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Does anyone really get into Dentistry not because of the money?

The way I see it, almost everyone who yells out that dent people do it only for the money fail to realise that they are only exposing their true natures and motivations to the rest of us. "You see in others what is true of yourself", by dismissing dent students as people purely motivated by money, one only reveals that they are purely motivated by money. The fact that such people are on this forum clearly indicates they are either studying med/dent or are med/dent hopefuls, and if that's the attitude they will take into their medical careers, then they are a blemish on the fields of medicine/dentistry.
 

sirasscuss2

Regular Member
The way I see it, almost everyone who yells out that dent people do it only for the money fail to realise that they are only exposing their true natures and motivations to the rest of us. "You see in others what is true of yourself", by dismissing dent students as people purely motivated by money, one only reveals that they are purely motivated by money. The fact that such people are on this forum clearly indicates they are either studying med/dent or are med/dent hopefuls, and if that's the attitude they will take into their medical careers, then they are a blemish on the fields of medicine/dentistry.

Completely agree with you there.
 
If your after purely a big income, there are a myriad of courses around the country which people can undertake. More importantly, if you strive for excellence in your field and put in the hard work and the dedication, it doesn't matter what you do, you will always be in demand and will make a substantial income, and progress through the ranks of an organization, potentially earning far more than the average doctor/dentist.
Medicine and dentistry are professions that you have to have a calling for, in a sense, and you must be in it for the long haul, not as some sort of "Get-Rich-Quick" scheme.
 

Dandelion

Regular Member
People have different interests.
I myself find dentistry quite interesting, orthodontics is a subject I definitely won't mind learning - if it was offered at UTAS I would definitely take it now.
 
the fundamental thing about healthcare is caring. sure there are excellent remuneration to these professions but ultimately without patients we have no work. HELL YEAH. Why would you work for free unless your a hippie? come on now. but yeah we do have a caring nature behind the $$$.
 

dnzlcuz

Member
i find this disturbing and completely false. such people are not idealists... and many people pracice professions they are passionate about. As Dent_Guy mentioned, there are many dentists in practice who are evidently not financialy motivated. It just seems many of you have wrong impressions and understandings of how occupations work.

A lot of doctors/dentists retire at relatively young ages (still 50+) to teach and work at the universty level. A pathway which i am looking to take myself. Why would one do that? certainly not for the money.

A lot of dentists do extensive work with school dental services even though they would earn less. Why? because for some people (and myself) the prospect of working with children, playing the role of an educator and interacting with the general public is appealing and overrides the alternative of me sitting in some private health clinic and making loads of cash each day.

If you wanted money, then why study dentistry in teh first place? its hard to get into, takes many years to study, takes a LOT of effort (ergo, it requires passion and motivations) and requires great commitment. Why on earth would someone chose that over commerce if they only wanted to make a good living and get rich???

Irrespective of salary (and MANY occupational pathways offer high salaries) the reason amny people study dentistry specifically is based upon their passion for the subject and their motivation to study, investigate, practice and educate (yes dentists educate a lot) oral health. I admit the money may be a nice sweetener, but it is only a sweetener, an accesorial advantage - it is not the key motivation.

IF money was the key motivation, then why dentistry? there are other jobs wich are FAR easier to get into, with FAR less required studying and FAR less required effort whch pay FAR more. (but yes dentists do earn a fair bit themselves) - hence if someone does decided to study dentistry, then PUT aside the money issue here and take a moment to appreciate their passion for the profession and their motivation to practice it.

^agreed, there are heaps of different professions that make HEAPS more money than dentist, i.e. mining engineers
 

hrayhan

Member
I wanted to do dentistry (although it looks like i've missed out this year and may try graduate later) and I have to admit that money is a plus. BUT it definitely isn't the main thing that attracts me to dentistry. I think some people kind of scoff at dentistry when you compare it to medicine but really if you can preform heavy aesthetic improvements on people's teeth you will really help their confidence and make their lives better. Dentistry is also taken for granted sometimes but in dentistry you get life threatening diseases too; just look at the recent meningitis outbreak in the US. I believe it has a simillar attraction to medicine in terms of making a difference and helping people, maybe with a less stressful lifestyle once you're a fully fledged dentist with normal office working hours, 9 to 5.
 

tomw84

Regular Member
I think some people kind of scoff at dentistry when you compare it to medicine

Once my eyes stop rolling at those people I tend to mention:
- the suffering of people with xerostomia and salivary gland hypofunction and how dentistry and dental science improves their quality of life.
- the medical, social, psychological impact of periodontal disease
- people wanting to hug you after you relieve severe tooth pain
- the relief of parents when you tell them "the ugly duckling" stage of dental development in their child is actually a good sign, not a bad sign
- working within fractions of millimetres backwards in a mirror using rotating instruments that could destroy an entire tooth in less than a second
- the subtleties of working with severe dental phobics
- we also have prescription pads and know how to use them
- ask a person who had severe malocclusions and rotated teeth what they think of dentistry after completion of orthodontic and maxfacs treatment.

:)
 

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ellejay

Regular Member
Coming from someone who smashed their teeth as a child and went through root canal therapy, aesthetically improving someone's teeth can make a massive difference to their self esteem. I guess dentists can make as much of a difference to someone as a plastic/reconstructive surgeon can.
 
R

Richar

Guest
Coming from someone who smashed their teeth as a child and went through root canal therapy, aesthetically improving someone's teeth can make a massive difference to their self esteem. I guess dentists can make as much of a difference to someone as a plastic/reconstructive surgeon can.

you are so right. i used to cover my mouth when laughin all through primary school because of my teeth. dentistry is a very rewarding career
 

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