Hey,

School is tough. Dental school is like drinking water from a fire hose. And they charge you a touch of money for the privilege. I get it. I have been there.

This is coming from someone who has been in the trenches, almost passed out during the first patient experience (vision/hearing went out...sitting so I luckily did not hit the floor), and failed boards the first time (patient walked out). Now I am an examiner.

Life is tough. It helps to be surrounded by good people. I also think it helps to understand that it is a process. I have been an OMS for over 20 years, and I am now a part-time law student. So, I too am a beginner again. At times I am fearful and feel 'less than' compared to my fellow students. At times I struggle with the volume of information. I have come to realize that struggle is a part of the process. The risk with AI is that it can remove too much struggle.

Y'all got this!

It is supposed to be tough; otherwise, everyone would be doing it, and they couldn't charge you half a mil to learn how to do it. Hang in there.

Has anyone taken the new version of the DLOSCE? I am feeling nervous because for INBDE I was able to just follow bootcamp and that went well. I am just not sure how to study for DLOSCE or even what to expect.

As the title says. Lately I've lost my passion for dentistry. My cases haven't been going well, and I feel like I'm falling behind compared to my peers. I'm slow, my hand skills are not to par. I dread seeing patients every day. I dental assisted for a local dentist over the summer, and I genuinely could not see myself being in his position.

Are these thoughts temporary? Is it just the final year blues? I don't have anyone I can talk to about this, maybe because it seems like no one else is struggling with their patient outcomes like I am.

How long on average does it typically take to receive an interview invite from AEGD/GPR programs?

hi! i’m looking for people who have received the nhsc scholarship to answers some quick questions! i’m just interested in what you did that you think helped get this scholarship

Hi, I am going into a first year of dentistry and I know that my uni has one clinical session per week (on every Friday). I love doing my own nails and it’s genuinely my hobby.

So if I do my nails after those clinical sessions on Friday night and remove them on Thursday before the next session, would that be fine? I’m going to keep my natural nails short.

Does anyone know if people who took the INBDE exam on the same days usually receive their results at the same time?

not familiar with the dental world, but never once considered applying to NYU for medical school as it is incredibly competitive. I recently found out that a person I used to go to school with is a now a student at NYU's dental school, which deeply confused me, as they had below average stats/DAT and was pretty open about cheating in their coursework. not trying to be a hater, just curious what the reputation is of this school among the dental community since their medical school is so hard to get into

Hi r/DentalSchool!

My 9-year-old son Fraser hosts an independent, non-monetized podcast called Join the Fray, where he interviews guests across different professions to learn how things work and inspire younger generations.

With permission from the mods, I wanted to share his latest chat with his family dentist, Dr. Andrew Bass (co-owner of The Vital Smile practice in Vancouver BC).

If you are currently working your way through dental school, studying for boards or looking ahead to graduation, Dr. Bass shares some genuinely helpful, practical insights on his career journey in this chat. Some topics that Fraser and Dr Bass covered in the episode are things like the use of new digital imaging tech, building patient trust, running your own practice and overcoming early career self-doubt.

This is strictly a family passion project with zero ads, zero sponsors, and 100% free. If you're looking for a fun, uplifting listen during your study break, let us know what you think !

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6bdWWCq4sqBoqTZ571N4Ua
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/how-to-become-a-dentist-real-tech-career-tips-tooth/id1887689888?i=1000784155210

Thank you all for taking the time to read this post and we'd love to hear your feedback on the episode!

Hi everyone!
With graduation approaching, I’ve been thinking a lot about my options after dental school and would really appreciate hearing from other dentists, especially those who were once in the same position.
Due to personal circumstances, I’m not able to pursue a residency right away. I’m considering working for a few years first, building my clinical skills and experience, and then deciding whether residency is something I still want to pursue.
For those of you who are new grads or have been practicing for a few years, which pathway do you think is best for starting out? (In SoCal)
FQHC / Community Health Center
DSO
Private Practice
Other options I may not be considering
My long-term goal is to eventually open my own dental office, so I’m especially interested in which pathway provides the best clinical mentorship, experience, and understanding of the business side of dentistry.
I’d love to hear your honest experiences what you liked, what you didn’t like, what you wish you knew as a new grad, and what you would recommend to someone starting out today.
Thank you in advance!

Hey everyone,

Doing my externships lately has been a huge eye-opener. I've noticed a pretty big gap between how certain OMFS programs are viewed online versus how attendings and residents talk about them behind closed doors. I've heard casual comments writing off some traditionally "top-tier" or very competitive programs for having malignant cultures or major training gaps.

It kind of shocked me. Even while externing, you realize you're still an outsider and a lot of the real day-to-day culture slips under the radar. It's a bit daunting realizing how little I actually know about places I might spend the next four years of my life at.

For those already in residency or out in practice, if you were applying today, what would your top 5 four-year programs be and why? Really curious what places you think are actually living up to the hype right now in terms of culture, volume, and scope.

Appreciate any insights!

Hello! I’m a D2 who is starting to look into specialization. Endo and Anesthesia are the two that caught my eye (more so multiple GD told me to go into). Are there any endodontists or dental anesthesiologists that can illuminate what the work is like? What about the lifestyle? Income? Stress levels?

I’ve shadowed a couple endo, but I am completely clueless on anesthesia bc there are none in my area. I wouldn’t mind the early mornings or the travel, but I’m more worried about the stress levels. DA’s do you regret going into it? Or anything you wish you had known? Are there any other people who wish they went into DA?

Hi! I’m a third-year dental student and we recently started clinic! I had a question about how to differentiate pulpal blushing from stained or affected dentin.
I recently removed a previous composite restoration and ended up getting fairly close to the pulp. My attending recommended placing a liner, but visually, the area looked more like stained/affected dentin to me rather than pulpal blushing. I was wondering how you all differentiate the two clinically, especially when you’re working deep and trying to determine when you’re getting close to the pulp.
If anyone has any clinical pictures or examples of what pulpal blushing looks like, I would really appreciate it! I’d love to get better at recognizing it in clinic.
Thank you!

Hi everyone! This is my first time posting here. Honestly, the reason I downloaded this app is to get people’s advice about dentistry.
I’m a third-year dental student.
Do you have any advice or tips you’d like to share?
#dentist
#dentalstudent

Just looking for some advice as I am a d3 who is looking to apply to ortho residency next year. I'm ranked in the first quartile of my school which is a pass fail school, and am involved in many clubs, been a tutor for the school since my first year and some leadership positions (ASDA). I also have some volunteering and many hours of shadowing (during breaks). Hoping to have some good LORs from faculty. I recently took the GRE and am wondering if I should retake it because my scores were not that good (142V, 152Q, 3.5 writing). I am looking to apply very broad and going to avoid schools with hard cutoffs. I tried to study as much as I could with school work and other commitments. I would appreciate any and all advice! Thanks!

UofT has a year long course on the fundamentals of orthodontics for the general practitioner
Has anyone taken it ? Did it change the way you practice? Does anyone recommend it ?

Hello anyone has a copy of ADEX PFM rubrics, it is not on their website anymore

I am a super senior who was supposed to have graduated in May. I am still at my school; I have been here every single day. My start to clinic was slow, and never really picked up. It didn't matter how many times I begged for patients. It didn't matter how often patients failed, didn't want to pay, or gave me attitude. The school just didn't seem to care, and only prioritized the people that needed to leave for residency first. They only started prioritizing me and my cases after the rest of my class had left. There are still four of us stuck here.

This week, there was a light. After four failed attempts at getting my last endo requirement, I scheduled a patient yesterday to come in this morning. She didn't show up. My last day is suppposed to be Monday. If I can't get the requirement, I will have to stay an entire semester longer, into December. My lease is up, I will have nowhere to live. I have no money for a deposit. I am half moved back home.

I have felt stress in dental school, but nothing like this. I don't know if an exception can be made. No one has an answer for me other than to shrug their shoulders.

Currently a D3. Hand skills are usually okay but my critical thinking has big holes.

I need someone to help me navigate how to study for … everything.
Indbe, radio interpretation, pathology, etc. everything.

I didn’t have issues in pre clinic. I just crammed before every exam. But now that it’s impossible to cram everything every night, I struggle majorly, especially when it’s procedures or situations that were unplanned.

Help. Why am I so shit at this.

Hi! I’m a fourth-year dental student and I’m torn between buying a laptop or an iPad. My budget is limited, so I can only get one.
Are there any dental-related skills or programs I might need to learn in the future that require a laptop? I’m worried I’ll regret getting an iPad later. What would you recommend for a dental student?

I have my first exam coming up and i just feel so behind I feel like Im going to fail my D1 year

Hello my Name is Benji,

Im a dental student from Germany and im searching a way of learning with a encyclopedia,i would be great if there was a book or website, which you could use to look for certain dental terms for example: when do you need gutta-percha or having a short look what is CNS again ? Thanks in advance for every help!