Kiddos

Photo from brightnewsmile.com

    
    As most of you reading probably know, I am in dental school and I am loving the dentistry part of dental school.  I am also pretty firmly set on finishing after next year and to forgo doing a residency of any kind because I am ready to work and not be in school, plus so far I really like all the aspects of general dentistry.  This last week I rotated through the pediatric clinic and really enjoyed it, but I am still not swayed into pursuing a pedo residency.  I am maybe just more convinced that I would possibly like to treat kids one day, maybe through a public health job, or maybe a family practice setting in a smaller community where there are not tons of pediatric dentists.

So... here is a list of pros and cons of treating kids that sums up my experiences from last week.

Pros
1. Kids are really cute, and they say funny things.
2. You get to have stickers and prizes in your office.
3. You get to act goofy. (and dress up for things like Halloween)
4. Kids are still forming habits, so you could potentially set them up to have great oral health their whole life.

Pros or Cons
1.  You pretty much just drill and fill, kids don't usually need a whole lot of crowns/bridges or dentures! (This is good or bad depending on what kind of dentistry you like, I have not done enough of everything yet to know for sure.)

Cons
1. You have to deal with some really intense parents.
2. Kids can scream really loud!