Please Help, Dentist/Orthodontist

traymad

Ok i posted this in the leaving cert forum and was told it would be better to post it here as i would have a better answer.


Ok im in 6th year at the minute and i really wanna be an othodontist,

Now my questions are:

(1)
How to i become one, I know i have to do the dentistry degree in either trinity or ucc and then after 5 years i have to do 2 years of "work" then i read about doing exams called MFDs or something like that, so where would i go or what would i do after getting a dental degree*fingers crossed i get the points first*

(2)
Another question mainly for anybody who is an actull orthodontist
Is the salary ok, I dont want to sound mean or greedy but i dont want to be in my 30's and still scraping to get by and what is the quality of life like

Please people, i dont want to hear all about why would u want to bo one and so on, thank you to those who take there time to read or answer this!

Ive tried looking for answers on the internet but most of it applies to studing in the USA

ballsymchugh

day dreamer and kkth regularly burn cash to light their cigars.

i wouldn't narrow my choice down so far yet, wait til you study all aspects of dentistry before you choose what and the big IF you really want to specialise.

if you want to do it the quickest way, you will need to work as a junior member of staff in a hospital for a year after you qualify so that you can do your MFDS exams, and then apply for a training course either in Ireland or in the UK.
at the moment, the main thing that the postgrad colleges will want is cash, so if you are able to fund yourself, and the course is undersubscribed, you may not have to worry about having the MFDS.

don't rule out far flung places either, a few people i know have done ortho in hong kong.

btkm8unsl0w5r4

Get a dental degree first, dont even think about orthodontics until you have worked as a dentist for a while. I changed my mind several times during and after my undergraduate degree.

If you start dentistry dont go around telling everyone your going to be an orthodontist, learn to walk before you run.

Specialization is a long and expensive road, and the entry requirements are increasing all the time as demand increases.

Best of luck, hope it all goes well.

day dreamer

Hi there

if i was you I would do my dentistry degree first and work for a few years. It will give you an idea of what dentistry is about and then you can do orthodontics afetr that.

1)get into dentistry, no mean feat these days. After 5 years of that you will have to work 2-3 years in hospitals and low paying jobs doing exams. then you can apply for an ortho course. It takes 3 years. If you are lucky you can get paid a bit otherwise it is big fees and little oppertunity to earn.

2) You will make a good living but takes a long time to earn back 10 years of working income and the investment in your surgery. I light my cigars with matches or lighters stolen from bars thank you very much. The reality is that you will probably be just finishing studying by the age of 30, up to your eyes in debt and starting a family.

I wonder why you are so set on orthodontics and more importantly, why you are so dismissive of people asking you. You better have good answers to those questions by the time your interviews come around. I dont mean to put you off, its a great job but it is no bed of roses either. Recession effects everyone and discretionary spends like orthodontics are among the first to go.

btkm8unsl0w5r4

day dreamer wrote: »

The reality is that you will probably be just finishing studying by the age of 30, up to your eyes in debt and starting a family.

You said it, that my life in a nut shell.

Phoenix Park

One positive is hopefully by the time you qualify, things might have turned around a bit economy wise. Wouldn't fancy coming out of the dental hospital this May to be honest, unless i were keen on travelling/working abroad. There are not many opportunities right now. As specialists go, i would suggest that in a downturn ortho (after oral surgery perhaps) would hold up best. If you get into dentistry, as the above posters have said, you may hate the idea of ortho and prefer something else, or be a general practitioner where you have more variety. Good luck.

traymad

Thanks to all the responses

day dreamer wrote: »

Hi there

The reality is that you will probably be just finishing studying by the age of 30, up to your eyes in debt and starting a family.

I wonder why you are so set on orthodontics and more importantly, why you are so dismissive of people asking you. You better have good answers to those questions by the time your interviews come around. .

I dont mind the taughts of being 30 and in debt but i dont wont to be 40 and still in debt, and i dont mind answering why to people about why I want to do dentistry its just i felt this thread could have turned into" ewww you want to stick ur hands in peoples mounts for a living" kinda thread

I really do think ortho is my dream job, my mother is a general dentist and yes she loves her job but i did work experience in both her office and then a friend who is in ortho and ortho just seemed more relaxed and enjoyable