Dentistry is terrible - a truthful/real view from a graduate/DFT

I've just graduated from Dentistry and am now currently on my DFT (Dental Foundation Trainee) year, earning a salary and working in London.

Dentistry was great at uni, the uni experience was good.

However, no one EVER tells you the reality of dentistry after university. Life is absolute crap. The stress, the fact that you have to work like a an absolute animal to even make the good money people talk about. Even then, it's not great. General practice is terrible, and you will become depressed, every single associate I have come across hates their life and everyone knows it.

You want to work in hospital/teaching? Yeah, your salary will be cut in to pennies, and on top of that you have to go through MUCH more years of SUPER COMPETITIVE training years (DCT1/2/3 etc) to even get anywhere remotely close to a decent salary or a job that isn't based off UDAs.


For anyone that is struggling to decide if dentistry is what you actually want to do, take the plunge, don't do it. No one will care you're a dentist/have a dr title after a while. No one will care about you. You aren't looking after people the way you think you were going to, general practice is being a dog, being a salesman - they're there to make money, not look after patients, trust me, from someone who's actually in it and seeing it all now. You wanna provide proper care? Work in hospital, oh yeah but then you've gotta go through all I mentioned before and cut your salary by about 50%?

When I was told to do what I enjoy before I started uni, I didn't think too much of it, but boy I wish I listened. DO WHAT YOU ENJOY MONEY WILL NOT MATTER TO YOU AFTER TRUST ME (unless ofc you're literally not going to be earning anything doing what you enjoy). The dentistry aspect of it can be enjoyable at times, but the stress that comes with it is not worth it, the whole lifestyle, there's so much more than HEAVILY outweigh anything enjoyable from being a dentist.

Please don't make the mistake, please don't force yourself to do it if you have doubts and something else you have always wanted to do.

If there are any dentists/DFTs or anyone that has changed their career path after dentistry, please do PM me as I am really want to change my career path.

I will be updating this post much more through the day and days coming, but I want to get this message out ASAP.

I’ve heard some ridiculous stories about DFT. All those bizarre SJT scenarios are true

is this meant to put off prospective dental students?? well if it was u have done a bad job of it

To be fair, the SJT scenarios aren't too bad, that's not my problem ahah but you're right, I'm hearing some crazy stories in practices from my friends outside of London haha

Every dentist I know said NHS was an absolute depressing nightmare but private practice is very cushy and to head that way ASAP.

Every dentist I know said NHS was an absolute depressing nightmare but private practice is very cushy and to head that way ASAP.

It is a nightmare from an organisational structure point of view. Apparently they’re looking to pilot new and improved schemes.

Pretty sure they've been saying this for the last 10+ years

I have had the opposite experience to you. Hated every moment of (London based) dental school with every fibre of my being. As soon as DFT started, I loved it.

The big difference is that I don't work in London, and you couldn't pay me enough to move back. Location and a sense of community is everything.
Hospital jobs seem not to be worth it.
Everyone seems to be happiest private.
I'm currently working as an NHS dentist and it's rather enjoyable.

-> Just to add, you're just a couple of months into DFT, I had a similar experience where the practice frontloaded a bunch of things to me and tried to pass it off as my responsibility - I put my foot down solidly by January and told them where my boundaries were! It almost felt like a hazing ritual. Many people have been through the same thing and kept quiet, only to wish that they had said something sooner.

Out of interest, which London dental school did you attend? I’m also in London, and quite frankly, since the pandemic, I don’t think it’s fit for purpose anymore. It’s beyond me why they continue to accept new first year intakes.

Damn, it's gotten that bad for some schools? I'll share mine if you share yours!
I am just grateful for a career that doesn't tie me down to any particular city or location.

I have had the opposite experience to you. Hated every moment of (London based) dental school with every fibre of my being. As soon as DFT started, I loved it.

The big difference is that I don't work in London, and you couldn't pay me enough to move back. Location and a sense of community is everything.
Hospital jobs seem not to be worth it.
Everyone seems to be happiest private.
I'm currently working as an NHS dentist and it's rather enjoyable.

-> Just to add, you're just a couple of months into DFT, I had a similar experience where the practice frontloaded a bunch of things to me and tried to pass it off as my responsibility - I put my foot down solidly by January and told them where my boundaries were! It almost felt like a hazing ritual. Many people have been through the same thing and kept quiet, only to wish that they had said something sooner.

I wish it was some schools, it would make the epic failure more bearable!

I agree, I’ve heard a lot about how dentistry outside of London is a lot nicer in many respects.

You're doing Dentistry?

Well all this post is telling me is to stay in the north after I graduate.

I’ve heard this from a lot of people, I’m beginning to consider it too. Cheaper housing too - imagine getting a 3-bed home for £150,000 instead of £1,500,000!

Was that hyperbole or are you Cockneys really getting mugged off that bad?