what do you guys think....as of what im seeing now, GP dentists are oversaturated in every major city, and specialists (eg. ortho) seem to be begging the GPs for patients..Are there just too many graduating dentists and not enough specialization areas for specialists to go into, leading to oversaturation of all dentists? what do you predict for the future...

While it may be true that there are an overabbundance of dentists in major cities many of the outlaying areas are experience a severe shortage in just about every aspect of dentistry. Also, every year a little over 4000 dentists graduate and start practice here in the United States. While that may seem like a lot there are about 6000 dentists retireing from practice. This is only going to be increasing the need for dentists everywhere from LA to podunk iowa. One other major consideration is that current dental classes have about 50% female students and in reality many female dentists only work part time leading to an increase in the shortage of dentists. Many people are refering to the next 20 years as the "Golden Age" of dentistry. This is because of the products that are available and the services that dentists can provide today. It is also because with the increasing demand for dentists and the decreasing availability it will lead to increased earning potential.

So in a nutshell, I would say that the future of Dentistry looks really good for the current generation entering the field.

I've heard the exact same synopsis of the future of dentistry that TusconDDS just explained. It makes sense. I never thought of the possibility of women dentists working part time, but I'm starting to hear from some of the women in my class that it's important to them. The specialty/generalist demographics of dentistry are the opposite of medicine. We have a lot of GPs and relatively few specialists, whereas medicine has relatively few GPs and an excess of specialists. This was the reason medical schools began a campaign about 5 years ago to recruit students interested in primary care.

The bottom line is dentistry is in an outstanding position.

I think our outlook is very good as well. What I am worried about is post graduate funding. Most school based residencies had their government funding pulled, so now not only do we not get a stipend, but we would have tuition on top of that. Not to mention the fact that by then our Stafford loan resouces would have ended for most of us.

I think our outlook is very good as well. What I am worried about is post graduate funding. Most school based residencies had their government funding pulled, so now not only do we not get a stipend, but we would have tuition on top of that. Not to mention the fact that by then our Stafford loan resouces would have ended for most of us.

I would'nt worry about the post graduate funding, since you make load$ of money after finishing your residency. Good thing that you can always get loans.

SHHHHHHH! WE ARE VERY OVER-SATURATED and have virtually NO MORE ROOM for DENTISTS. Do not enter dental school now. Go into medicine. :D


Dr.B

SHHHHHHH! WE ARE VERY OVER-SATURATED and have virtually NO MORE ROOM for DENTISTS. Do not enter dental school now. Go into medicine. :D


Dr.B
I concur. It's people like the OP who are causing this oversaturation to occur. Go back to medicine. We don't need anymore like you :D

[QUOTE=TusconDDS]Also, every year a little over 4000 dentists graduate and start practice here in the United States.


I heard that it was 4000 graduates replacing 10-12000 retirees annually.

[QUOTE=TusconDDS]Also, every year a little over 4000 dentists graduate and start practice here in the United States.


I heard that it was 4000 graduates replacing 10-12000 retirees annually.

where are these numbers coming from? I like what I am hearing but I want to see these numbers coming from reliable sources.

Actually the numbers are 5000 dentists retiring and 4000 graduating each year according to the data of ADA 2003.

what do you guys think....as of what im seeing now, GP dentists are oversaturated in every major city, and specialists (eg. ortho) seem to be begging the GPs for patients..Are there just too many graduating dentists and not enough specialization areas for specialists to go into, leading to oversaturation of all dentists? what do you predict for the future...
And as far as I'm concerned, new dentists can keep trying to carve practices out of two- or three-block areas in the cities. I'll gladly take my semi- to rural office serving half a county.

what do you guys think....as of what im seeing now, GP dentists are oversaturated in every major city, and specialists (eg. ortho) seem to be begging the GPs for patients..Are there just too many graduating dentists and not enough specialization areas for specialists to go into, leading to oversaturation of all dentists? what do you predict for the future...

No I am not. I am seeing general dentists who are buying practicies and working 5 days a week (35 hrs) and raking it in. I also know of dentists who have no incentive and who want to be some other dentist's hygentist. They make 75k and do nothing cool. There is plenty of money in general and cosmetic dentistry but you've just go to go out there and do it. Don't be afraid of hard work and don't be afraid to pay your dues for a 3-5 years and you will make 250-300 easy.

Actually that's all not true. Dentistry is in trouble, there is no real money. You are right to want to give up. If I were you I'd go into medicine right away and get a piece of that medicare/insurance money. I hear it just keeps going up every year. Physicians have never been happier, while dentists are packing it in.

yea and go for pharmacy too! easy jobs at sam's and walgreens :)

yea and go for pharmacy too! easy jobs at sam's and walgreens :)
:laugh: thats funny! but mind you! there may be a day in future where you will have a dentist at walgreens who will quickly pull out that tooth for 50 bucks or do a quick RCT in 20 minutes and the patient walks out paying at the cash register.....as you know walmarts in canada have already hired dentists in many of their super centers :mad: :mad:

and to answer the first poster's qstn..i think i posted a link a couple of days ago about what the Ecocnomic research Institute predicts the salary of a dentist and each specialty will be in the year 2020. I think that will give you a fair idea of what you are looking for...
ps: Endo ranks at the bottom of that list :D

:laugh: thats funny! but mind you! there may be a day in future where you will have a dentist at walgreens who will quickly pull out that tooth for 50 bucks or do a quick RCT in 20 minutes and the patient walks out paying at the cash register.....as you know walmarts in canada have already hired dentists in many of their super centers :mad: :mad:

and to answer the first poster's qstn..i think i posted a link a couple of days ago about what the Ecocnomic research Institute predicts the salary of a dentist and each specialty will be in the year 2020. I think that will give you a fair idea of what you are looking for...
ps: Endo ranks at the bottom of that list :D
It's possible, but dentistry will be much less amenable to that sort of annexing than pharmacy or optometry. Those fields depend heavily on revenue from salable goods, so they're easily integrated into a retail setting. Dentistry & medicine are much more procedurally driven, and the big retailers don't seem to like businesses that operate that way.

and to answer the first poster's qstn..i think i posted a link a couple of days ago about what the Ecocnomic research Institute predicts the salary of a dentist and each specialty will be in the year 2020. I think that will give you a fair idea of what you are looking for...
ps: Endo ranks at the bottom of that list :D

could you plz post that link again here?

there may be a day in future where you will have a dentist at walgreens who will quickly pull out that tooth for 50 bucks or do a quick RCT in 20 minutes and the patient walks out paying at the cash register.....as you know walmarts in canada have already hired dentists in many of their super centers

Sears has dentists, and I think you can feel pretty confident that the kind of patients that you want to have will not be getting their care there. No one cares where they get a prescription, because the drugs come from the company. It's standardized. I seriously doubt that you will ever have to be concerned about losing patients to Walgreens to save a few bucks. The patients that would go there are the ones you don't WANT to see.

Sears has dentists, and I think you can feel pretty confident that the kind of patients that you want to have will not be getting their care there. No one cares where they get a prescription, because the drugs come from the company. It's standardized. I seriously doubt that you will ever have to be concerned about losing patients to Walgreens to save a few bucks. The patients that would go there are the ones you don't WANT to see.

Such a scenario would actually be a good thing for dentists, patients, and the whole economy. Imagine our economy if it contained only retail shops such as those found on Rodeo Drive. It would be like a lot of second class world economies which are made up a few wealthy folks and multitudes who live in poverty.

As you implied, the type of folks who would make use of "wallmart dentists" are likely to come from the ranks of today's underserved populations. Dental health care providers who have sound business sense would welcome such a huge potential increase in the customer base of their market. This is economics 101 folks.