Well, then you might make a great dentist! While a career in dentistry may sound appealing to you, it is important that you are genuinely passionate about oral health—dental school and careers in dentistry are both very demanding, so it takes determined people to achieve success in pursuing their dreams. The best dentists saw dentistry as their true calling and are constantly working to improve themselves and their abilities.
If you are interested in a career in dentistry, make sure to do some soul searching before plunging head first into the application process. What kind of jobs can I get by studying Dentistry? How can U-Multirank help me find the best Dentistry study programme for me?
Top Universities: Dentistry. Where to Study Dentistry. Stay informed about U-Multirank:. Financial Partners:. Required Cookies. Tracking Cookies. Dental health affects your whole body. If you have gum disease, for example, the bacteria can get into your bloodstream and it can ultimately kill you.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests almost one-third of Americans have untreated cavities, but they don't come to see a dentist because they don't think it's a big deal.
Ninety-nine percent of dental health is the patient's responsibility. I can save someone's teeth when they visit me in the office, but if they don't take care of it when they go home, the situation will go back to where it started.
I have to talk to patients every single time they come in to underscore how important it is to keep up with their cleanings, at home and in the office. Dental equipment can be very dangerous, so you have to be super careful. If someone jerks in their chair because they're nervous, it can be easy to accidentally hurt them.
Fortunately, that's never happened to me, but I've heard of cases where a dentist accidentally clipped someone's tongue with a dental instrument — and as the dentist, you are percent liable for those kinds of injuries, even if it was caused by the patient squirming.
That's another reason you want to make your patients as comfortable as possible: If they're relaxed, they're less likely to move around, and you're less likely to accidentally hurt them. There are pros and cons to working for yourself. I worked for a dental group for two years, and now I own my own practice. I think sometimes dentists in dental groups are just interested in the paycheck. I prefer working for myself, because I feel more of a personal connection to my patients and there's more flexibility overall.
That said, overhead is very expensive. You have to pay for complex machinery as well as disposable supplies, and it gets really pricey. You also need to pay for your office space, malpractice insurance, and the salaries of all your employees.
Then you can worry about dental school later. Best wishes to you! I hate dentistry if time will come back I will get into medical school and will never look back! I hate dentistry. Stay away from being a dentist. No exceptions. I swear, I wish everyday that I could trade places go back and become a dentist!
I had the opportunity to shadow at a fourth year dental student at the University of Louisville dental school. I like what I was exposed to, but for some reason I am still torn between dentistry and medicine. I have always had a love for obstetrics and gynecology, but the crazy hours and lifestyle has always made me not want to pursue it.
At this point I just feel confused and now that I am going into the last semester of my sophomore year in college I need to decide if I need to start getting materials to study for the MCAT or the DAT. If you are great at memorizing — be a medical doctor.
If you are great with your hands, be a dentist. Medical hours are terrible. I am living what i just wrote. I am a dentist, my sister is a doctor. We both wish we were something less stressful. Yes, oh yes. I agree. Just left clinical dentistry after 25 years. SO thankful to not be doing it anymore. First of all ,Dr. Ben, I would like to compliment you on this great and insightful website you have created.
It helped me really decide if this is a field I want to persue. I am currently enrolled at a four year university as a sophomore. I have read all the comments and replies, the ones that really grab my attention are the ones from Dave. Thank you. Dentistry as profession would not be recommended today. Thirty-five years ago when I graduated there was good to fair insurances, private patients paying the UCR fees, and minimal debt service for the education.
Now the costs of the education, competition, reimbursement rates, marketing, and our litigious world should steer one away from the profession. It was stressful enough without the aforementioned hurdles.
I am a specialist and have done well but do not foresee similar opportunities in todays climate. Completely agree… Too bad i am only 5yrs in and battling every single aforementioned hurdle. Dentistry today has nothing to do with 20 years ago, or even Hey you have been practicing for 5 years? What hurdles are you talking about?
I want to go to dental school and have applied to some. The fact that you already have significant dental training gives you a large lead. If you enjoyed the dentistry, I would suggest you go for it. But realize that there are some very hard tests in the future if you want this. So evaluate yourself, is this a challenge that you are ready for at this time in your life.
Hello everyone, I am a 20 year old enlisted soldier in the US Army. I am considering a career in dentistry and have absolutely no idea of where I should start. I am currently serving 1 year of a 5 year contract as a IT specialist for the Army. I have many concerns about taking on this profession. Is it worth it? How much debt will I acquire if I choose the cheapest schools and are there any Army programs that I am unaware about to help pay for school. Paying for school is my most concern.
This will keep the debt load down, but I think you have to committ 1 year of service as a miliary dentist for every year of dental school, so a minimum of 4. I agree mostly with Dave above. I have been practicing for twelve years and became disabled because of this profession. We are respected about as much as barbers who are not hated. The student loans make it all but impossible to practice ethically.
Corporate chains know the indebtedness of students so they prey on their desperation. All those years of school to become a technician are depressing. The stress and heart attacks and suicide is not worth it. You will strain your family and relationships, you will become neurotic, your staff and patients will hate you, and you will become depressed. There is nothing rewarding about this career. You are preaching to the choir. For the last 7 years I have been totally miserable. It is a chore just to get up in the morning and walk into the office.
My hatred for this profession has started to change my personality, making me less patient and quicker to fly off the handle. The worse part is I have become depressed and even had suicidal thoughts…. I would never recommend either of my kids to pursue a career in dentistry. I am an undergraduate student majoring in biology. I am interested in dentistry, but I mostly chose the career field because of the lifestyle that it can provide for me. My dad thinks that I should just become a medical doctor.
Should I listen to him? I would not advise going into dentistry for the lifestyle. There are plenty of jobs out there which pay well and offer a flexible lifestyle.
Also, if you have no intention of opening your own practice your income will not be very high, especially if you consider your starting debt. I would focus on what makes you happy. Dentistry can be very frustrating, it takes certain types of people to fit well in this field. This will help you discover if you are a good fit. Do not go into dentistry. It is the most stressful and unrewarding profession you could get into.
I hate it and am stuck in this profession because of the financial trap it causes. You will be hated and despised by patients, you will develop a lot of ex-friends, and your own family will begin to look down on you as the pressure and demands of dentistry wear you thin, and the list goes on and on. Go into anything but dentistry.
I second that.
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