Top 5 Topics:

- Dental School Study Hacks (That Actually Work)

- Real Post-Residency Life: Money, Boards, Privileges

- “Where Should I Do My OMFS Externships, & How Many?” (Strategy Most Miss)

- Dentistry vs. Medicine: ROI of Freedom

- 4-Year vs 6-Year (MD) OMFS: The Real Tradeoffs

Top 8 Viewers on this Episode on TikTok LIVE #74 Q&A:

1st - Terri-Lynn70, @terrilynn70

2nd – @anaki1

3rd – Vincent, @vincentadam.15

4th – Aryan_T, @th3law123

5th – Boules, @boulesattia7

6th - Andre Saffar, @andresaffar

7th - Jfcjdbddj, @_maka_303

8th - Tony, @thereviewnerd

Quotes & Wisdom:

“Don’t choose a career solely for money—choose the path that gives you financial and time freedom.” —Brendan

“Extern where you think you can’t get in; if you vibe there, you’ve just earned an interview you never expected.” —Brendan

“Speed and repetition win in D1—small, focused card sets you can cycle a dozen times beat perfect notes you read once.” —Brendan

“Diet is dentistry—if sugar lives in your day, cavities will, too.” —Brendan

“Build your routine fast post-residency; momentum is the antidote to stress.” —Brendan

“Programs aren’t counting how many places you applied—they’re looking at who you are and what you’ve done.” —Brendan

“If you already know you want OMFS, stay on the horse—pausing makes it harder to climb back in the saddle.” —Brendan

“More training isn’t always better training—pick the path that makes you excellent at what you’ll do every day.” —Brendan

“Practice reveals complications before they happen; experience is prevention.” —Brendan

“Freedom is part money and part calendar—optimize both.” —Brendan

“Credentials open doors; consistency keeps them open.” —Brendan

“Maximize the commute—turn dead time into board time.” —Brendan

“Pick externships strategically: protect your ‘likely’ interviews and gamble your extern days on ‘reach’ programs.” —Brendan

“In interviews, it’s a conversation—not an exam. Know your story better than anyone else.” —Brendan

“Lifestyle fit beats title—go where you’ll grow and where you’ll actually want to show up.” —Brendan

Questions:

00:00 — “I got accepted to dental school last week—any study tips for a Year-1 student?”

02:47 — “How is post-residency life?”

08:55 — “How should I choose OMFS externships?”

~11:40 — “How do I avoid cavities if I can’t remove my wisdom teeth?”

14:18 — “Medicine or general dentistry—what has the better ROI?”

~17:25 — “What do you think about doing a GPR?”

~21:58 — “Salary after residency—what’s realistic?”

~24:30 — “Does applying to ~30 OMFS programs look bad?”

~27:35 — “Work a year as a GP before OMFS, or go straight in?”

33:52 & 36:13 — “Four-year vs six-year (MD) OMFS—does MD help?”

Now available on:

- Dr. Gallagher’s Podcast & YouTube Channel

My watch in this episode = Tag Heuer Aquaracer Calibre 16 Chrono

- 9.2025

#podcast #dentalpodcast #doctor #dentist #dentistry #oralsurgery #dental #dentalschool #dentalstudent #dentistlife #oralsurgeon #doctorgallagher