[nfarmer1]

I reckon dentistry is sort of like medicine of the mouth. It's just like applied head and neck anatomy aswel and you still have to use problem solving.

And if you work in a bigger practice then the dental nurses seem to all swap around quite alot

[L.O.V.E.]

(Original post by anthonyfl)
I have a genuine like for teeth

Please don't put that in a personal statement. Nobody is interested in teeth! It just sounds so disingenuous.

"I have a genuine interest in oral health/pathology/operative techniques..." blah blah much better ways of saying why you want to be a dentist.

Remember that the vast majority of dentists do not end up in the hospital dentistry service. There is a lot of competition for hospital training posts. A fair amount of their time is also spent teaching undergraduates and doing research/admin so you should take that into consideration as well.

[anthonyfl]

(Original post by L.O.V.E.)


Please don't put that in a personal statement. Nobody is interested in teeth! It just sounds so disingenuous.

"I have a genuine interest in oral health/pathology/operative techniques..." blah blah much better ways of saying why you want to be a dentist.

Remember that the vast majority of dentists do not end up in the hospital dentistry service. There is a lot of competition for hospital training posts. A fair amount of their time is also spent teaching undergraduates and doing research/admin so you should take that into consideration as well.

Thanks, I would actually prefer to work in a hospital I used to want to be an orthodontist but then I had a bad experience with mine in terms of the treatment they gave me

[aqua05]

(Original post by anthonyfl)
Hi everyone

I have a genuine like for teeth and have wanted to become a dentist for a while. I would love to give people great smiles, I especially like the cosmetic aspect.

However, I also have a strong interest in medicine. I have watched junior doctors on the BBC and a documentary on the sick kids in Great Ormond Street Hospital and I'd love to work in an environment like that.

I don't fancy being stuck in the same room with someone all week though, I prefer the hospital working environment. Managing my own practice for dentistry also appeals to me though.

I'm going for 10 months work experience, four hours a week at a private cosmetic dentist and one week in a hospital. Hopefully this will help me decide as I feel the time has come where I need to Persue one of these careers with 100% enthusiasm.

I'm not in it for the money either!

Hey there... I was in the exact situation a year back &I finally settled ondentistry... there are many aspects I looked into...
As a dentist, you can see the patient, treat them & at the same time see the improvements or the positive effects on them later on..
If you want to do medicine, you have to be ready for night shifts and talking to a doctor myself I felt it was alot more stressful &tiring as compared to a dentist..when you are dentist, you work only a certain hours..no night shifts unless if there's an emergency which is rare...
As a dentist you tend to have a better social life:-)
Most of it all..,when I went for work placement..I loved the dentistry department... esp the max fax surgery..so interesting &challenging..
Hope this helps:-)
Good luck!

[anthonyfl]

(Original post by aqua05)
Hey there... I was in the exact situation a year back &I finally settled ondentistry... there are many aspects I looked into...
As a dentist, you can see the patient, treat them & at the same time see the improvements or the positive effects on them later on..
If you want to do medicine, you have to be ready for night shifts and talking to a doctor myself I felt it was alot more stressful &tiring as compared to a dentist..when you are dentist, you work only a certain hours..no night shifts unless if there's an emergency which is rare...
As a dentist you tend to have a better social life:-)
Most of it all..,when I went for work placement..I loved the dentistry department... esp the max fax surgery..so interesting &challenging..
Hope this helps:-)
Good luck!

Thanks!! I've decided dentistry and your reply has made me sure of this even more!!

[Magnanimity]

Dude I know the private practice will be lovely but you need Nhs experience, preferably in a deprived area to get a realistic view of dentistry. That's likely to be your bread and butter for the majority of your working career.

[anthonyfl]

(Original post by Magnanimity)
Dude I know the private practice will be lovely but you need Nhs experience, preferably in a deprived area to get a realistic view of dentistry. That's likely to be your bread and butter for the majority of your working career.

Trust me, I've been trying! Although it seems only the private ones have time for giving me work experience. I've phoned every NHS Dentist within a 10 mile radius. None will take me! I'm actually considering changing dentists to one which takes its own patients for work experience.

Thanks anyway


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[Magnanimity]

(Original post by anthonyfl)
Trust me, I've been trying! Although it seems only the private ones have time for giving me work experience. I've phoned every NHS Dentist within a 10 mile radius. None will take me! I'm actually considering changing dentists to one which takes its own patients for work experience.

Thanks anyway


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That's a real shame, I'm sorry to hear that. When I applied it was so easy to get work exp, I wonder why that's changed. Keep trying

[anthonyfl]

(Original post by Magnanimity)
That's a real shame, I'm sorry to hear that. When I applied it was so easy to get work exp, I wonder why that's changed. Keep trying

I just felt when talking to them that they were too busy for me haha


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[wannabedentist2013]

(Original post by anthonyfl)
I just felt when talking to them that they were too busy for me haha


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I rang 26 surgeries today, they all said no. Around 5 said leave your number and we'll get back to you, but going by what's happened in the past they never do, so I just cut them off.

I managed to find 2 potential voluntary work placements though (childrens hospice and community mental health), so it wasn't that much of a wasted day.

I'm going to try again with GDPs in 2 weeks time after I clear my head.

[bigbottle]

(Original post by ruby321)
You guys are too soft. It's so easy for dentists to say no when some randomer rings them for work experience. You actually have to go up there yourself to the practice, walk in and ask for work experience, or at the very least send them an email or letter. Wear something smart. Have a nice attitude, they are more likely to say yes. Most of the practices I asked said yes to letting me have work experience without any problems, if they said no it was because they wanted a letter from my school.

What types of work experience have you managed to get?

[bigbottle]

(Original post by ruby321)
NHS practice, mixed private and NHS practice and with an oral surgeon

Oral Surgery is good, it was one of my favourite placements.

[willbee]

Do dentistry. Less stress, better wages, reliable income, happy life.

[bigbottle]

(Original post by ruby321)
I liked it, but it wasn't for me! I can't see myself using a tooth saw anytime soon. Also they see hundreds of new patients a year, it all feels very impersonal - in and out, repeat. It was always the same thing - taking out teeth. The dentists there seemed a bit dissatisfied with their career choice as it didn't suit them, so they specialised in oral surgery. I liked the NHS and private practice the most. It had a nice community atmosphere, the dentist had a relationship with their patients, there was a bit of variety. The NHS only practice was ok but it was pretty run down, there was little cosmetic procedures which I think I would prefer doing. Overall I'm thinking of doing orthodontics

Good luck with that, it's fiercely competitive in the UK. But someone has to take the vacancies eh ...

[bigbottle]

(Original post by ruby321)
Yup. Thanks I'll give it a shot.

Where are you thinking of applying to?
I'm thinking Leeds and Ireland at the moment. Will decide on the UKCAT unis after I sit the test.

[GrahamRodney]

(Original post by Wltsm)
Do both, I believe you need medicine to be a consultant, whatever field you specialise in.

Not true. You can be a maxfax consultant surgeon - trauma, or head and neck cancer, with BDS FDRCS. However, there is a good deal of animosity between these and those who are MBBS, BDS, FRCS - i.e. medically-qualified as well - who don't consider the former up to scratch.

It's a tough business, doing both, but you at least with dentistry first you can pay your way through medicine moonlighting clinics etc.

[bigbottle]

(Original post by ruby321)
I'm a dental student.
Aren't Leeds really competitive though?

Ha my bad, which school are you at?
Yeh they are, but if you have what they're looking for then it should make your application stand out i.e. they want long term experience in a variety of different settings and long-term voluntary work in a caring environment too.

[Vian]

(Original post by ruby321)
You guys are too soft. It's so easy for dentists to say no when some randomer rings them for work experience. You actually have to go up there yourself to the practice, walk in and ask for work experience, or at the very least send them an email or letter. Wear something smart. Have a nice attitude, they are more likely to say yes. Most of the practices I asked said yes to letting me have work experience without any problems, if they said no it was because they wanted a letter from my school.

At first all I did was go to many practices dressed smart, with copies of my CV. I was rejected by all of them. Then I emailed a bunch of practices and was accepted by one of them.

Moral of the story: Work experience is a bitch.

[bigbottle]

(Original post by Vian)
At first all I did was go to many practices dressed smart, with copies of my CV. I was rejected by all of them. Then I emailed a bunch of practices and was accepted by one of them.

Moral of the story: Work experience is a bitch.

If any say ''If you give your details, we'll get back to you'' ... don't bother, they never do. I just cut them off and move onto the next one.

[anthonyfl]

(Original post by ruby321)
You guys are too soft. It's so easy for dentists to say no when some randomer rings them for work experience. You actually have to go up there yourself to the practice, walk in and ask for work experience, or at the very least send them an email or letter. Wear something smart. Have a nice attitude, they are more likely to say yes. Most of the practices I asked said yes to letting me have work experience without any problems, if they said no it was because they wanted a letter from my school.

I emailed 25 with a smart email and got 1 reply two weeks later saying "sorry we don't do work experience"




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