Fundamentalism and Dentistry

[YPestis]

I've noticed an interesting connection and wanted to pick the brain of the medically inclined Jingerites to clarify. I've noticed that dentistry contains more conservative and fundie leaning members than medicine. Does anyone else feel that way?

I think a big attraction to dentistry is the ability to be self-employed. Physicians still run their own practices but they tend to be in larger groups (to save money and compensate for decreasing reimbursements). Plus, many doctors are working for hospitals rather than for themselves now. Dentistry is still a cottage industry with many members working in solo practices (an increasing rarity in medicine). Fundies seem to enjoy being self-employed so I wonder if that's the connection.

I'm also speculating whether fundies are fewer in numbers because medicine attracts more researchers than dentistry due to more funding/opportunities in medicine. I've never met a fundie medical/biologic research and there are many medical students attracted to medicine for the research potential. The whole evolution thing probably turns off a lot of fundies. Dentistry does not seem to attract as many research minded students.

What does everyone thing? Is there some truth to what I'm saying? Or am I just smoking something?

[FakePigtails]

Seems plausible. Plus with dentistry you get a medical field without having to see people naked.

[2xx1xy1JD]

Not something that I've noticed here. The demographics are pretty similar.

It's possible, though, that dentistry would be preferred by someone who doesn't want to see naked people, prescribe birth control or ever see an abortion.

[onlyorganic]

I think a big attraction to dentistry is the ability to be self-employed. Physicians still run their own practices but they tend to be in larger groups (to save money and compensate for decreasing reimbursements). Plus, many doctors are working for hospitals rather than for themselves now. Dentistry is still a cottage industry with many members working in solo practices (an increasing rarity in medicine). Fundies seem to enjoy being self-employed so I wonder if that's the connection.

I only half agree with you. The start-up cost for a dentist just out of school to have ones' own practice is outrageous. You can't really go at it on your own initially as a dentist and most dentists do work for practices (or at least Dr. Smith works with Dr. Jones and Dr. Stevens in a practice for a few years). Most dentists who desire to open their own practice work up to starting their own (or buying a practice from a retiring dentist). I think what you are thinking of would be older dentists, who have practiced for many years and sometimes still work in single man/woman practices where they are "the boss" and able to air their opinions. Yes, you'd be right in assuming you're more likely to go to little dental office with a "Jesus is Lord" sign in the waiting room than to see that in the waiting room of a huge multi-doctor general family practice associated with a hospital.

[lilwriter85]

I only half agree with you. The start-up cost for a dentist just out of school to have ones' own practice is outrageous. You can't really go at it on your own initially as a dentist and most dentists do work for practices (or at least Dr. Smith works with Dr. Jones and Dr. Stevens in a practice for a few years). Most dentists who desire to open their own practice work up to starting their own (or buying a practice from a retiring dentist). I think what you are thinking of would be older dentists, who have practiced for many years and sometimes still work in single man/woman practices where they are "the boss" and able to air their opinions. Yes, you'd be right in assuming you're more likely to go to little dental office with a "Jesus is Lord" sign in the waiting room than to see that in the waiting room of a huge multi-doctor general family practice associated with a hospital.

I agree with this. A friend of my parents is a dentist. He is 62 and plans to retire in a couple of years. He has joint practice with a dentist who is ten years younger than him and the prices to buy a practice are pretty high and he has said that younger dentists are often working with more experienced dentists who own practices or some younger ones are taking jobs with dental offices that are run by corporations. Monarch Dental/Bright Now is one example. That company has several offices in different states.

[DistantStar]

An ex-boyfriend's coworker's wife (!) was (presumably still is) a dentist. The costs of the equipment to have a practice are astronomical (the $800 drill bit springs to mind). Obviously over time you can make up for the outlay, but it's kind of hideous. Putting that on top of loans from school and I expect it's a very expensive field to start out in.

If you do strike out on your own you can, of course, have your fundie practice. I would think they'd want to work with a more experienced dentist, at least for awhile; good dentistry is an art as much as a science. And since the extreme fundies don't believe in education I don't see them becoming dentists anytime soon.

[koolmom]

A few neighborhoods from me is one of our city's larger ethnic strongholds -- lots of Somalis, Asians, etc. My family used to use one Asian dentist, who was skilled, and accepted Medicaid. He'd told us his father was also a dentist, so I wonder as only organic says above, that some families might have to assist a son or daughter who wanted to become a dentist in order for his/her business to fly.

These folks were fairly recent immigrants, whereas, for my son's braces, we used to go to an old-line Chinese family who were one of our city's founding Oriental families over a hundred years ago. They now own many restaurants, offices, etc. Interesting, never occured this might be a fundie field...

[PennySycamore]

My dentist is a Sikh or at least that is his heritage. We did have a dentist years ago who was, I think, fundie-lite. I found my Sikh dentist when the XTian dentist couldn't see me on an emergency basis when I had an abscessed tooth. The practice also couldn't recommend another dentist I could see. Dr Sikh is not only compassionate, he's very, very good-looking.

[bionicmlle]

I work in a religious university setting and I will say that the dental school DOES have quite a few fundies -- Lots of mormons (we are not a mormon university). I will also say that I have many friends who have completed medical or dental school. I went to med school here and there were quite a few very conservative religious folks in my class (not from the denomination of our uni) but not nearly as many as in the dental school.

I think there are a few reasons why --

Dental school is, generally, less competitive than medical school. (For now. This is changing!)

People from MANY colleges are considered for dental school and granted interviews whereas medical school interviews are harder to come by.

Dentistry is a limited range of practice from the beginning of training but medicine is WIDE ranging (all MD/DO students receive essentially the same curriculum -- it doesn't really differ until you get in a residency program AFTER you graduate medical school) -- so dentistry automatically takes out the majority of "religious" issues (for instance - do you, as a physician, do abortion in life-threatening situations? do you support hospice care rather than "doing everything," do you feel comfortable caring for homosexual patients? alcohol-using patients? patients who have pre-marital sex? how do you help a patient be more comfortable with their own death?) -- these are ALL issues addressed in our medical school curriculum and some students REALLY have a difficult time with these questions... If you can't manage these issues from a larger, universal perspective, you are severely limited as a physician.

[wtylcf]

My fundie-lite ex was in dental school when we were dating. His primary reason for going into the profession was to make a large amount of money, which he would then funnel into charities of his choice. His second reason was that he really wanted to live in a small town, and dentistry is ideal if you're willing to relocate to an out-of-the-way place. All the better to preserve his insular religious worldview without challenges from city liberals! Upon graduation he worked with an older dentist in a small town for a few years, then took over the practice.

Of his graduating class of 30 people, he was the only overtly religious guy there - most of his peers were in dentistry for the money and/or the independence of running their own business. I think that lording it over other employees as their boss was appealing to him - most fundie-lites would find having power over which people gained employ quite appealing. He planned to covertly get around employment discrimination laws by asking whether his prospective employees volunteered for any good causes ("I help out with the ladies' group at church!" would have been a great answer if you wanted to be hired). He also planned to hire an unattractive older woman for a receptionst so he wouldn't be "tempted" at work. After we broke up, he ended up marrying the small-town receptionst in his small-town practice, so I guess that worked out for him after all.

[Deleted07]

Yeah I've heard a lot of people state that they are going into dentistry because of the money, the hours and 'control' you get from all the things others states above :-)

[browngrl]

Can't say that I have noticed this trend - but I only know our dentist who is an old family friend - so my experience is limited.

However, in medical school we had a group of fundie lite people. We used to call them the "moral majority". Some of the funniest moments of medical school involved the rest of the class making fun of them. Interestingly - at our last reunion most of these people had mellowed out a lot and are now more lite than fundie.

[BravaAmica]

Seems plausible. Plus with dentistry you get a medical field without having to see people naked.

Or have to deal with those pesky requests for birth control.