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What is the hardest part of becoming a dentist and what qualities do you recommend?
I am in college. #dentistry
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Lindsay’s Answer
The hardest part about becoming a dentist is dental school/residency. It's really just the learning. As someone who is also going into dentistry, I've shadowed tons of dentists in different specialties and inquired about their lives and paths. About half of them said that the worst part of dentistry is dental school itself. It's a lot of time management and A LOT of studying. The other half said dental school was a breeze, but residency was extremely difficult because of long hours. ALL of them said one of the worst parts is owning their own business. Becoming a dentist is one thing, but having your own practice is a whole new realm you need to learn how to navigate.
As an undergrad, I'd say the hardest part is disciplining yourself to prepare for the DATs and getting through all of the hard core science classes.
To succeed in dental school, you do need a level of artistry. You need to have good manual dexterity to succeed. If you can't do this, then dental school will be super hard! You need to pay attention to the details and make sure that you're proficient in this field. There's a reason they ask you to explain your experience with manual dexterity in your application! It takes a lot of work, patience and determination, but if you want to pursue dentistry, you just need to focus on these qualities and study hard! Good luck!
As an undergrad, I'd say the hardest part is disciplining yourself to prepare for the DATs and getting through all of the hard core science classes.
To succeed in dental school, you do need a level of artistry. You need to have good manual dexterity to succeed. If you can't do this, then dental school will be super hard! You need to pay attention to the details and make sure that you're proficient in this field. There's a reason they ask you to explain your experience with manual dexterity in your application! It takes a lot of work, patience and determination, but if you want to pursue dentistry, you just need to focus on these qualities and study hard! Good luck!
Updated
Atul’s Answer
I will give you an example that happened in front of my friend's son who was in dentistry school. He passed the entrance DAT with a respectable score and secured admission to an Univ in Boston that has a reputation to be a good dentistry school.
After two years, he failed and had to exit Dentistry school. What happened is that his eyesight and hand-eye coordination were not there to perform some of the basic tasks that were required (root canal, implant, etc.).
The school gave him enough tries to pass but he could not.
Net-net: You need to be good with your hand to perform tasks that require accuracy and meticulousness to perform the procedure on a human body.
This will be one of the hardest parts beyond high tuition cost (six figures per year) and securing a respectable DAT score.
After two years, he failed and had to exit Dentistry school. What happened is that his eyesight and hand-eye coordination were not there to perform some of the basic tasks that were required (root canal, implant, etc.).
The school gave him enough tries to pass but he could not.
Net-net: You need to be good with your hand to perform tasks that require accuracy and meticulousness to perform the procedure on a human body.
This will be one of the hardest parts beyond high tuition cost (six figures per year) and securing a respectable DAT score.
Updated
Jennifer’s Answer
Hello!
In undergrad, the hardest part might be sticking through the required prerequisites that are needed for dental school. Organic chemistry is a weed-out class for many pre-health students. While I am not a dentist myself, my uncle is and he owns two offices. His biggest struggle was the debt after dental school, which is a hefty amount and something he still struggles with now. In fact, in 2019, the average debt per dental school graduate was about $290,000. Another thing that I've heard of from other dentists is that in dental school, your mentors can be very critical with how you work.
I would say a good quality to have is patience - the road to dental school can be long and tiring. You also have to be able to bounce back and not shy away from the criticism your mentors give you and use that as a chance to improve. Enjoying the ability to work with your hands is a huge plus as well. Hope this helped!
In undergrad, the hardest part might be sticking through the required prerequisites that are needed for dental school. Organic chemistry is a weed-out class for many pre-health students. While I am not a dentist myself, my uncle is and he owns two offices. His biggest struggle was the debt after dental school, which is a hefty amount and something he still struggles with now. In fact, in 2019, the average debt per dental school graduate was about $290,000. Another thing that I've heard of from other dentists is that in dental school, your mentors can be very critical with how you work.
I would say a good quality to have is patience - the road to dental school can be long and tiring. You also have to be able to bounce back and not shy away from the criticism your mentors give you and use that as a chance to improve. Enjoying the ability to work with your hands is a huge plus as well. Hope this helped!