Why become a Dentist?

siobhank

First of all I just want to say I am not trying to be smart in asking this question - I am genuinely interested -
Why would somebody pick dentistry over medicine?
Asked a friend of mine who did Veterinary the same thing (why help animals when you could help people? - she said simply she loved animals and that was that.)
So why do only teeth when you could study to make more of a *difference* in someone's life?
NB I am well aware of the fantastic abilities dentists have for pain relief and cosmetic improvement so I do appreciate such contributions, however, such considerations would seem to pale in comparison to trauma surgery, cancer therapy etc.

By the way I did ask my uncle this and he laughed. Said he was a dentist for 10 years and hated every minute. He went and trained to be an orthodontist which he loves (although being admittedly ignorant on the topic I am not sure what the big difference is!)

Come on dentists- set me straight - why'd you do it?

georgieporgy

Well...... us Irish guys just did it for the money

siobhank

georgieporgy wrote: »

Well...... us Irish guys just did it for the money

You see, that's my reasoning! I just can't see any other attraction to it... so is anybody going to prove me worng?!

Thomas_S_Hunterson

Easy access to Nitrous Oxide.

DO'Carlo/Wex

Mod edit....Rubbish reply - take it somewhere else.

siobhank

um a barrister is a lawyer. So is a solicitor. But all solicitors want to be barristers, and all barristers hate solicitors or so the stereotyping goes.
Nobody goes into being a barrister for the money. It's a common misconception. They would be better off doing dentistry.
So I guess it seems dentistry isn't a calling hmmm?

gccorcaigh

Well there's no point going into it for the money now anyway, with the PRSI dental benefit going down the swanny, the money won't be there anymore.

As for the difference between a dentist and an orthodontist - well a dentist is like a GP I suppose, they carry out non-specialist treatments such as fillings, cleanings, crowns, bridges, root canals, extractions etc. They refer their patients to specialists for certain treatments such as surgical extractions, orthodontics etc.
An orthodontist is a specialist who treats malocclusions (which are improper bites). They also straighten teeth for aesthetic purposes. They place functional appliances on the teeth which move the teeth either for aesthetic purposes (cosmetic) or to get correct occlusion.

BryanL

I'm not too pushed about money.
I'd hate to have to deal with people dying, breaking the news to relatives or watching kids die.
I was never attracted to working for some big company as a small cog.
I like working with my hands and working for myself.
I get great enjoyment out of meeting people and having a chat and a laugh, more often than not.
With a little effort it's possible to make a big difference to some people's lives, wether it's giving a young child the very best introduction to dentistry you can or breaking down some people fears and phobias.

The best part of my day is usually meeting with people i enjoy meeting and treating or a bit of pride in doing the very best work i can.

I'd find it hard to think of a better working day.
Bryan

davo10

In June of last year a mum brought her 19 year old daughter to our clinic, mum had been driving and crashed, her daughter was badly injured including breaking her lower jaw and loosing her 6 top front teeth. She explained to me privately that her daughter had not been the same since and had zero confidence. We grafted bone to her upper jaw and later placed four implants. In May we began the cosmetic restoration, finishing in mid June. Her Mum came in last week to say she was back to her old self, full of confidence, smiling. This is why i do what i do.

Bloody Nipples

A friend of mine is studying it in university and since he was about 10 years old he's been saying he wants to study dentistry and specialise in orthodontics, basically because his parents channeled him down this route. His older sibling is a dentist and he'll be a dentist, and his mother will push him to a first class honours degree that is totally beyond his capabilities.

Even getting into the course was a struggle, missed it first time, repeated his leaving and only made it in then on the second round. He's been brainwashed totally since he was a kid.

Law, Pharmacy, Dentistry and Medicine have a lot of prestige and this results in a lot of parents interfering in their child's path through life, because if one of their children is doing one of these courses, it reflects well on them.

gccorcaigh

BryanL wrote: »

I'm not too pushed about money.
I'd hate to have to deal with people dying, breaking the news to relatives or watching kids die.
I was never attracted to working for some big company as a small cog.
I like working with my hands and working for myself.
I get great enjoyment out of meeting people and having a chat and a laugh, more often than not.
With a little effort it's possible to make a big difference to some people's lives, wether it's giving a young child the very best introduction to dentistry you can or breaking down some people fears and phobias.

The best part of my day is usually meeting with people i enjoy meeting and treating or a bit of pride in doing the very best work i can.

I'd find it hard to think of a better working day.
Bryan

Very well said!! Completely agree (even though Im a hygienist, not a dentist)

Mayoegian

siobhank wrote: »

First of all I just want to say I am not trying to be smart in asking this question - I am genuinely interested -
Why would somebody pick dentistry over medicine?
Asked a friend of mine who did Veterinary the same thing (why help animals when you could help people? - she said simply she loved animals and that was that.)
So why do only teeth when you could study to make more of a *difference* in someone's life?
NB I am well aware of the fantastic abilities dentists have for pain relief and cosmetic improvement so I do appreciate such contributions, however, such considerations would seem to pale in comparison to trauma surgery, cancer therapy etc.

By the way I did ask my uncle this and he laughed. Said he was a dentist for 10 years and hated every minute. He went and trained to be an orthodontist which he loves (although being admittedly ignorant on the topic I am not sure what the big difference is!)

Come on dentists- set me straight - why'd you do it?[/quote]

If there weren't any dentists in the world, do you think it would be a better place? People with gaping holes in their molars, chipped teeth, smiling at you with toothless gums? Heck, we'd all be going around like hillybillies.

So, what you should be saying is 'Thank you'. Thank you for going into Dentistry, which is a brilliant profession and making the population of this World happy, because without dentists, the world would be, let's admit it, alot less smiley place!

Big_G

Why'd I pick dentistry over medicine?
1. No on call.
2. No rectal exams.
3. No internship (although this may change soon)

I was delighted by my choice when I realised the type of moron that was going through medical training just to have Dr. in front of their name.

I do surgery every day, dentistry can be a perfect combination of art, science and business. You rarely find that in medicine.

I originally thought that dentistry was a respected profession, but I'm finding out that that is not the case, much to my chagrin.

I actually think that dentistry is more challenging than medicine in many ways. In dentistry you have to have genuine talent and not just remember reams of information in order to successfully treat a patient.

Sorry if I seem to be over critical of the meds, its just that most of the ones I went through college with didn't give much respect to the dental students. Thought we were med rejects. I wasn't, didn't ever have medicine on my CAO form. Delighted about this also.

With reference to cancer and changing peoples lives:
1. Dentists diagnose oral cancer.
2. Implant therapy is the third biggest quality of life improving surgery after cardiac and hip replacement surgery.

By the way, a lot of the fancy facial trauma surgeries are done by oral surgeons and maxillofacial surgeons, who are both specialities of dentistry (maxfac is also a speciality of medicine).

Dentistry is not just about pain relief and cosmetics. As davo10 said, dentistry is about function. The function of the mouth is one of the most complex and difficult things to replicate successfully with prosthetics. The mouth has more innervation and representation in the brain than any other part of the sensory nervous system.

Need I go on?

btkm8unsl0w5r4

I am married to a doctor - that jobs espically the training can really suck at times. I think the problems the OP has is that he thinks all dentists are failed doctors.

Dentistry is totally different from medicine, theere is not comparison. If like saying why become a architect rather than a doctor. The points are similar to get into dentistry and medicine so most of use had a choice. I choose dentistry because I work with my hands, I can be creative, relieve pain, imrove peoples quality of life (if you dont have bad teeth you wont undertstand this), earn a reasonable living, choose my own working hours, have my own business, be really good at my job and be appreciated by patients for my skill, knowledge and caring.

Dentistry is high tech, has lots of gagets and computers. Requires a quick and adaptive mind, and can think fast on your feet. You need book knowledge and manual dexterity.

If you dont see the difference or value of dental treatment my advice, dont become a dentist.

siobhank

nope, don't think all dentists are failed doctors at all. Just one of those things where I always wondered - and not to be smart about it, again - what the attraction was. But the posts have all given good insight. Ta.

btkm8unsl0w5r4

You can make a big "difference" to peoples lives and self confidence, not to mention being able to eat a nice steak.(the patients that is)...;)
These are some case I treated, they are on the outer limits of heavy duty reconstructions but you get the point.

BryanL

all that i one visit?:D;)

btkm8unsl0w5r4

The internet is not big enough for all the inbetween shots, Lets just say it took a bit longer than a 2 week holiday :0

bureau2009

I know my dentist personally and have often asked him about his work.

Firstly, it's essential to recognise the importance of dental health. A healthy mouth and teeth add greatly to people's quality of life.

Dentistry is a blend of science and art - with experience the dentist acquires a great eye and hands to carry out dental work.

If you like helping people, if you can complete a long course of study, if you are physically fit - dentistry is a very physical profession (good eyesight, sturdy back etc) and mentally mature - difficult decisions have to be taken about patient's treatment etc - then maybe dentistry is for you.

Yes, it is well rewarded financially but unless your heart and soul is in this type of work, unless you have a burning desire to be a dentist and want to do your very best for every patient every time then maybe it's better to follow a different career.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

Syferus

I've been getting dental work done for the first time since I was 13 (being in my early 20's, they hadn't detoriated to the degree of some of the ones above!) and I have a new found appreciation for the skill and care it takes for a dentist to do a good job. To fitzgeme and all the other posters involved professionally in dentistry, thanks for doing what you do - beyond all the showmanship, any person who has went to a good dentist has a deep respect for what you all do.

Oh, and sorry for ressurecting a month-old thread - I was browsing the forum and didn't realise it was so old until now.