Why Dentistry?

[foodie123]

Hi, I'm starting to consider a career as a dentist. I was curious to know why people choose dentistry and what dentistry school is like?

 

Thanks.

[McMomo]

Personally, I was deciding between dentistry, medicine, or research. Here are my reasons for deciding on dentistry:

1. I enjoy hands-on work and having tangible outcomes from my work.

2. Lots of direct interaction with patients.

3. Work environment- small, tight-knit teams.

4. Ability to have flexible hours and work part time if needed.

Of course, everything has its pros and cons, and many other careers share these characteristics. I would suggest you to shadow as much as you can before making the final decision =)

[munchkin]

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[uoft2020]

^same, it's good to be honest

[McMarauder]

Here are some of the reasons of why i went into dentistry and why i enjoy going into work.

1. hands on

2. close knit work environment

3. you get to see the end result of your work almost immediately

4. the satisfaction of getting someone out of pain

5. the satisfaction of drastically improving someone's smile and ultimately their self esteem
6. the satisfaction of patients referring their friends and family to you because you're "good"
7. money CAN be good depending on where and how much you work. but if you're like me in massive debt, then pay is always going to seem insufficient.

Cons

1. debt debt and debt.  i don't know a single dental grad that hasn't come out with a large debt

2. physically taxing - having a good posture and using loupes can be less straining on your back/shoulders/neck etc, but by the end of the week i'm tired out.

3. saturation/mal-distribution of dental work force - if it's your dream to work in the heart of a city...goodluck!  in the cities, bosses can basically pick and choose who they want to hire.  In more remote areas, bosses are more desperate to get people to move out there.
4. demanding patients - there's always going to be a few difficult patients, and they can really stress you out. particularly as a new grad, there will always be patients who belittle you for your lack of experience and will constantly compare you to your predescesor.  still learning how to deal with that.