Dentist VS Doctors (Salary, life style...etc)

[Pineapple13579]

Hi,

I am a forth year undergrad in Canada, and I am deciding between dentistry and medicine right now. At the beginning, I was only thinking about doing medicine, but then MCAT CARS turns out to be terrible, so I tried DAT (which is a lot easier than MCAT). I got interview invites for dental school recently. I didn't end up applying for med school this year, because CARS is below the requirements for almost all Canadian med schools. I dunno if I am actually going to go into dental school or not, because this is just an interview invite, and this is my first interview experience (I am still going to try my best, because this is an invaluable experience for me). If I am going to go to medicine, I need to re-do MCAT, and apply in the next application cycle. TBH, medicine really WAS my first choice, but after MCAT, after spending a lot of time on CARS (really a lot, I exhausted all the CARS practices on market), I feel really disappointed, and I really feel I need to consider some other careers. That's why, when my friends are keep talking and thinking about dentistry, I said I will prepare DAT and apply dental school with them. I did shadow an orthodontist. I think dentistry is .... okay. I never get the chance to shadow any physicians in Canada, because Canada med schools don't actually look at shadowing experience due to the concern of privacy of patients, and because a lot of the hospitals don't allow shadowing.

A lot of people online, and a lot of websites show that physicians make a lot more than dentists. Based on my research, most physicians, even the lower-tier speciality(ex: family medicine, emergency physician), make about 200k-300k per year, but most general dentists only make 140k in Canada (Do general dentists make more than this? I need someone to confirm this for me, because this value is just taken from Payscale or some other non-official websites.) That's a HUGE difference for me at least. And to be honest, dental school in Canada costs about 250K, while med school only costs 8-10K. Dental school costs 2-3x more than med school, so I am definitely going to graduate dental school with a LARGE amount of debt. I need at least 3-4 years to pay back all the debts for education. Thus, financially, I am more prone to medicine. However, I also know that dentistry is less demanding, and less stressful than medicine. (They get the chance to make their own schedule). And, I have no idea if I can actually make to those upper-tier speciality in Med (ex: anesthesiology, pathologist...etc). Family med may be the most likely speciality I will be pursuing. In Canada, a lot of people and websites say Family med earn more than general dentists. Is that true?

So.....
Should I pursue medicine or dentistry?
Is it true that dentists earn a lot less than medicine (esp. family medicine or ER)?
Is it true that medicine is a lot more demanding and stressful?

PLEASE HELP!!!!! ANY COMMENT IS APPRECIATED!!!!!!

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[Whysoez]

Hi,

I am a forth year undergrad in Canada, and I am deciding between dentistry and medicine right now. At the beginning, I was only thinking about doing medicine, but then MCAT CARS turns out to be terrible, so I tried DAT (which is a lot easier than MCAT). I got interview invites for dental school recently. I didn't end up applying for med school this year, because CARS is below the requirements for almost all Canadian med schools. I dunno if I am actually going to go into dental school or not, because this is just an interview invite, and this is my first interview experience (I am still going to try my best, because this is an invaluable experience for me). If I am going to go to medicine, I need to re-do MCAT, and apply in the next application cycle. TBH, medicine really WAS my first choice, but after MCAT, after spending a lot of time on CARS (really a lot, I exhausted all the CARS practices on market), I feel really disappointed, and I really feel I need to consider some other careers. That's why, when my friends are keep talking and thinking about dentistry, I said I will prepare DAT and apply dental school with them. I did shadow an orthodontist. I think dentistry is .... okay. I never get the chance to shadow any physicians in Canada, because Canada med schools don't actually look at shadowing experience due to the concern of privacy of patients, and because a lot of the hospitals don't allow shadowing.

A lot of people online, and a lot of websites show that physicians make a lot more than dentists. Based on my research, most physicians, even the lower-tier speciality(ex: family medicine, emergency physician), make about 200k-300k per year, but most general dentists only make 140k in Canada (Do general dentists make more than this? I need someone to confirm this for me, because this value is just taken from Payscale or some other non-official websites.) That's a HUGE difference for me at least. And to be honest, dental school in Canada costs about 250K, while med school only costs 8-10K. Dental school costs 2-3x more than med school, so I am definitely going to graduate dental school with a LARGE amount of debt. I need at least 3-4 years to pay back all the debts for education. Thus, financially, I am more prone to medicine. However, I also know that dentistry is less demanding, and less stressful than medicine. (They get the chance to make their own schedule). And, I have no idea if I can actually make to those upper-tier speciality in Med (ex: anesthesiology, pathologist...etc). Family med may be the most likely speciality I will be pursuing. In Canada, a lot of people and websites say Family med earn more than general dentists. Is that true?

So.....
Should I pursue medicine or dentistry?
Is it true that dentists earn a lot less than medicine (esp. family medicine or ER)?
Is it true that medicine is a lot more demanding and stressful?

PLEASE HELP!!!!! ANY COMMENT IS APPRECIATED!!!!!!

Go shadow dentists and doctors as much as you can. Nowhere in your post did you mention the reason why you want to become a doctor or dentist besides salary/lifestyle, and I find that concerning.

 

[KeikoTanaka]

Go shadow dentists and doctors as much as you can. Nowhere in your post did you mention the reason why you want to become a doctor or dentist besides salary/lifestyle, and I find that concerning.

Agreed with this.

OP, you're only in undergrad still. I didn't decide to pursue medicine until I was 3 years out of from undergrad.

There are people in my class (2nd year DO school) that have PhDs and 4 year old children with families.

You're very early on in this process, and I know sometimes it doesn't feel that way because everyone is out there going to grad school and getting jobs, etc.

But really identify what you want to do, and don't let one section of the MCAT deter you from following your dreams.

 

[Pineapple13579]

I would go Dentistry. Getting into a Canadian dental school is an amazing deal financially. It's accredited in USA and you'll be paying a fraction of the cost.
You can re-take the MCAT if you want. I have friends (Canadians) who couldn't beat the CARS after multiple attempts and ended up in the Caribbean. If i was in their shoes and i had the option of doing Dentistry in Canada, i would immediately drop the idea of medicine. You can be stuck trying to improve CARS for multiple years. It's not like the other sections of the MCAT.

It looks like your focus is on Canadian schools. Canadian med schools don't care about research/shadowing/jump in MCAT/re-invention/holistic application etc. it's a numbers game. That's why so many Canadian pre-meds finish a second bachelor's (masters for the most part is useless). If you got into Dentistry accept it and don't look back.

I am a Canadian, so I am only looking for Canadian Med/Dental Schools (going to US as an international student is way too expensive). Canadian dental school is quite expensive. For the one I am aiming to get in (the dental school that accepts you really depends on if you are an in-province applicant, or out-of-province applicant), tuition fee is about 250,000-270,000cad for those 4 years.

And thank you for your recommendations at the end. I won't try medicine if I fail CARS again this time. It just doesn't worth the time.

 

[KeikoTanaka]

I am a Canadian, so I am only looking for Canadian Med/Dental Schools (going to US as an international student is way too expensive). Canadian dental school is quite expensive. For the one I am aiming to get in (the dental school that accepts you really depends on if you are an in-province applicant, or out-of-province applicant), tuition fee is about 250,000-270,000cad for those 4 years.

And thank you for your recommendations at the end. I won't try medicine if I fail CARS again this time. It just doesn't worth the time.

I really would not worry about the cost. It all evens out at the end of the day. 400k debt going to an American medical school can still easily be paid off if you work and spend somewhat conservatively. Don't be so short-sighted. You have 20-30 years of working after to make money at 200k+ a year. You'll pay it off. An American MD degree is a ticket to anywhere you want to practice. Even if you stay States side for 5 years after residency for extra $$ and move back, you can pay it off. Don't discount DO degrees either. They can practice in Canada, and I'm sure have the same salaries as their MD counterparts.

 

[Pineapple13579]

I really would not worry about the cost. It all evens out at the end of the day. 400k debt going to an American medical school can still easily be paid off if you work and spend somewhat conservatively. Don't be so short-sighted. You have 20-30 years of working after to make money at 200k+ a year. You'll pay it off. An American MD degree is a ticket to anywhere you want to practice. Even if you stay States side for 5 years after residency for extra $$ and move back, you can pay it off. Don't discount DO degrees either. They can practice in Canada, and I'm sure have the same salaries as their MD counterparts.

I didn't consider DO before. I will do that for the next application cycle. Also, I don't think dentists can make more than 150K each year....Or is it because I am only looking over on internet?

 

[KeikoTanaka]

I didn't consider DO before. I will do that for the next application cycle. Also, I don't think dentists can make more than 150K each year....Or is it because I am only looking over on internet?

DO has a lower barrier to entry than MD schools, but, you have to really show that it is something you're actually interested in. They definitely go for a more "holistic approach" so, if you just BS an admission statement, theyre going to read through that. You have to paint a picture of how your life has fostered a desire for a more holistic approach to medicine.

I would highly suggest you stop thinking about how much either career can make and go shadow a bunch of different specialties. Even for Dentistry. Some dentists go on to become surgeons, some stay as family dentists, some become orthodontists. You should really go and see what you like. Shadow a cardiologist, shadow an emergency physician, shadow a family physician. Then, say "This is what i'm going to do" and then kill the CARS Section if you decide medical school is your passion.

If you end up hating it, and liking dentistry better, you just saved yourself the torture of taking the MCAT all together. Follow what you like, not the money, all of them make good money.

cheers.

 

[Pineapple13579]

DO has a lower barrier to entry than MD schools, but, you have to really show that it is something you're actually interested in. They definitely go for a more "holistic approach" so, if you just BS an admission statement, theyre going to read through that. You have to paint a picture of how your life has fostered a desire for a more holistic approach to medicine.

I would highly suggest you stop thinking about how much either career can make and go shadow a bunch of different specialties. Even for Dentistry. Some dentists go on to become surgeons, some stay as family dentists, some become orthodontists. You should really go and see what you like. Shadow a cardiologist, shadow an emergency physician, shadow a family physician. Then, say "This is what i'm going to do" and then kill the CARS Section if you decide medical school is your passion.

If you end up hating it, and liking dentistry better, you just saved yourself the torture of taking the MCAT all together. Follow what you like, not the money, all of them make good money.

cheers.

Thank you for sharing all the info with me! I definitely need to work on my CARS section, because I just don't want myself to regret this later. The last thing I want is to give up sth without working hard on it.