Pros And Cons Of Specializing?

[OntarioHopefully]

Dentistry students and graduates: what are the pros and cons of specializing? I can think of a few pros on both sides of being a general dentist vs. specialist, but it would be nice to hear from others with more knowledge about this!

 

Thanks

[DennisCPA]

My experience with general dentistry clients have shown that those who start off in general dentistry still have the opportunity to perform specialized procedures by taking professional development (PD) courses. By taking PD courses it will allow you to perform more specialized procedures (i.e. implants, grafting), without having to commit to a specialization if you are unsure which route to take.

 

Also consider the ratio of general dentist vs. specialist in the area of where you want to practice. This may impact job opportunities available upon completion of your program. 

 

I hope this helps, best of luck!

[Dr.Watson]

I can try to weigh in on one small area of specialization. With no experience though. I was considering paediatric dentistry. I spoke to my dentist when I was shadowing with her and she told me that she thought about doing the same thing, but after speaking to a paediatric dentist, she decided against it. There are many reasons to go in or not go into paediatric but the main deterrent for her was that nearly all of the young children and infants in the clinic are anesthetized, so you really have very little interaction with children in paediatric dentistry. Therefore, if its kids you want to work with, you're probably better off seeing them as GP. 

So, no exactly a general comment on specialization but I just thought I'd share that because it was something that wasn't entirely obvious to me at first, and I found it helpful. 

 

Cheers!