r/Dentists

I’m a 21F in my last year of undergrad, and I’ve been debating medicine vs. dentistry for a LONG time. I finally decided on dentistry, but lately I’ve been questioning whether I’m making the wrong choice.

I love learning about the human body and medicine in general, but when I went through all of the medical specialties, I couldn’t find one where I thought, “I NEED to do this.” I liked neurology, anesthesiology, radiology, and derm, but I never felt completely obsessed with any of them. I’d say I’m more cerebral than hands-on, although I do have a creative side that I really enjoy (nails, cooking, painting, etc.).

I’ve also actually gotten pretty extensive exposure to both fields. I’ve done a lot of medical and dental shadowing, took the DAT and scored in the 95th percentile, and currently have both a medical and dental job, and I love my job as a CNA. I just started my dental job, and while I like it, I feel out of place. I genuinely can’t tell if that’s because I’m new and uncomfortable or because dentistry just isn’t for me.

The problem is that I keep thinking about medicine. I’m worried I chose dentistry because it fits the lifestyle I want rather than because I actually want to be a dentist, but I also know that I like the creative aspect of dentistry. Maybe grass is greener on the other side.

My ideal life would be working around 3 days a week near a beach, having time for family, traveling, hobbies, and potentially owning a business or pursuing other business opportunities. I really like that dentistry can potentially give me that flexibility and the possibility of owning my own practice. My biggest deterrent from medicine has always been residency and the overall length/intensity of the training.

I’m taking a gap year, so I still have some time to figure this out. But I genuinely have no clue what to do. What do you all think?

Hi everyone! I’m currently a final-year BDS student from Pakistan, and my original plan was to pursue a DDS in the US after graduation and eventually work there as a dentist.
However, I’m becoming quite unsure about this path because the tuition fees for international students are extremely expensive, and I’m not sure whether I have the financial resources to make that kind of investment. At the same time, studying and living in the US has always been a dream of mine, so I don’t really want to give up on it without exploring all my options.
For anyone who has been through a similar situation, I’d really appreciate some guidance:
Are there scholarships or financial aid options available for international BDS graduates pursuing a DDS/DMD in the US?
Can international students get student loans, and if so, what are the realistic options without a US co-signer?
Are TA/RA positions or other assistantships available to international dental students, and can they significantly reduce tuition costs?
Is it realistically possible to work part-time while studying and use that income toward living expenses or tuition?
Are there any alternative pathways for a Pakistani BDS graduate to eventually practice dentistry in the US that might be more affordable?
If you were in my position, would you still pursue the US route, or would you consider another country/pathway?
I’m not looking for a shortcut—I’m willing to work hard and take the necessary exams. My main concern is the financial side of the process and whether there are realistic ways to make this dream possible without putting myself into an overwhelming amount of debt.
I’d really appreciate advice from international dentists, Pakistani BDS graduates, or anyone who has gone through the US dental licensing/advanced-standing process.

I'm struggling with cash at the moment but I want the best for my teeth so I'm considering getting a loan out, do you feel its a worthy investment or is the dentist just trying to sell me extra services? Thanks!

I have gotten into both med school and dental school and have been torn for months. I’ve over analyzed both fields on pros and cons and just can’t seem to decide.

I went on SDN to ask dentists about their realistic lifestyle and most of them were allegedly making 300-400K+ and loving it.

I shadowed 5 different dentists in my area, all of whom also were wildly successful and well off.

I’m asking this sub for a more realistic perspective on dentistry. I know it’s hard on the body. I know the reimbursements aren’t as high as they used to be. I know insurance can be a pain.

But realistically if I went to own my practice, how much would I expect to make? And how feasible is
it to grab a loan and start/buy a practice? On SDN they make it seem like it’s just another thing to do.

I don’t plan to super specialize into stuff like derm or surgery if I do med school. I’m an average student but I work very hard.

Do any of you regret going into dentistry? Do you have a great work life balance like how it’s made out to be? Are most of you making 350K + a year?

In terms of passion, I don’t prefer one or the other. I’m not dying to get into either profession with sparkly eyes. I want to help people and have a stable career in a health related field. To me at the end of the day, they are both a job and career track.

Any helpful input would be lovely. My whole view is skewed by incredibly well off dentists I have encountered and I want to know if this is the norm.

Hello! I’m a 1st-year Nursing student, and I’m currently thinking about shifting to Dentistry. I’d really appreciate advice from people who are already in the program or have gone through a similar situation.
Would shifting to Dentistry be a bad idea? I know Nursing is a good and practical program, while Dentistry can be expensive and involves many years of studying. There’s also the challenge of eventually setting up your own clinic and the financial investment that comes with it.
But honestly, I feel like my mind won’t be at peace unless I at least try Dentistry because I genuinely feel like it’s calling me. I’m still very indecisive about whether I should shift or stay in Nursing, and I’m scared that I might regret either decision.
For those who chose Dentistry, especially those who shifted from another program, what made you choose it? And do you think it was worth it?
Any advice would really help. Huhu 😭

A patient cancels a $2,000 treatment appointment two days before they’re scheduled.

You have a cancellation list.
Your front desk is already busy.

The patient says they’ll “call back when things settle down.”

What happens next?

Does your front desk:
Call the next person on the cancellation list?
Try to reschedule the original patient immediately?
Put the patient into an automated follow-up sequence?
Leave it alone until the patient reaches out?

Something else?

I’m particularly interested in what happens after the initial cancellation.

Because I suspect different practices handle this very differently.

What would happen in your practice?

I am a patient of several night bruxism, but how do you guys monitor it like if you are improving or still doing it night or not, if yes then how long etc. ? My doctor gave me some antidepressant medicines and everytime he asks if it improved or not. I am be like well I am wearing a teeth cover then how am I supposed to know!

I got my first filling yesterday at 27, and was super nervous already for it (ive never had a cavity in my life), and almost immedietly after I noticed I experience some pretty rough pain in my lower left jaw/ where the tooth is (furthest back left tooth) when i go to open my mouth further than speech level. I've been looking it up and most things say that's normal but I called the dentist and the receptionist made it seem pretty urgent and not normal and is having me come back today at 5. Now I'm extremely nervous, is that not normal despite everything saying it is? I'm going through dentologie so im kind of nervous that they don't even know what's going on since I've heard mixed reviews on denotologie.

We are in a small town (think population around 4,000) and just had our hygienist put in her notice. Our only hygienist. She drove 30 minutes and has young kids… this is a one doctor, one assistant, one hygienist (now zero, in 6 weeks), and one front desk. Is this a dead end? We are a satellite office for a different office that also is short staffed in hygiene. I can’t help but feel hopeless and it doesn’t help that I will be having a baby at the end of December. Any advice is appreciated.

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Just had a dentist visit in which they suggested my front tooth needs a root canal. The reason being that the tooth is a dead tooth, but it has been for at least ten years. Is it actually necessary that I need a root canal, granted I’ve had no issues with the tooth ever? They also suggest internal bleaching for the discoloration of the tooth.

Let me start off by saying im still in highschool. This decision is not looming in front of me. I have been wanting to become a dentist for a year or so now, and im taking all the correct high school courses. Let me be clear - I am in no way interested or passionate about dentistry. I am passionate about getting $300-500k per year. With that being said, I am not the type to get burned out because its hard. But i've been seeing a lot of mixed opinions. my first question is A) how much did the schooling cost? I've seen some of the best schools as high as $600k. My second question is how much do you make? My entire (yes very bad haha) plan is to get rich as hell and retire. I've seen posts saying OP doesnt recommend it, its not fun work, etc. So yea. for those of you that werent interested in it, how did it go? Would you recommend it? will dentists even get paid as much in like 2036?

I haven’t had a dental cleaning in about two years, so I had significant plaque buildup, with many areas measuring around 4 mm. I had a cleaning today, and they removed most of the heavy buildup.

They recommended that I come back in two weeks for another cleaning and a fluoride treatment.

Should I go ahead with the second cleaning and fluoride treatment? I’m not covered by insurance for this second visit, so it would cost me about CAD $202 out of pocket. Do you think it’s necessary and worth the cost?

I graduated dental school in May, working for a month and struggling significantly. Crowns are off, rescanning, left caries behind that I caught before delivery and now questioning all my BUs and fillings. Using a different matrix system than I am used to and making bad inter-proximal contacts for my class II’s. Feeling inadequate and like I’m doing it all wrong with even just the basics. Didn’t have these problems in school and felt confident. Oh and of course I’m slow and not given enough time to complete procedures by front desk when I have tried to explain it will take me much longer than the other doc who has been working for 30 years. I know I need to get better/improve and am really really trying but my mess ups are significantly affecting me and losing sleep over it. Anyone else feel the same?

Hi, just about 2 months ago, I was constantly visiting to my dentist for almost 3 months, that particular issue resolved. But today, when I went again to dentist for some pain, he told me that both of your molar meeds RCT. I mean???? I had already paid so much for the previous treatment for about 3 months, I was telling my dentist that you please see if there is any other issue in my others tooth. He ignored it And now again I got to know about 2 RCT?? I already had 7 RCT and now, 2 more??? I mean dentist ko last stage pr problem samjh aati h aur last solution is RCT then at the first, what do you check???

when someone lands on your site from an ad, likes the treatment but is still unsure about price, pain or whether it is right for them, what usually happens?

do they call? book? or just leave?

working on something called Kate around that moment. curious if it is actually a problem for you guys.

Waham się między kierunkiem lekarskim a stomatologią. Nie szukam gotowej odpowiedzi, co wybrać, ale chciałabym poznać perspektywy osób, które są na tych studiach bądź które je skończyły.

Hello reddit people! I am currently a 3rd year dental student.I am really passionate about dentistry, and I would really like to know this subject through real people and their problems and not just by the books.

I get that dentist take a lot of crap from other doctors, but I just want to post a general bit of gratitude here. My mother in law went in for some dental work and during her scan the dentist noticed a weird mass in her brain. He stopped everything when he saw it and he told her to get over to the hospital immediately.

Turns out, she has an aneurysm. And not to be outdone, her aneurysm has an aneurysm.

Long story short, she’s going in for surgery tomorrow. It never would have been discovered without her dentist.

TLDR; I’ve learned that dentists are often the unrecognized first line of detection for many serious otolaryngological issues. Today, I am grateful.