to supplement the 3 day/week job, and 49.1% of dentists make $2,000,000+ within 1 year out of dental school (source: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/polling-dentists-how-much-do-you-make.978857/).

 

[Glimmer1991]

One of my interviewers said something like this near the beginning of our talk: "I think your desire to pursue dentistry is quite apparent by the fact that you've made it to this point, so I don't see the need to belabor that topic. I'd rather we talk about other things."

Someone who gets it! 😀

 

[Papasmurf1234]

I don't think you'll ever find the cut and dry answer you are looking for. So many different occupations involve the same factors you speak of. The best thing to do for these interviews is to practice a good response without going too far into it specifically. No adcom is going to grill you on "why?" and try to compare it to every single occupation out there that involves "using your hands". If they do, they clearly don't want you there. As long as you end your answers confidently and make it obvious that you're done with your answer no one will ask further on it. Keep it generic, short, and succinct.

 

[dieanotherday]

if you've ever been on a medical mission trip, you can see dentistry making more of an impact on people's lives than medicine

 

[NMC2010]

^ That's a pretty bold suggestion. Allopathic medicine on medical missions trips is generally more diagnosis and prescription based than actual treatment. If someone comes in with chronic hypertension, parasitic infection, or constant migraines, about all you can do is give/prescribe them a drug that will eventually help alleviate the condition. If someone comes in with an infected abscess or caries, a dentist can fix that right on the spot.

So yeah, you'll see an immediate effect from dentistry, but you don't see the patient recovering after taking the medicine a physician gives them after his professional diagnosis. I don't think it's fair try to sway the OP for dentistry based its immediate impact, when other medical professions have just as great an impact later.

 

[dieanotherday]

^ That's a pretty bold suggestion. Allopathic medicine on medical missions trips is generally more diagnosis and prescription based than actual treatment. If someone comes in with chronic hypertension, parasitic infection, or constant migraines, about all you can do is give/prescribe them a drug that will eventually help alleviate the condition. If someone comes in with an infected abscess or caries, a dentist can fix that right on the spot.

So yeah, you'll see an immediate effect from dentistry, but you don't see the patient recovering after taking the medicine a physician gives them after his professional diagnosis. I don't think it's fair try to sway the OP for dentistry based its immediate impact, when other medical professions have just as great an impact later.

well medical professions can only give whatever medicine they have on them. what happens in these 3rd world countries where the patient would likely never see another physician or get more medication for their chronic health conditions for the rest of their lives?

i think telling people they have these diseases/problems but not being able to fix it is kind of awful since in the long run they won't be able to treat themselves
dentistry you can pretty much fix the problem on the spot and educate them to hopefully prevent future oral health problems

 

[NMC2010]

There's definitely some truth to that. My medical mission trip was at a place where the physicians had access to medication they could provide to the patients regularly (people always donate medications when they come). In a third world country, dentistry may indeed be more useful. I just don't want to the OP to elevate it over other medical professions because of that, as they'll probably be living/working in an industrialized country. But I do see your point.

 

[dieanotherday]

There's definitely some truth to that. My medical mission trip was at a place where the physicians had access to medication they could provide to the patients regularly (people always donate medications when they come). In a third world country, dentistry may indeed be more useful. I just don't want to the OP to elevate it over other medical professions because of that, as they'll probably be living/working in an industrialized country. But I do see your point.

All my vacations in the future will be on medical mission trips as a dentist which is why it was important to me in choosing the right career in the health professions

 

[gnleff]

I like dentistry because you get to actually talk to your patients and get to know them. It's very important to get to know them on a personal level before you treat them. In the medical field you're like a robot, you meet the patient, ask how they are feeling and you give them medicine.

Ever notice how most dentists great their patients with "How are you doing today?" Whereas a physician would ask "How are you feeling?"

Dentistry has a better social environment, and treating people becomes much more meaningful.