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How do I decide between two pathways?
How do I decide between two pathways. Dentistry and medecine. I have done shadowing for both but I still don't know which one is my interest.
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Teddy’s Answer
Hi Maha, it's okay to feel unsure when deciding between dentistry and medicine. Both paths need dedication, care, and a strong wish to help people. Since you've already spent time in both fields, think about how each made you feel. Did you enjoy the careful work of dentistry, or were you more interested in the broad and varied aspects of medicine?
Consider what you want in your long-term lifestyle. Dentistry might offer more regular hours and focused tasks, while medicine can provide a wider range of patient care but might require longer, unpredictable hours. There's no wrong choice; focus on where your skills, values, and sense of purpose fit best. Sometimes, thinking back on your experiences or talking to mentors can help you decide.
Consider what you want in your long-term lifestyle. Dentistry might offer more regular hours and focused tasks, while medicine can provide a wider range of patient care but might require longer, unpredictable hours. There's no wrong choice; focus on where your skills, values, and sense of purpose fit best. Sometimes, thinking back on your experiences or talking to mentors can help you decide.
Updated
Karin’s Answer
Hi Maha,
Both dentistry and medicine are interesting careers if you are so inclined. How to decide? Well, if you are still in high-school, you need to earn a bachelors degree before you can apply to medical school or dental school since both, medicine and dentistry, are graduate degrees. That buys you a bit of time before you need to make a final decision. You can use the time to gather some more experience in different medical settings and consider what exactly attracts you to each field.
I would probably look at the variety of job options that would be available to me with a medical vs a dental degree. If you go to dental school, you have general dentistry or you can specialize into orthodontics or a few other specialties. If you go to medical school, you can do specialties as different as dermatology or surgery or emergency medicine or psychiatry. You'll have more variety of practice and also more variety in life-style available to you.
There is also the option of becoming an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, which needs skills from dentistry as well as surgery. After dental school you would do a 4-year oral and maxillofacial residency program in a hospital or you could do a 6-year program to get an MD plus surgical qualification. So, that would be 12 to 14 years of schooling and training, but that's not unusual for a medical pathway.
I hope this helps! All the best to you!
KP
Both dentistry and medicine are interesting careers if you are so inclined. How to decide? Well, if you are still in high-school, you need to earn a bachelors degree before you can apply to medical school or dental school since both, medicine and dentistry, are graduate degrees. That buys you a bit of time before you need to make a final decision. You can use the time to gather some more experience in different medical settings and consider what exactly attracts you to each field.
I would probably look at the variety of job options that would be available to me with a medical vs a dental degree. If you go to dental school, you have general dentistry or you can specialize into orthodontics or a few other specialties. If you go to medical school, you can do specialties as different as dermatology or surgery or emergency medicine or psychiatry. You'll have more variety of practice and also more variety in life-style available to you.
There is also the option of becoming an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, which needs skills from dentistry as well as surgery. After dental school you would do a 4-year oral and maxillofacial residency program in a hospital or you could do a 6-year program to get an MD plus surgical qualification. So, that would be 12 to 14 years of schooling and training, but that's not unusual for a medical pathway.
I hope this helps! All the best to you!
KP
Updated
David’s Answer
How old are you? Have you completed your undergraduate education or are you exploring early options? If you have not completed your Bachelor's degree, keep exploring. There are many more options out there, even within medicine and dentistry. If you are looking at professional training schools already, then how quickly do you want to get into the workforce and how complicated are you willing to make the non-professional part of your career? Dentists tend to have fewer outside requirements than doctors.
Thank you for your response, David!
I'm 18 and high school senior. Everybody is pushing us to choose a major and at least have an idea of what we are going to do in the future and the fact that there are many options but so little time is so overwhelming. So many people my age already know what they are doing.
I have talked to a lot of doctors and attended seminars but it still doesn't spark anything.
Maha
You have time. I didn't decide until my junior year of college.
Steven Bornfeld
Oh, okay! Thank you again.
Maha
Updated
Wong’s Answer
Hi Maha. You need to think about what you enjoyed the most during your shadowing experiences. Were there specific tasks or moments in dentistry or medicine that made you feel excited or happy? Try to remember how you felt during those times. Your emotions can be a good guide.
Next, think about your personality and lifestyle goals. For example, dentists often have more regular work hours and can open their own clinics. Doctors, especially in hospitals, may have longer and more unpredictable schedules, but they work in a wide range of areas like surgery, pediatrics, or emergency medicine. Which kind of lifestyle do you see yourself enjoying in the long run? Do you like working with your hands and focusing on oral health, or do you prefer treating the whole body and seeing different types of patients?
You can also talk to professionals in both fields. Ask them what they like and don't like about their jobs. Remember, no path is perfect, but the right one for you will match your interests, values, and lifestyle.
All the best.
Next, think about your personality and lifestyle goals. For example, dentists often have more regular work hours and can open their own clinics. Doctors, especially in hospitals, may have longer and more unpredictable schedules, but they work in a wide range of areas like surgery, pediatrics, or emergency medicine. Which kind of lifestyle do you see yourself enjoying in the long run? Do you like working with your hands and focusing on oral health, or do you prefer treating the whole body and seeing different types of patients?
You can also talk to professionals in both fields. Ask them what they like and don't like about their jobs. Remember, no path is perfect, but the right one for you will match your interests, values, and lifestyle.
All the best.
That actually helped me a lot, Wong thank you so much!
Maha
You're very welcome.
Wong Loke Yuen
Updated
Srinivasa’s Answer
As a dentist, I can tell you that what truly sets dentistry apart is how hands-on and detail-oriented it is every single day. If you find fulfillment in precision work, working with your hands, and seeing the tangible results of your care — sometimes in just a single visit — dentistry offers that in abundance. Every procedure, from fillings and crowns to root canals and cosmetic work, requires a high level of technical skill and artistry.
There’s also something uniquely rewarding about the patient relationships we build. Because we often see our patients regularly, we form long-term connections and can watch their oral health improve over time. It's not just about teeth — it's about restoring confidence, relieving pain, and improving quality of life in very visible, measurable ways.
In contrast to medicine, where diagnoses and systemic management can be more abstract and long-term, dentistry often provides immediate feedback and a sense of closure. You treat, you see the result, and the patient walks out feeling better. That’s a powerful motivator.
The lifestyle is also worth considering — many dentists have more predictable hours, less on-call responsibility, and more flexibility in how they shape their careers, whether through private practice, specialization, academia, or public health.
Ultimately, it comes down to what kind of fulfillment you’re looking for: the intellectual challenge and systemic scope of medicine, or the procedural precision, autonomy, and creative satisfaction of dentistry. Neither is better — but one might fit your sense of purpose better than the other. please conisder your options wisely and all the best for future. Keep always service as your motto.
Shadow/Observe physician DO
Shadow/Observe Dentist
Talk to managers in the dental and physician offices, also will get good feedback
There’s also something uniquely rewarding about the patient relationships we build. Because we often see our patients regularly, we form long-term connections and can watch their oral health improve over time. It's not just about teeth — it's about restoring confidence, relieving pain, and improving quality of life in very visible, measurable ways.
In contrast to medicine, where diagnoses and systemic management can be more abstract and long-term, dentistry often provides immediate feedback and a sense of closure. You treat, you see the result, and the patient walks out feeling better. That’s a powerful motivator.
The lifestyle is also worth considering — many dentists have more predictable hours, less on-call responsibility, and more flexibility in how they shape their careers, whether through private practice, specialization, academia, or public health.
Ultimately, it comes down to what kind of fulfillment you’re looking for: the intellectual challenge and systemic scope of medicine, or the procedural precision, autonomy, and creative satisfaction of dentistry. Neither is better — but one might fit your sense of purpose better than the other. please conisder your options wisely and all the best for future. Keep always service as your motto.
Srinivasa recommends the following next steps:
Updated
Andrey’s Answer
Good news both medical and dental degrees require a bachelorettes degree. Generally speaking B.S Biomedical science is encouraged for both medical and dental school as it is heavy concentrated in science.
Few things I would suggest to help you narrow down your career path.
First, shadow or volunteer at a dental and medical office. This way you can see first hand how daily flow is
Second, career aptitude test can help you narrow down what you would like to do. Answer all questions truthfully and you maybe surprised in some of the career suggestions.
Best of Luck I hope this helps!
Few things I would suggest to help you narrow down your career path.
First, shadow or volunteer at a dental and medical office. This way you can see first hand how daily flow is
Second, career aptitude test can help you narrow down what you would like to do. Answer all questions truthfully and you maybe surprised in some of the career suggestions.
Best of Luck I hope this helps!
Updated
Steven’s Answer
Either field offers a great deal of flexibility. When people think of dentistry, they generally think of a solo dentist alone in his/her office seeing patients, drilling teeth. That particular traditional role is slowly becoming less prevalent. Largely because of financial pressures, group practices are becoming more common, sometimes with management companies running them, with dentists as employees. At the same time, there are dentists in academia, in industry, in basic research. There of course are also the specialties, though most dentists do not specialize.
In medicine, by contrast, most doctors DO specialize. Group and institution-based practices are becoming more common here too. Most physicians will have institutional affiliations. This is NOT the case in dentistry. Of course if you are specializing (as most physicians do) the road is considerably longer (though of course dentists specialize too).
You should try to find the opportunity to speak to a lot of doctors in different practice settings. Consider contacting local medical and dental societies; find out if you can attend meetings. Try to find specialists in different specialties to talk to. Find out not only how these doctors interact in the office, but how the business outlook is in their field. Remember that these may vary quite widely depending on whether urban or rural, and in different parts of the country.
Good luck!
In medicine, by contrast, most doctors DO specialize. Group and institution-based practices are becoming more common here too. Most physicians will have institutional affiliations. This is NOT the case in dentistry. Of course if you are specializing (as most physicians do) the road is considerably longer (though of course dentists specialize too).
You should try to find the opportunity to speak to a lot of doctors in different practice settings. Consider contacting local medical and dental societies; find out if you can attend meetings. Try to find specialists in different specialties to talk to. Find out not only how these doctors interact in the office, but how the business outlook is in their field. Remember that these may vary quite widely depending on whether urban or rural, and in different parts of the country.
Good luck!
Thank you so much, Steven!
Maha
Your choice of major to start college is only the door you open for your first day. It is not a sealed tunnel you can never escape. You can, and should, change majors at least twice. At least take classes outside of your major as often you can. College is not a fixed path. It is an opportunity to explore and play in the infinite expanse of knowledge.
David Robkin
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