so you chose dentistry eh?

[dentopia11]

[rant]

Since telling colleagues at work place about quitting to go into dental school, mostly I have received positive responses and curious questions (as my current line of work is unrelated to healthcare)... however, I have noticed that most responses shed a poor understanding of dentistry...i think dentists need better PR lol...here are the responses i have gotten to date:

 

ohhh dentistry, you want to make money/be rich??

 

hmm, i also applied to medical school but did not get in...ohh and the carving on DAT is really difficult!

 

and this old bloke says: "oh so you're gonna be a dentist...to be honest, one thing i never would have wanted to do was dentistry...hmm (and pondering loudly to himself) you will make good money....u know i could get into medical school If i wanted to but i didnt apply and now regret it.. :mad:

 

 

lol..the only comment that really annoyed me was the last one...but the common theme has been a comparison with medicine as if there is an ingrained thinking that those who apply to dentistry do so as backup...secondly its bad so many ppl think dentists only get into the field to make money...i think its mostly lack of knowledge on their part, not knowing that dentistry is not about raking in money...there are easier and better paying professions but weird that we get tagged on for doing it for money

 

[/rant]

[medguy5367]

[rant]there are easier and better paying professions but weird that we get tagged on for doing it for money

[/rant]

 

Oh really?? Please name them.

[dentopia11]

Oh really?? Please name them.

 

FM would be one...u can potentially end up doing 9-5 earning more (in Ontario at least) without having to worry about overhead and new patients...

 

others i can think of that are at least equivalent or slightly less: pharmacy, aircraft controller, petroleum and/or electrical engineer

[some gurl]

FM would be one...u can potentially end up doing 9-5 earning more (in Ontario at least) without having to worry about overhead and new patients...

 

others i can think of that are at least equivalent or slightly less: pharmacy, aircraft controller, petroleum and/or electrical engineer

 

I'm not really sure how you figure any of the above jobs are "easier" than dentistry but lets not dwel on that.

 

Part of the reason people think they make sooo much money and that dentists are in it for the money is because of the big fat bills the patients receive after visiting their dentist. Unlike in medicine, people actually see what it costs to do the procedures. Although doctors are also extremely expensive, Canadians, in general, don't know what their visits would actually cost them. I think that if people got their medical bills(somewhat like in the US), they would think more similarly about doctors and dentists.

 

I guess the other thing is that people see it as a pretty ****ty job. Stinky breath, looking in people's mouths, the sound of those damn drills...and they do have the highest suicide rate of all professions. So from an outsiders perspective, for it to be worth it, dentists must want to do it for the money - which is hardly true for some but rather true for many.

[apache]

dentistry, i'd go into dentistry at this point... some girl in my class that wanted to switch from dent to med couldn't but apparently u can go from med to dent.... things to ponder...

 

[rant]

Since telling colleagues at work place about quitting to go into dental school, mostly I have received positive responses and curious questions (as my current line of work is unrelated to healthcare)... however, I have noticed that most responses shed a poor understanding of dentistry...i think dentists need better PR lol...here are the responses i have gotten to date:

[apache]

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-narcissus-in-all-us/200908/the-occupation-the-highest-suicide-rate

 

this is an interesting article, there's lots of evidence that has show that while dentists have elevated suicide rates they definitely don't have the highest suicide rate.

 

the same could be said for gastroenterology, or general surgery. for many, scoping people and taking out gall bladders all day doesn't seem very appealing.

 

I guess the other thing is that people see it as a pretty ****ty job. Stinky breath, looking in people's mouths, the sound of those damn drills...and they do have the highest suicide rate of all professions. So from an outsiders perspective, for it to be worth it, dentists must want to do it for the money - which is hardly true for some but rather true for many.

[charmer08]

FM would be one...u can potentially end up doing 9-5 earning more (in Ontario at least) without having to worry about overhead and new patients...

 

others i can think of that are at least equivalent or slightly less: pharmacy, aircraft controller, petroleum and/or electrical engineer

 

engineering and pharmacy are not "slightly" less... they are a lot less when compared to doctors and dentists.

[apache]

my buddies a pharmacist and is making 105 now in van as a pharmacy manager and im school and mounting debt... lol

 

engineering and pharmacy are not "slightly" less... they are a lot less when compared to doctors and dentists.

[charmer08]

my buddies a pharmacist and is making 105 now in van as a pharmacy manager and im school and mounting debt... lol

 

If you go across the pharmacy jobs in the toronto hospitals, the pay rate is usually in the high 30's.

 

EDIT: checked one of the hospitals and its high 30's to mid 40's at that one (I guess it depends on experience).

[psychoswim]

My brother in law got his pharmacist license last summer... He's making a very nice salary working at Jean-Coutu (and helping out at 2-3 other pharmacies) but he's also working pretty crazy hours. I saw him last weekend and he was on survival mode. I'd say in most professions it depends on what you choose to do.

[some gurl]

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-narcissus-in-all-us/200908/the-occupation-the-highest-suicide-rate

 

this is an interesting article, there's lots of evidence that has show that while dentists have elevated suicide rates they definitely don't have the highest suicide rate.

 

the same could be said for gastroenterology, or general surgery. for many, scoping people and taking out gall bladders all day doesn't seem very appealing.

 

You are right about all of this and though articles can be found to support both sides, the wording I used was admittedly a little exaggerated.

 

Unfortunately, whether it be true or not that gastro's and genral surgeons deal with a lot of **** and often don't have such glamorous jobs, the general person's perspective on their capabilities and duties is completely different. When people think of dentists the majority think of cavities and being reminded to floss more often. Now when people think of general surgeons, some will think about the scopes but I believe that a large proportion would be more inclined to think about their abilities in being able to remove tumors, find cancers, and performing some magical endoscopic procedures. Lets remember that the typical person on these threads knows a lot more about what doctors do than the average person on the street. So in the end, it comes down to what people perceive their tasks to be and what people are willing to pay for those perceived services...

[thebouque]

People don't even know what general surgery means. Also it is true that ''cavities'' (minor operative dentistry) is the bread and butter of dentists.

[mdDave]

You are right about all of this and though articles can be found to support both sides, the wording I used was admittedly a little exaggerated.

 

Unfortunately, whether it be true or not that gastro's and genral surgeons deal with a lot of **** and often don't have such glamorous jobs, the general person's perspective on their capabilities and duties is completely different. When people think of dentists the majority think of cavities and being reminded to floss more often. Now when people think of general surgeons, some will think about the scopes but I believe that a large proportion would be more inclined to think about their abilities in being able to remove tumors, find cancers, and performing some magical endoscopic procedures. Lets remember that the typical person on these threads knows a lot more about what doctors do than the average person on the street. So in the end, it comes down to what people perceive their tasks to be and what people are willing to pay for those perceived services...

 

Both physicians and dentists have high suicide rates and from the articles I've seen physicians have the highest ones.

The general public may not indeed have a glamorized picture of dentistry but I wouldn't recommend picking a career based on what the masses perceive to be "cool" or prestigious or anything like that.

What people think they should be paying doesn't correlate very well to what they are paying and I think this is especially true in health care.

Dental specialists, if I remember correctly, make more money per hour than top medical specialties.

Looking at someone teeth all day may seem like a s**** job to you, but there are pros and cons to everything. The dentist won't have to go home one night knowing that his mistake cost someones life.

Just some things to think about.

[donnadee]

dentistry, i'd go into dentistry at this point... some girl in my class that wanted to switch from dent to med couldn't but apparently u can go from med to dent.... things to ponder...

 

really?? i thought for switching either way, u have to write the standardized tests and apply as a new applicant...i highly doubt direct switching is possible and am pretty sure, at least in Ontario it is not possible

[some gurl]

The dentist won't have to go home one night knowing that his mistake cost someones life.

 

http://dentistthemenace.com/deathbythedentist.htm

[dentopia11]

I'm not really sure how you figure any of the above jobs are "easier" than dentistry but lets not dwel on that.

 

Part of the reason people think they make sooo much money and that dentists are in it for the money is because of the big fat bills the patients receive after visiting their dentist. Unlike in medicine, people actually see what it costs to do the procedures. Although doctors are also extremely expensive, Canadians, in general, don't know what their visits would actually cost them. I think that if people got their medical bills(somewhat like in the US), they would think more similarly about doctors and dentists.

 

I guess the other thing is that people see it as a pretty ****ty job. Stinky breath, looking in people's mouths, the sound of those damn drills...and they do have the highest suicide rate of all professions. So from an outsiders perspective, for it to be worth it, dentists must want to do it for the money - which is hardly true for some but rather true for many.

 

yes lets not dewl it out as i was talking about it from an overall practice perspective, not just being able to get the certification/schooling...also, i understand what you mention above probably is the case for the majority of ppl

[Karma]

OP, don't let those people rain on your parade:) It's so hard to get into dental school and being a dentist is a great profession. Those people are just jealous and ignorant.

 

When I just got accepted into med school and told people about it, alot of them said stuff like: "you're going to work crazy hours", or "you'll never have time for your family", "I don't know how you'll be able to see all this blood", etc. so this type of negative comments is pretty generalized.

 

Basically, you could have told them that you got accepted into whatever program, and they would have found something negative to say.

 

The bottom line is, they have no clue what they are talking about.

[mdDave]

http://dentistthemenace.com/deathbythedentist.htm

 

your point?

Death is not something dentists generally deal with.

Sheesh, I'm sure I can find a pharmacist, teacher or secretary who accidentally killed someone

 

btw cool site, no bias

[Mithril]

It's strange because my mom used to refer to my brother as the doctor of the family when he's actually a dentist. Now that I'm in med school, she mentions to her friends and whatnot that she has a dentist and doctor son. I can tell that there's some sort of preconceived bias there.

 

I'm not entirely sure why dentists and physicians/surgeons are split up. I Just consider dentists to be head and neck specialists. UBC and other schools have both dental students and medical students in the same classes for pre-clerkship years, anyway.

[dentopia11]

thanks for being supportive guys...i did not feel really good after the guy's comments but I guess some ppl have an opinion on nearly everything!

[Clever]

Why don't you explain to him why you want to do dentistry instead of taking offence to his comments and complaining on here?

I honestly don't know why people want to do dent other than good hours and money (this does not include those dents that specialize in some sweet surgeries). But this is because people who I know personally that have gone into dent do it for those reasons the guy at work mentioned (Money, didn't get into med). Nothing wrong with any of these reasons..

Why do you want to do dent?

[dentopia11]

Why don't you explain to him why you want to do dentistry instead of taking offence to his comments and complaining on here?

I honestly don't know why people want to do dent other than good hours and money (this does not include those dents that specialize in some sweet surgeries). But this is because people who I know personally that have gone into dent do it for those reasons the guy at work mentioned (Money, didn't get into med). Nothing wrong with any of these reasons..

Why do you want to do dent?

 

i didnt apply to med and did not consider going into med...i have already explained to him why i wanted to do dent...i was just appalled by the misconception...why jump straight to money as being the reason...im already earning enough that in 4yrs time, i would probably be earning around the same as an entry level general dentist

 

for me its a genuine interest in healthcare, one-on-one patient communication without the need to resort so much to pharmaceuticals as the only resort to treatment...also i would rather be doing actual procedures to treat as opposed to spending most of my time on diagnosis...

[some gurl]

I think you have great reasons for wanting to be a dentist but you shouldn't, and don't need to justify yourself to anyone. I'm going to guess that there is actually a majority of people in the world who are doing what they are doing for the soul purpose of making money. That's why it's called a job and not a volunteer position. If the only reason they were doing it were for those other reasons then they'd be willing to do it for free. AND that's completely okay because for most people there is life outside work that is worth working for.

 

Have you ever heard a cleaning lady say "I just love making beds" or a plumber say "unclogging toilets is the only thing I could imagine doing"? This isn't to belittle those professions, but rather this is to show that the people who are jumping to conclusions and giving you a hard time about this are just jealous and huge hypocrites because at the end of it all, you'll probably be earning more than they are.

 

We are lucky to live in a country that has endless opportunities. Like a wise person once told me: "you can be unhappy doing the 'best' job in the world and you can be happy doing the 'worst' job in the world".

 

Anyways, this is to say that regardless of if you're in it for the money or not(which you genuinely don't seem to be), it doesn't matter. Be happy, forget about those goofs, and do what you want to do.

[astrogirl]

This is all kind of surprising to me because I always thought dentistry was harder to get into than medicine. I know a few people who went into dentistry and none of them did it as a back-up to med.

[apache]

it's because we have the same pre-clinical ed, i think u have to start in first year dent or something though because you have to do the additional dentistry courses that the meds don't do.

 

really?? i thought for switching either way, u have to write the standardized tests and apply as a new applicant...i highly doubt direct switching is possible and am pretty sure, at least in Ontario it is not possible