Would you do dental school over again?

[ratty12]

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I basically wanted to ask this question, bc I recently saw the thread on "would you do med school over if you had the chance?". I know dental school and med school are different in terms of length and future career.

I am going to enter dental school so far, I have shadowed so many dentists and sure that I can see myself doing what a dentist does. But I can also see myself in another small business. At the end of the day I like the job security, autonomy, etc... but you can also get some of that opening franchise, or just opening and running franchises.

I dont want to waste 4 years of my life when I can also enjoy my life while running a restuarant or something like that.

What I am looking for in this thread is basically input of dental students if they would do it all over again. If not, what would you do? Why wouldnt you do it again?

So...is there regret? No regret? What is your lifestyle like now?

Im sure everyone entering d school is concerned whether it is the right investment of stress, money and "my best years of my life". I know Im not alone, as many people say, d school is something that has to be experienced, but I dont want to pay 300k for the chance and regret it.

Please write away....

 

[phremius]

dental school is almost impossible to describe and everyone takes it differently and spans the whole spectrum of reactions to it.

I wrote something about this in the who should dentists marry thread, do a search.

 

[aphistis]

Some parts of dental school, frankly, just plain suck sometimes, but worrying about them ahead of time would only make them worse. You just have to roll with the punches during those stretches until things let up. It hasn't always been fun at the day-to-day level, but overall I'm very glad to be going through dental school, and I'm equally excited about the career awaiting me afterward.

 

[gator1210]

I basically wanted to ask this question, bc I recently saw the thread on "would you do med school over if you had the chance?". I know dental school and med school are different in terms of length and future career.

I am going to enter dental school so far, I have shadowed so many dentists and sure that I can see myself doing what a dentist does. But I can also see myself in another small business. At the end of the day I like the job security, autonomy, etc... but you can also get some of that opening franchise, or just opening and running franchises.

I dont want to waste 4 years of my life when I can also enjoy my life while running a restuarant or something like that.

What I am looking for in this thread is basically input of dental students if they would do it all over again. If not, what would you do? Why wouldnt you do it again?

So...is there regret? No regret? What is your lifestyle like now?

Im sure everyone entering d school is concerned whether it is the right investment of stress, money and "my best years of my life". I know Im not alone, as many people say, d school is something that has to be experienced, but I dont want to pay 300k for the chance and regret it.

Please write away....

I think there is only one way to see is actually go to dental school. I am about to start school too and I feel you. But then again, life is all about risks. And the way I think about it is that I worked so hard in undergraduate, I would feel stupid not to continue to work so hard. I also feel owning a dental practice is more stable than opening a franchise. I too hate corporations and want to be a small business man for life.

 

[EuroOMFS]

So...is there regret? No regret?

I'm not from the US but I can tell you I finished d school 8 yrs ago in Iceland, and I haven't regretted it one moment. It's a job like any other. You'll have good days and bad days, sometimes the patients are a pain in to a**, some things quickly become routine an boring but overall it's a good job. That being said, I actually decided general dental practice wasn't for me and went into OMFS five years after graduation. This wasn't because I didn't like being a dentist, but because I found my interest lied in surgery, and if I wanted to expand in that area I would be vise to specialize.

What is your lifestyle like now?

My lifestyle is all but glamorous, being a resident in OMFS, but I don't complain. But in the five years I practiced general dentistry I made good money. My friends from dental school who have stayed in general practice are all making sooooo much money. They generally live in expensive houses, drive new, expensive cars, go abroad on vacation 2 - 3 times a year and are leading a very good life.

Im sure everyone entering d school is concerned whether it is the right investment of stress, money and "my best years of my life". I know Im not alone, as many people say, d school is something that has to be experienced, but I dont want to pay 300k for the chance and regret it.

Again, I'm not a graduate of an US dental school, but I guess the difficulty/stress level is basically the same. I agree, you'll have to experience it for yourself. No one can describe it for you. I don't think you'll regret it though, even if you don't like general dentistry. There are so many possibilities to specialize.

When I entered OMFS I wondered if I should have gone into medicine instead of dentistry. After thinking about this for a while I decided that I was glad I chose dentistry and not medicine. When you finish dental school, you immediately go out and work with your "speciality" and you have autonomy. However, as a newly graduated medical doctor you first have to go through recidency and then start as a junior specialist, working you way up the pecking order before gaining the autonomy dentists enjoy from the start.

So to answer your question: Yes, I'd do it again. At the end of the day, you'll have to decide for yourself. No one can do it for you. Is it worth it for you? Everything you do in life is a risk.

 

[diagnodent]

Dental school sucks. I hated it most of the time, but also liked it a lot of the time. It goes thru phases. Would I do it again now? yes, and I wouldn't think twice. However, if you asked me during or right after dental school? I would have said no.

You could be a restaurant manager like you said, but unless you have capital or knowledge in franchise development you are not being an owner at the age of 30 usually. But at 30 you can have a dental practice and be successful.

 

[dexadental]

Dental school sucks. I hated it most of the time, but also liked it a lot of the time. It goes thru phases. Would I do it again now? yes, and I wouldn't think twice. However, if you asked me during or right after dental school? I would have said no.

You could be a restaurant manager like you said, but unless you have capital or knowledge in franchise development you are not being an owner at the age of 30 usually. But at 30 you can have a dental practice and be successful.

I think I'd just like to mention that being a restaurant manager would be a mind numbing and incredibly boring job for myself and probably others. I don't see why people always bring up the "well you could be in business/finance making money right away" or "my friends are making so much money while I'm busting my ass in dental school" comments. I think its important to know that we will be helping people AND also recieving good compensation for it...

 

[gator1210]

I think I'd just like to mention that being a restaurant manager would be a mind numbing and incredibly boring job for myself and probably others. I don't see why people always bring up the "well you could be in business/finance making money right away" or "my friends are making so much money while I'm busting my ass in dental school" comments. I think its important to know that we will be helping people AND also recieving good compensation for it...

However, its important to note that every jobs "helps" people. Managers help the customer get fed and have dinner. They take some compensation. This is exactly like dentistry. Helping in healthcare is not the only way to help people!

 

[dexadental]

Thats true...I suppose I just find that career completely dull, as well as any career being strictly business related...
I'm more than sure people out there feel the same way about my chosen path. 😛

 

[12YearOldKid]

I still have a year left, but so far I'm glad I chose to go to dental school. Now, if you told me I had to start over at freshman year I would drop out in a hearbeat. Dental school is not one of those things you should know about before you get in. Not knowing what is in store is what makes it possible to get through.

I now know too much to start over from the beginning, but I am so close to being finished that I can make it through the next year. Dental school can be pretty rough at times, but worth the effort.

My best advice is to decide if you want to be a dentist and then just go to school. Don't try to find out what makes it so hard because you can't understand until you've been there. Ignorance is bliss.

 

[aphistis]

I still have a year left, but so far I'm glad I chose to go to dental school. Now, if you told me I had to start over at freshman year I would drop out in a hearbeat. Dental school is not one of those things you should know about before you get in. Not knowing what is in store is what makes it possible to get through.

I now know too much to start over from the beginning, but I am so close to being finished that I can make it through the next year. Dental school can be pretty rough at times, but worth the effort.

My best advice is to decide if you want to be a dentist and then just go to school. Don't try to find out what makes it so hard because you can't understand until you've been there. Ignorance is bliss.

This is spot-on. 👍