Why did you choose dental??

[hoosmed]

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hello,

I am new to these forums and am trying to decide if dentistry is right for me. I have been working in free clinics as a dental assistant all summer but am still struggling with my decision and I am going to be a junior in college.

My question is what made you choose dentistry? I have always been interested in medicine and have been trying to decide between the two.

Thanks and any input, opinions, experiences are greatly appreciated!

 

[UndergradGuy7]

hello,

I am new to these forums and am trying to decide if dentistry is right for me. I have been working in free clinics as a dental assistant all summer but am still struggling with my decision and I am going to be a junior in college.

My question is what made you choose dentistry? I have always been interested in medicine and have been trying to decide between the two.

Thanks and any input, opinions, experiences are greatly appreciated!

Shadow both, pick one.

The typical answers to this question are...
-better work hours
-better lifestyle (not on call)
-similar pay
-less school
-not responsible for someone's life like an MD.

etc...

 

[incisorco12]

I am a natural artist and I love science. I also love people and doing things to improve the lives of others. So dentistry seemed like a natural choice. Not to mention I initially thought dentist's only made ballpark of $65,000 when I chose. But after I learned the truth it didn't hurt Lol! All of the points the above poster mentioned are valid and true for myself also.

 

[CANgnome]

I am a natural artist and I love science. I also love people and doing things to improve the lives of others. So dentistry seemed like a natural choice. Not to mention I initially thought dentist's only made ballpark of $65,000 when I chose. But after I learned the truth it didn't hurt Lol! All of the points the above poster mentioned are valid and true for myself also.

This is true for me too. I really hope to be doing something I love for the rest of my life, and dentistry is definitely something I love.

 

[hoosmed]

but there are many more medical jobs with good hours good pay etc
like radiology, dermatology, family practice
these specialities make more money and also work normal hours without call

What made dental the right choice for you besides the money and hours because medicine definitely has the options for money and hours.

 

[JBieber]

but there are many more medical jobs with good hours good pay etc
like radiology, dermatology, family practice
these specialities make more money and also work normal hours without call

What made dental the right choice for you besides the money and hours because medicine definitely has the options for money and hours.

derm is one of the hardest med specialties to get into and dentists make the same, if not more, than family doctors with less schooling (4 yrs vs. 4 yrs + 3 yr residency, respectively).

i also like dentistry for the reasons stated above. i did initially want to go into medicine but realized it was only the surgical stuff that interested me. i enjoy the meticulous, hands-on, and visual nature of dentistry and simply feel it is a better fit for my personality and talents.

 

[UndergradGuy7]

but there are many more medical jobs with good hours good pay etc
like radiology, dermatology, family practice
these specialities make more money and also work normal hours without call

What made dental the right choice for you besides the money and hours because medicine definitely has the options for money and hours.

Then it comes down to what you would rather be doing?

If like you said, both have the same lifestyle, pay, and hours, pick which one you would like doing best. If you think teeth are nasty and would not like doing it, then don't pick dental for the money. If you can't stand blood, then don't become a surgeon, etc.

I am not familiar with residencies and length since I never really looked into it. But wouldn't you be close to 30 if you were to do dermatology, radiology, etc specialty?

So yes, those "specialties" make more money than a "general" dentist. But they are in school longer. That is not a fair comparison. Compare dental specialties to medical specialties then (endo, ortho, etc.).

 

[Hum]

but there are many more medical jobs with good hours good pay etc
like radiology, dermatology, family practice
these specialities make more money and also work normal hours without call

What made dental the right choice for you besides the money and hours because medicine definitely has the options for money and hours.

As JBieber said, Derm and Rads are of the most competitive medical specialties and require long residencies, so they are no guarantee. And he was also right about FP, dentists can have better or the same hours with similar pay.

I was also torn between medicine and dentistry, but after shadowing in medicine and getting told by doctors (interventional radiology to boot) that medicine isn't the same and they couldn't recommend someone entering it today, my choice was pretty much made. I like dentistry and it's options, and wanted to do a surgical branch of medicine anyways, so with dentistry I can pretty much do minor surgery every day with good hours, good pay, and a good lifestyle 👍

 

[Seahawk]

...

 

[study girl]

I love dentistry because I really feel like I will make a difference. Not only does oral health affect physical health... Teeth almost represent a person. The smile is one of the first things anyone will see. The best part of the smile is that it is the one physical feature that can easily be made perfect. Every specialty and general practicing dentist contributes to help maintain the perfect smile. I

 

[LaughingGas]

life style
work style - being precise, and accurate.
get to be your own boss.
somewhat responsible but not as much as doctors in a sense of life and death.
manageable level of stress compared to other health profession
and the list goes on.....

 

[klutzy1987]

Its fun and you get to meet people and build relationships with your patients as opposed to most doctors that hit and run. Also you get to do some of everything, you are the surgeon, anasthesialogist, general doctor, radiologist etc...

Basically its an all in one package.

 

[RCT PC CRN]

Your malpractice premium will be way less than medical 👍