DDS Meeting 9/30 - Orthodontist Talk
v Speaker: Dr. Jim Martin
Ø 3rd year Orthodontist Resident here at UNC
v Dr. Martin’s Dental Career
Ø Born in Albany, NY and moved to Pittsburg, PA
Ø College at Whittenberg University in Ohio
Ø Played Division III Soccer, Air Force ROTC, college radio DJ, hospital volunteer
Ø Psychology Major
Ø Got interesting in Dentistry half way through college but GPA wasn’t as good as he wanted.
Ø Graduated with a 3.63 but applied to Dental school before his final GPA
Ø Application through AADSAS, which all Dental Schools use for their application.
Ø Applied to dental schools with a overall GPA of 3.55 and a science GPA of 3.40
Ø Applied to Temple, Pittsburgh, Harvard, Pennsylvania, AT Still (Arizona)
Ø Fun Fact: Only the reading section of the DAT corresponds to a dental students success in Dental School
Ø You First Submit the Primary AADSAS application - ~ $300
Ø Schools send back Secondary Application that you must fill out for ~$90 each
Ø Got two interviews at Temple and Pittsburgh and got accepted to both schools
Ø Enrolled at Pittsburgh Dental School
Ø All dental schools require Dental students in Dental school to take part in research
Ø Approximately the top 20% of the dental class gets offered into a specialty
Ø Went from rank 21/80 to a rank of 5/76 by the time he applied to Ortho residency
Ø Dental Specialties
§ Orthodontics: 2-3 years
§ Pediatrics: 2-3 years
§ Periodontics: 2-3 years
§ Endodontic: 2-3 years
§ Oral Maxofacial Surgery 4-6 years
§ Prosthetics: 2-3 years
§ Dental Anesthesiologist (Developing Specialty)
§ Radiology: 2-3 years
§ Public Health: 1 year
Ø Picked orthodontics because it is a relatively laid back specialty. He enjoys the aspect of enhancing the image of a patient.
Ø General Dentist can perform all procedures of all specialties
Ø Applied to Ortho residency with a GPA of ~3.89 and a Board Exam Part 1 score of 94
Ø A MATCH system matches you to your residency program based on your preferences and based on how the residencies that ranks you. You get matched to ONE program that you will attend.
v Case Presentation
Ø Patient in the 30’s with a lot of crowding, a lot of teeth blocked out, and several fillings. Healthy teeth but sever crowding.
Ø Usually two ways to proceed, expand bone structure or remove teeth
Ø Took out several teeth to reduce crowding and put brackets and wiring in to straighten teeth
Ø Used braces to adjust and fix gaps and align teeth
v Discussion Topics
Ø Send in all transcripts and applications as soon as you can so schools have all your material by the time they start looking at applications and call for interview invitations
Ø If you feel as if you are not as competitive an applicant as you want, apply to a lot of schools. Whatever is within driving distance at minimum
Ø Be we well rounded applicant. Don’t join a lot of clubs and call it. Instead join a few and pick up leadership roles.
Ø There is time to live your life in your 20’s