Is being a dentist easier than being a doctor? I googled a lot but I just want opinions from normal individuals. Thank you.
What does it matter? You should do what you want to do, not what’s easier.
Both dental school and medical school are hard to get into, but if you have an attitude like that you won’t get into either.
Your question hints that you don’t have a passion for either. Are either occupations really something you want to do, pr is it just the size of the paycheck that is the draw? You’re looking at a lot of toil, a lot of money, and a lifetime of either sick/whining patients or dealing w bleeding gums & halitosis.
@GMTplus7 who would go to med school if its not because of money?
@dafatdabook, can you think of any reasons some one may choose to go to med school beside money? What reasons can you generate?
@lostaccount who would spend 6 extra years and 200k tuition if you dont get paid that much…?
Dentists don’t deal at all with the gov’t as much as physicians have to, which is a plus. @lostaccount the WSJ ran an article some time back, doing the math, that when you take into account the cost of med school and the 10 years of lost income that a GP MD makes about as much lifetime income as a plumber. I do agree with the above posters that you need to decide your career on your talents and interests.
If you look up some stats, you’ll know that the average GPAs for dentists are noticeably lower than doctors. Basically, a dentist’s undergrad stats are very similar to those of DOs. A lot of people use dentistry as a backup if they don’t get into med school. Also, I have met a dentist who says that his job literally takes no thinking and is very easy. Dentistry seems like a very mechanical job, so basically nothing new really pops up.
@oPhilippos thank you! You cheered me up
@oPhilippos: are you a dentist or wannabe? Because I find your comments lacking.
Today dental schools screen out applicants who want to be physicians. After the initial application, a select group is invited to interview. Schools require many hours of shadowing to show that applicants understand what dentistry is all about. While GPAs overall may be lower than MD/DO, many less students truly want to be dentists and there aren’t many dental schools. Schools receive many more applications than seats and it’s not unheard of that it takes 3 cycles (years) to gain acceptance.
Dentistry is not just mechanical skills. A human mouth is not machined parts. I make hundreds of decisions every single day, and not just about my treatment plans. I manage a small business, employ and manage a staff, treat patients with complex dental needs and unbelievable fears, take continuing education to keep up with new science, techniques, and equipment, volunteer my skills in my community. I have many skills that are not just “drill, fill, bill”.
I love my profession, but EASY? Never, but to an outsider I probably make it look easy. Rewarding? Absolutely. But if you don’t LOVE dentistry and all it entails, don’t do it. You will end up miserable and that misery will affect everything you do, in and out of the office.
Does dental school involve as much blood as medical school? Also, do you examine cadavers as well in dental school?
While it’s been awhile since I was in school, we took the same first year Gross Anatomy class with cadavers that med students had, plus junior year we had Head and Neck anatomy with a cadaver head for dissection.
Blood? Yes. As much? I have no idea, but your field of work is smaller so maybe not.
Well, years ago I also referred to these professions the same way you did-then a got a lengthy lecture from a DDS that dentists were also “doctors” just like physicians. While I didn’t appreciate the lecture, he was right-so I’d refer to both as "doctors"especially if you’re speaking with a dentist…
I feel that a lot of dentists have more freedom with their jobs, and tend to be happier with their situation. I know a good amount of doctors and I get a sense that many of them are always exhausted, I don’t get that vibe from the dentists I know
O-you just graduated from HS-how could you possibly know “a lot” of dentists and a “good amount” of doctors(and again, both professions are “doctors”-just ask the many, many dentists you know), particularly to the extent of passing judgement on the two professions?
@jalfred I know them through family, friends, and acquaintances. It’s not like dentists and doctors are rare or hard to find.
O-you still haven’t worked out where you’re going to go to college-but you’ve got expert opinions on the relative lifestyles of dentists and physicians? Having opinions based on no facts is not helpful, and that’s what you’ve got.
OP-take a look at his/her postings, which present someone unable to decide on college yet offering advice on medicine vs. dentistry.
The two subjects are almost completely independent from one another. My observations seem pretty reasonable based on the question. You don’t understand my psychological process on the matter of college decision, it’s more complicated than I’ve even hinted at on here.
OP- My observation is that more dentists spend less time working, and work with more flexible hours than the medical school graduates I know. Also the bureaucracy of medical centers/governments is more present in the life of a typical doctor than dentist, and that can make a difference.
OP-I would strongly recommend that you not take advice regarding dentistry or medicine-or any other career fro that matter-from a HS senior.
OP- Id suggest not taking advice from a borderline progressive social justice warrior (based on some previous posts) who hasn’t added any with to the discussion past bashing on my observations. Gonna go out on a limb and say this individual is neither a doctor nor dentist.
Whether or not you get anything out of my posts doesn’t matter, it’s the fact that I am opening up new perspectives to you that matters.