Dental vs Medical: What do you think would be a better choice for me?

[rosyrisu]

All my life I have always wanted to become a physician.

I am about to start my second year of college (yay) and my Uni has a pre-dent program. It caught my interest so I looked into dentistry a bit and holy crap do I regret that lol. Now I am confused and a bit worried about which career path I want to take. So, I have decided to make this post so you guys (people who are either in dentistry, medicine, or even other health fields) can determine whether or not I would be a good fit for these fields.

Family and pediatric medicine has always been an interest for me. I like kids and I had always liked the thought of creating a 'relationship' with my patients and being able to see them grow! I have also been interested in going into orthodontics (I was inspired by my cheery and reasonable ortho) but dropped the idea for some reason. It also really interests me in improving a persons health, self-confidence, and well-being. I am also very interested in learning things like how to preform sutures and healing a body.

Being exposed to death and grimness frequently does worry me, so that has turned me off from medicine a bit. Being the one to stop death from coming is a thing I worry about (but who doesn't until they come across it,right?). One thing about dentistry that worries me is working with your hands. I am unsure about my hand/tool dexterity but it scares me thinking about drilling a tooth and slipping up! Is good hand dexterity a trait you need to have before coming into Dental School or is it something you learn as you go (like learning how to hold tools and finding comfortable positions).

I would also like to be able to spend time with my family, so the 9-5 thing that dentists have (I realize MD/DO have this option as well but that is not guaranteed) really appeals to me. I would also like to either own and operate my own private practice or work in a private practice with other dentists (or physicians, etc). It also generally appeals to me that you do not have to do residency after Dental School but I am interested in ortho or pediatric dentistry. Taking an additional 3-7 years of residency as an MD/DO sounds dreadful since you won't be making a decent salary till your early 30s! Is it true that you have to pay for residency? How do you apply to those residency programs? Also, is it true that dentists tend to have poor posture/aches or arthritis after years of practice? Is there any way of combating this? Is malpractice lower in dentistry than in medicine?

I have always wanted to study and live in Canada so what are some difference between practicing medicine or dentistry there as opposed to the US?
Also, are there any Canadian dental or medical schools that accept Americans?

Thanks

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[hellofuturedentists]

I don't think Canadian schools really take US students.

 

[personalstatementsbyeric]

All my life I have always wanted to become a physician.

I am about to start my second year of college (yay) and my Uni has a pre-dent program. It caught my interest so I looked into dentistry a bit and holy crap do I regret that lol. Now I am confused and a bit worried about which career path I want to take. So, I have decided to make this post so you guys (people who are either in dentistry, medicine, or even other health fields) can determine whether or not I would be a good fit for these fields.

Family and pediatric medicine has always been an interest for me. I like kids and I had always liked the thought of creating a 'relationship' with my patients and being able to see them grow! I have also been interested in going into orthodontics (I was inspired by my cheery and reasonable ortho) but dropped the idea for some reason. It also really interests me in improving a persons health, self-confidence, and well-being. I am also very interested in learning things like how to preform sutures and healing a body.

Being exposed to death and grimness frequently does worry me, so that has turned me off from medicine a bit. Being the one to stop death from coming is a thing I worry about (but who doesn't until they come across it,right?). One thing about dentistry that worries me is working with your hands. I am unsure about my hand/tool dexterity but it scares me thinking about drilling a tooth and slipping up! Is good hand dexterity a trait you need to have before coming into Dental School or is it something you learn as you go (like learning how to hold tools and finding comfortable positions).

I would also like to be able to spend time with my family, so the 9-5 thing that dentists have (I realize MD/DO have this option as well but that is not guaranteed) really appeals to me. I would also like to either own and operate my own private practice or work in a private practice with other dentists (or physicians, etc). It also generally appeals to me that you do not have to do residency after Dental School but I am interested in ortho or pediatric dentistry. Taking an additional 3-7 years of residency as an MD/DO sounds dreadful since you won't be making a decent salary till your early 30s! Is it true that you have to pay for residency? How do you apply to those residency programs? Also, is it true that dentists tend to have poor posture/aches or arthritis after years of practice? Is there any way of combating this? Is malpractice lower in dentistry than in medicine?

I have always wanted to study and live in Canada so what are some difference between practicing medicine or dentistry there as opposed to the US?
Also, are there any Canadian dental or medical schools that accept Americans?

Thanks

I was in your same boat - actually saw dentistry as a specialty of medicine - became an easy decision once I shadowed a bunch. Zero regrets pursuing dentistry

 

[JLT223]

I don't think Canadian schools really take US students.

They don't

 

[Cranjis McBasketball]

All my life I have always wanted to become a physician.

I am about to start my second year of college (yay) and my Uni has a pre-dent program. It caught my interest so I looked into dentistry a bit and holy crap do I regret that lol. Now I am confused and a bit worried about which career path I want to take. So, I have decided to make this post so you guys (people who are either in dentistry, medicine, or even other health fields) can determine whether or not I would be a good fit for these fields.

Family and pediatric medicine has always been an interest for me. I like kids and I had always liked the thought of creating a 'relationship' with my patients and being able to see them grow! I have also been interested in going into orthodontics (I was inspired by my cheery and reasonable ortho) but dropped the idea for some reason. It also really interests me in improving a persons health, self-confidence, and well-being. I am also very interested in learning things like how to preform sutures and healing a body.

Being exposed to death and grimness frequently does worry me, so that has turned me off from medicine a bit. Being the one to stop death from coming is a thing I worry about (but who doesn't until they come across it,right?). One thing about dentistry that worries me is working with your hands. I am unsure about my hand/tool dexterity but it scares me thinking about drilling a tooth and slipping up! Is good hand dexterity a trait you need to have before coming into Dental School or is it something you learn as you go (like learning how to hold tools and finding comfortable positions).

I would also like to be able to spend time with my family, so the 9-5 thing that dentists have (I realize MD/DO have this option as well but that is not guaranteed) really appeals to me. I would also like to either own and operate my own private practice or work in a private practice with other dentists (or physicians, etc). It also generally appeals to me that you do not have to do residency after Dental School but I am interested in ortho or pediatric dentistry. Taking an additional 3-7 years of residency as an MD/DO sounds dreadful since you won't be making a decent salary till your early 30s! Is it true that you have to pay for residency? How do you apply to those residency programs? Also, is it true that dentists tend to have poor posture/aches or arthritis after years of practice? Is there any way of combating this? Is malpractice lower in dentistry than in medicine?

I have always wanted to study and live in Canada so what are some difference between practicing medicine or dentistry there as opposed to the US?
Also, are there any Canadian dental or medical schools that accept Americans?

Thanks

Only shadowing will tell you. They seem so similar on paper, but are very different. Shadow and talk to as many doctors and dentists as you can.

 

[738177]

Canadian schools (med/dent) won't accept Americans. Even though we'd love to have you here
If you do plan on living in Canada, you can also go to Dental schools in Australia and Ireland, both of which will accept Americans. They're fully accredited by Canada. But the biggest con with that is, reciprocity doesn't extend to the states so if you decide to come to US later on, you'll have to qualify as a foreign dentist.

I'll echo the same advice as the others did. Shadow shadow shadow. You can get answers to all those technical questions straight from a Dentist.

Good luck!

 

[kidsaremypassion]

I agree with others. Shadow as much as you can.
We are similar in a sense, as I always knew I wanted to work with children. So I would've either pursued pediatrics or pediatric dentistry. I think its clear which one I chose, lol.
If you would rather own a practice, this seems to be much more commonplace in dentistry, than in medicine. I don't know too many General practitioners these days who own their own practices. Most work in large hospitals or group practices as it is simply more economically feasible, or get bought out by larger medical centers.
I also think you shouldn't consider the years of residency if you find a path you truly think you'll enjoy.
If you choose dentistry and specialize in pedo or ortho, you are looking at two to three years post dental school for residency anyways-same as family medicine or general peds. So you likely didn't save any "time" in that sense.
The decision should be made on what you think will best fit you as an individual; the time will pass regardless.
If you do decide to specialize, make sure you work your ass off in dental school to position yourself appropriately. Especially if you want to attend a paid/stipended program.
Best of luck on this decision!